Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Fall 2018

If you are scheduled for surgery at Bartlett Regional Hospital, you just might get a phone call from Laura Gregovich, RN. Her job is to make sure the hospital and anesthesiologist have all the information they need about your health history, allergies and medications prior to surgery. Gregovich likens the journey to surgery to a relay team. It starts with the primary care provider referring the patient to a surgeon, who then carries out the procedure at same-day surgery. “There can be a fair amount of coordinating to make sure that everybody has the information they need to provide the best possible care,” she says. One of her favorite parts of the job is assisting with travel logistics for patients from the more remote Southeast communities, like Thorne Bay. “If you’ve lived here, you know the challenges people face to get from point A to point B can be like expedition planning,” Gregovich says. “You can be talking to somebody out other than with narcotic pain medicine, and how to alleviate nausea,” she says. “We are small enough that we can give really good holistic patient care,” notes endoscopy nurse Rhonda Ward, RN. “I feel a big part of my job is to relieve anxiety and make people feel comfortable. We look at patients as more than just a procedure. We look at patients as human beings with different concerns and past experiences. I try to do the best possible care for all the variety of patients that come through the door.” Tender, loving care TLC from the medical staff made all the difference for colonoscopy patient Madeleine Lefebrve, who lives in Douglas. “Everyone from intake to the doctors makes a connection with you,” she says. “The warm blankets here are the best. It is probably the way that people offer them. The empathy that you feel at that moment is fabulous. You get this instant attention. You never feel like you are unimportant. They want to connect with you.” “In this community, we so often know our patients these days,” emphasizes O’Connor. “If you’re feeling anxious, to have a nurse that knows you is really helpful, especially if you’re on your own.” Your bed becomes a gurney, on which you are wheeled back to the adjoining operating room for surgery. Afterward you are wheeled back to the same room, where you’ll see the same nurse. “You’ll hang out there one to three hours,” says Vigue. Once you’ve had something to eat or drink and are not having side effects like nausea or vomiting and are steady on your feet, you are discharged to go home. You’ll spend the equivalent of a work day—six to eight hours—at the hospital. In the next day or two, you’ll get a call from same-day surgery staff, checking in on how you are doing. There’s a good chance you’ll already know each other. Prep, surgery and home in one day The nurse —continued from page 9 Surgical Services crew, Bartlett Regional Hospital 10 House Calls Fall 2018