As a new feature of my blog in 2020, I will be “sharing the spotlight” with others to hear from nurses, caregivers, fellow VOCSN users, and more. My goal is to provide more insight about my life using VOCSN and the many wonderful people I have met as a result. If you have a suggestion for someone you would like to hear from or a topic you would like covered, please let me know!
For my first interview, I sat down with my friend and nurse Lindsey, a registered nurse who has worked with me for the past 18 months. She is a wonderful nurse, an even better friend, and I am happy to share her experiences caring for patients like me using a ventilator.
LOA: How did you first come to care for a ventilator dependent patient?
LINDSEY: My classmate from nursing school and colleague from The Everett Clinic approached me when I was looking for a way to maintain my nursing license while primarily staying home to raise my small children. She told me that the job was very flexible, as her sister lived at home and was in very good health. I had reservations, as I had not had ventilator experience during my nursing career.
LOA: How did you ultimately decide to venture into home health care nursing, specifically for a quadriplegic patient, who was dependent on a ventilator?
LINDSEY: I had seen you with your sister on several occasions out and about and your care always seemed surprisingly uncomplicated compared to what I had imagined. Once I started more in-depth discussion with your sister regarding your care, I learned that your care was made much simpler thanks to your Multi-Function Ventilator, VOCSN.
LOA: What had you imagined was involved with caring for a ventilator dependent patient?
LINDSEY: My experience was based on patients in the hospital, who were attached to large machines with lots of tubes and cords. I saw them get suctioned with catheters going directly down their trach tubes and secretions flying all over the place. I thought there would be a lot more equipment that you needed to bring with you, but seeing you so unencumbered and learning that all of your devices had been streamlined into a single user-friendly machine made caring for you unintimidating.
LOA: Once you took the leap and joined my team, what was the learning curve like for VOCSN?
LINDSEY: The ventilator (VOCSN) was a piece of cake, since it operates much like my iPhone and is very intuitive. All of the therapies you use combined in one device meant I only had to learn how to use one machine. Getting you dressed while laying down, however, I am still working on. Maybe if you wore snap-on pants instead of skinny jeans, I would not still be struggling after 18 months.
LOA: What is your favorite aspect of working in the home care setting?
LINDSEY: My favorite part of working in the home care setting is helping you achieve independence. From my perspective, VOCSN makes it easy for us to be spontaneous and I love when we can get out and have a little fun. We have truly become good friends and working with you truly feels less like a job and more like a day with my girlfriend.
The views expressed by Loa are not necessarily the view of the Ventec Life Systems, its members or the clinical board. These blog posts are the personal experiences of Loa. The blog posts are not intended to provide clinical advice or training related to VOCSN. Always consult a physician or trained clinician prior to using VOCSN. Please refer to the VOCSN Clinical and Technical Manual for detailed instructions, including indications and contraindications for use. VOCSN is available by prescription only.