Most workers take for granted that they'll be off on the holidays. They expect to sit down to Thanksgiving dinner on the fourth Thursday of November. They open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and kiss their loved ones at midnight on New Year's Eve. That's not always the case for health care providers.
Hospitals don't stop because of the calendar, and neither do their workers. Patients need care every day of the year. They receive it o often with an extra helping of cheer o because nurses and caregivers know how to adapt and to celebrate holidays wherever they are ... more
By her mid-30s, Metta Johnson had done a lot with her life. She had married young and had children. She had taught Bible study classes, led Girl Scouts and worked in a ministry for the mentally challenged. But something was missing.
"You can only do so much as a volunteer," she said. "I felt very called to be a nurse, and I wanted to make a difference," said Johnson, RN, BSN, OCN, CHPN, CMC ... more
"Every hospital has had cases of seriously obese patients who challenge the ingenuity and patience of caregivers, but no one talks about them," said Michael Dionne, PT, owner of Choice Physical Therapy Inc. in Gainesville.
Dionne specializes in providing care, rehabilitation and encouragement to patients whom he calls "people of size" (up to 500 pounds) and "people of immense size" (500 to 1,000 or more pounds) ... more