Nursing Advocacy

Florence Nightingale, the ‘lady with the lamp’, was a nurse advocate.

She ‘lit the way’ for us as nurses, to serve as patient advocates as well as caretakers of our patient’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs.

She believed in care that focused on unity, wellness, and the interrelationship of human beings and their environment.

Our training has always included patient advocacy.

My history as an advocate

Advocacy has been my natural focus since day one of nursing school.  In my performance evaluations over the years, I was consistently rated as ‘exceeding job expectations’, in the area of advocacy.

I have been a voice for patients when they could not find their voice. I educated and attempted to empower them to advocate for themselves and when they could not, I assumed that role as my response-ability. I have also supported family members/caregivers in advocating for their loved ones.

A Testimonial

“I will always be grateful for Donna’s support during my mother’s illness and extended hospital and rehab stay. Donna spoke with me on several occasions and answered questions I had regarding my mother’s condition and the care she was receiving. Through Donna’s guidance, I was able to be my mother’s advocate which allowed me and my family to intelligently speak on her behalf. Better understanding my mother’s condition as well as the proper procedures that should be followed was extremely valuable. Thank you, Donna for your continued heart centered love and support.”
—Cindy B. Melbourne, FL

What does my role as an advocate encompass?

My role as an advocate is like my role in all the services that I offer…to support, educate and empower.

In this capacity, I function as a holistic nurse, like Florence Nightingale, who many see as the first holistic nurse, believing in care that is focused on unity, wellness, and the interrelationship of human beings and their environment.

I have always advocated for myself and my family members when we accessed the mainstream medical system. Since becoming a holistic nurse, I have expanded my advocacy to include ensuring that those I am assisting understand the collective mind, body, spirit, and relationship effects on their well-being or state of disease.

I also can serve as a bridge between conventional and complementary healing practices, as I am trained in both healthcare models.

As an advocate, I:

• Protect each patient’s rights
• Serve as a guide and provide information, ensuring patient and family have accurate information upon which to base decisions
• Encourage and empower patients and family members to ask for information and reinforce that asking questions is important
• Place the patient’s needs, desires, and safety as a priority
• Step in when the patient is hesitant, or unable to speak up for whatever reason to voice questions or concerns
• Foster communication with health care professionals and serve as a liaison between patients and doctors
• Provide a caring, healing presence
• Reduce anxiety           
• Promote informed decision making

How you may benefit from a Nurse Advocate:

• Do you or your loved one feel powerless about your healthcare choices?
• Do you feel you lack sufficient knowledge to advocate for yourself?
• Do you assume the professionals know best and feel disempowered or unable to trust your own thinking?
• Do you discount your intuition?
• Do you KNOW that something isn’t right for you…but you cannot put a voice to exactly what it is because you lack the knowledge to fully assert yourself or ask the necessary questions?
• Do you feel that your visits with your practitioner are hurried, and you do not get all your questions answered?
• If you or your loved one has several specialists involved do you feel confused about what is happening and unclear about the plan of care?

Even the most compassionate and dedicated practitioners must place as a priority your physical needs…diagnostics, medications, surgery, and procedures. They have many demands on their attention and time. They generally are not trained in holistic approaches and the perspective of seeking to ‘know the person who has the disease as well as the disease that has the person.

Feel free to contact me for a complimentary 30-minute discovery session to discuss how you might benefit from my advocacy services.