When Lauren Prochaska, BSN, RN, took on the role of nurse manager for Duke’s 1L clinic one year ago, she faced the formidable task of overseeing all the clinic’s daily operations. Since then she’s had to keep those duties up while thinking outside the box to make sure patients received safe, effective, and compassionate care during an emerging epidemic. For this week’s spotlight interview, we talk to Prochaska about her duties from maintaining staff competencies to handing out candy, the challenges in communicating information about COVID-19 with patients, and enjoying cooking, the outdoors, and her husband’s demolition derbies when she’s not at work.
What are your responsibilities as operational nurse manager for our 1L Clinic? What does a typical day for you look like?
As nurse manager, I oversee the daily operations of the clinic. All nursing staff members report directly to me. I serve as the staff and patient advocate to ensure care meets the standards and expectations set by Duke. This includes making sure we are in compliance with established policies and procedures, maintaining competencies for staff, auditing patient care documentation, fostering relationships with staff, and encouraging clinical development.
In a typical day, I make sure we have enough staff and supplies to properly care for patients, make rounds to check on staff, conduct interviews and meetings, field escalation of care needs, and pass out candy.
How long have you had this role, and how did you come here?
I have been in this role since July 2019. We moved from Illinois in 2018 for my husband’s job. I became a staff RN in our clinic in Sept 2018. When the nurse manager position became available, I applied and here we are.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the clinical operations at 1L? What are the biggest challenges and opportunities that you face at the moment?
COVID has made us think outside the box for new ways to care for our patients. We realized that our patients were getting sick at home, but not seeking care for fear of COVID exposure. We were able to devise a plan to ensure we were seeing those patients in person so they could receive proper treatment. We also began calling patients the day before to gather information normally done during the intake process. This has given us the opportunity to build a rapport with the patients and reduce the face to face time once they arrive to clinic.
Our biggest challenge is keeping patients educated with the latest information regarding COVID and how that will affect their visit with us, whether that is telemedicine or in person. Since this information is ever changing, it can be very confusing for patients.
What’s one thing you wished more patients knew before coming to our clinic?
I wish patients knew how much we care about them even before we meet them.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Regardless of my role, I will always enjoy being able to help patients. In this role, I also have the pleasure of watching staff grow and flourish both individually and as a team.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part of my job is knowing there are still so many things I don’t know. I have learned so much already in this role and I am thankful for such an amazing network of people around me that never hesitate to point me in the right direction.
What other passions or hobbies do you have outside of the Department?
I love to read, make crafty things, and cook. As a family, we enjoy the outdoors and exploring new places. My husband competes in demolition derbies, so we travel all over the U.S. to watch.