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New equipment adds efficiency and safety to distribution of patient meds |
LifeCare
registered nurse Marilyn Novacek scans
the bar code on a syringe
using one of the
hospital's new Omnicell medication
cabinets. A biometric
fingerprint
scanner and a barcode scanning process
improve efficiency and
add a level of
safety as healthcare providers access
and administer
medications to
their patients.
LifeCare Medical Center has begun using
Omnicell medication cabinets as part of
its patient safety practices.
Located
in the emergency department and other
areas, these medication cabinets enable
healthcare providers to safely and
securely access the right medications
for their patients in a controlled and
timely manner.
Each medication is
inventoried and placed in the cabinets
by the hospital pharmacy department.
"Using a medication cabinet enables us
to access medications without entering
our main pharmacy and also adds a level
of safety to our medication
administration," says LifeCare's
Director of Nursing Roxanne Fabian, RN.
Medications removed from the cabinet are
automatically documented and updated to
a patient's profile or medical record.
Caregivers access medications in the
secure cabinets through a biometric
fingerprint scanner and use a large
touch screen interface to access a
patient's profile, which details the
medications a patient will receive on
the nurse's work shift. Barcode scanning
at each step enables the healthcare
provider to ensure
they are accessing
and distributing the right medications
to the right patient.
"Implementing
the Omnicell cabinets into our already
highly controlled patient safety
practices demonstrates one more way
LifeCare performed its responsibility of
ensuring the safety of each and every
patient," Fabian
says.
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LifeCare Healthcare Fund awards three scholarships |
LifeCare Medical Center has awarded
$500 Healthcare Scholarships to each of three Roseau
County students planning to pursue a career in a
healthcare related field.
Scholarships are funded each
year through sales generated from LifeCarešs Neighborhood
Nook gift and coffee shop located at LifeCare Hospital.
LifeCare greatly appreciates the community volunteers who
donate their time to staff the Neighborhood Nook.
This
year's scholarship recipients are:
Monica
SysourathWarroad High School
School: Bemidji State University
Career: Registered Nurse
Bio: Monica has always been
interested in pursuing a medical profession, but just
recently has she decided on a career as a Registered
Nurse. She works at Thomson Snyder Drug as a licensed
pharmacy technician and has volunteered many hours at the
Warroad Care Center.
Kristina Dvergsten
Greenbush/Middle River School
School: University of
North Dakota
Career: Social Work
Bio: Kristina hopes
to expand her knowledge and study of gerontology through
volunteerwork. She hopes to eventually work as a patient
advocate in a hospital or nursing home.
Dawn
Comstock
Roseau High School
School: Gustavus
Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN
Career: Optometry
Bio: Dawn enjoys working with people and would like to
help people by improving their
quality of life.
Volunteerism helped point her in the direction of health
care. She currently works at LifeCare Rehab Services.
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Medical student scholarship available |
LifeCare is
offering a scholarship opportunity for one Roseau County
student currently enrolled in a healthcare related, post
secondary academic program.
Awarded for the first time in 2008,
this special grant encourages students to continue studies
in their chosen healthcare related field.
This year's award is a $1,500
LifeCare Medical Student Scholarship.
The scholarship is funded by LifeCare
Medical Center as a not-for-profit organization that
includes LifeCare Hospital, Greenbush Manor, Roseau Manor,
Home Care and Hospice, Public Health, and Rehabilitation
Services.
Applicants must be enrolled in a post secondary or
graduate academic program in a healthcare related field
and must have completed at least one year of school in
their major field of study.
In order to apply, students must have
received a high school diploma from within Roseau County
or be a resident of the county.
A copy of the scholarship criteria
and the application form are available online at
lifecaremedicalcenter.org under the heading titled
Careers. Deadline for submission is Sept. 1, 2009.
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