Nurse Nicole’s story
May 8, 2020
Living Well at Home
Health news, stories of care, and other information to help you live safely and independently at home
Nicole is a second-generation nurse. Second-generation and a half, really—both her mother and aunt were nurses. When Nicole chose nursing as her major, she knew the responsibility she was taking on in caring for others. She had seen the commitment of the dedicated nurses in her family firsthand. “I knew that it was a wonderful career where there was a professional need, and that it would give me the opportunity to help others and make a difference,” Nicole says.
Providing complex, coordinated care
Today, Nicole is a primary care nurse practitioner (PCNP) at the Framingham office of CCA Primary Care, the CCA clinical affiliate, and she is still dedicated to upholding her family’s legacy of hard work and compassion. CCA Primary Care provides intensive, comprehensive, and disability-competent care to patients with the highest degree of complex physical, behavioral, and social needs. It’s a challenge Nicole embraces with enthusiasm because it is so rewarding.
Nicole is a nurse with a mission. She is always looking for ways to make her work more comprehensive and takes the standard of nurse-led care further on behalf of her members.
One CCA member she works with is on the autism spectrum and has anxiety and depression. The member also has many cancer-related complications. Nicole coordinates the member’s need for frequent lab draws with his VNA nurse, and communicates the results and treatment plans with his Boston-based specialty teams. But Nicole has also gone further, reconnecting the member with a specialist in his hometown so he doesn’t have to travel to Boston as often.
When the member is hospitalized, Nicole makes sure his needs are met. She makes sure his inpatient care team is aware of his complex medical history and connects them with his CCA care team to ensure a smooth transition back home when he is discharged from the hospital.
“The best way to quantify Nicole’s advocacy and dedication to her member’s care,” says Heather Korencsik, supervisor for the PCNP team at CCA Primary Care Framingham, “is by the countless number of phone calls she has placed to and received from the member and his caregiver, his VNA, specialty providers, and numerous inpatient services while he is hospitalized. Some of the calls take place well after the normal work day has ended.”
Staying connected
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, when she can no longer provide care in member’s homes, Nicole is finding new ways to interact with her members. “I am now making virtual visits, either by phone or over the computer, instead of in-person,” Nicole says. “It’s been great getting to ‘see’ each other and to be able to stay connected during these challenging times.”
Despite the challenges, Nicole remains committed to continuing her high standard of care for her members. She credits her peers with helping her manage this new normal. “I have been fortunate to have a compassionate, excellent interdisciplinary team that I’ve been able to collaborate with on the day-to-day challenges,” she says. “I feel honored to be a part of the nursing profession, and to be able to continue making a difference in the lives of others, with managing chronic and acute illnesses, even though the way we deliver that care has changed a bit.”
