Donya Diop, RN, is Practicing Excellence’s Nursing Experience Program Partner Spotlight for February! Donya is an experienced, dedicated nurse from Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles, who’s favorite part of the job is the impact she has on patients. To learn how she utilizes NEP to create a greater impact for patients, read our interview with Donya below!
How long have you been in nursing, and what are your favorite parts about it?
I have been in nursing for 17 years and my favorite part about nursing is that in a patient care setting, it doesn’t matter what your title or rank is, we all have equal power to positively impact a patient’s health and quality of life by giving our all to that patient. For me, there is joy in doing that! Even more so, I find joy in providing quality care to the underserved community in which I work. I also enjoy the constant learning environment of nursing, I may see the same diagnoses, tests, etc… but every day and every patient is different. Nursing stays interesting and stimulating!
Can you tell us one of your favorite patient stories from your work?
At my hospital, I presented a middle-aged male patient with CHF education followed by a CHF tool kit to help him manage his CHF at home (scale, blood pressure monitor, and drinking cup with measurements on it). When the patient received the tool kit and I began educating him, I noticed the pt fighting tears until he couldn’t hold back anymore and was fully sobbing. He was not used to so much being done for him. Thank you MLKCH for providing that for our patients!
How has NEP helped you as a nurse?
NEP has helped me greatly as a nurse. The short 5 minutes or less segments are doable and I like the tips given at the end so that the advice can actually be applied.
Could you tell us about a time that a tip you learned came in handy?
There was a tip about the importance of explaining “why” to a patient that has definitely come in handy when it comes to getting a patient to adhere to healthcare advice. Communication is so important and it’s not enough to simply advise a patient to adhere to something because they have a diagnosis. A brief ( or long if they desire) break down of “why” will increase adherence.
What new skills are you looking forward to developing?
I’m looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone and developing some leadership skills.
What do you look forward to most after each week’s new tip?
After each week’s new tip, I look forward to putting that tip to use with my patient’s and others. There is truly something or many things useful for every nurse in the huge library of useful tips that NEP offers! Bonus: The tips can also be applied in your personal world outside of nursing! Thanks NEP!
Thank you, Donya, for sharing your story with us! We are so grateful to have you all as our partners and we look forward to what you accomplish next with the Nursing Experience Project!
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