Mount Auburn Healthcare Connection

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Nurses are your round-the-clock caretakers when you’re often at your most vulnerable. Their warmth and kindness is important, but their clinical expertise is what lets you feel confident you are getting competent, comprehensive care.

Mount Auburn Hospital nurses are part of a program to continue their education so they can provide the highest quality care to their patients.

“As a post-surgical nurse, I wanted to be able to provide the most advanced care for my patients,” says Julie O’Donnell, registered nurse at Mount Auburn Hospital. “With continuous breakthroughs in medicine, the specialized education gives me extra knowledge about post-surgical pain management so I am able to provide the most effective treatment plans.”

Improving patient care
O’Donnell refers to nursing advancement at Mount Auburn Hospital as a ladder program. “There are two levels: Advanced Clinician 1 and Advanced Clinician 2,” she says. “Both require certification through a national exam in your specific area of nursing.”

As an Advanced Clinician 1, nurses take on more responsibility and support the nurse manager. O’Donnell says along with boosting morale among her colleagues, Advanced Clinician 1 nurses are always brainstorming to find new and innovative ways to improve patient care.

An Advanced Clinician 2 nurse’s role is to educate other nurses throughout the hospital about their area of expertise, and promote growth and development.

“For example, with my recent move up the ladder to Advanced Clinician 2, I was able to teach a session to other nurses about the appropriate cultural assessment of pain,” says O’Donnell. “The class offered other nurses insight into how other cultures express pain so they can assess their patients more accurately.”

Sharing knowledge
O’Donnell’s knowledge helps in everyday collaboration among her peers. “Everyone is part of the team that is working to provide the best care for the patient,” she says. “We are essentially helping each other provide the highest level of care possible.”

In addition, continuing education gives nurses the opportunity to help educate their patients. O’Donnell was able to help develop information that gives hip and knee replacement patients insight into what type of pain they can expect and how their pain would be treated.

Working together for patients
Clinical advancements are one building block that contributes to the patient-centered approach to care at Mount Auburn Hospital. “We are built on compassion and clinical expertise,” says O’Donnell. “We all believe in demonstrating a high degree of professionalism.”

Experience the patient-centered care at Mount Auburn Hospital. Call (617) 499-5094.