The innovative model is superb, outstanding and I wish I could work there!
However, I feel the role of the nurse in patient-centered care is to an extent, elusive.

As a RN at the bedside in medical/surgical units, I have come for focus my initiative on the patient. I was a critical care nurse, Cardiology nurse in the Catheterization and Electrophysiology labs, and a telemetry nurse. Although, I loved my roles, it is on the medical/surgical units that I can deliver patient/family-centered care. This is where my nursing skill and critical thinking are called upon with the greatest need.

As a nurse educator, I see the utmost value of role modeling and guiding the future nurses in an environment the both lacks and is in critical need of a patient focus. As technology advances, and the nurses’ population ages, there is a gap in patient-nurse interaction; not by the choices of any nurse, but by the nature of care delivery in response to the growing demands of acuity.

As a doctoral student of nursing science, my pursuit of information relating to patient-centered care in nursing, technology and in general has emerged from a primarily physician focus. This is outrageous. I completely respect the physician direction, but I am frustrated at the lack of emphasis on the role of the nurse-patient-centered care. Therefore, it is essential to implement strong initiatives toward patient-centered care, in promotion to become the norm, not the exception in the delivery of nursing quality and quantity care to and with patients and families.

Nurses are far past the role as handmaiden to the physicians. Today a patient-centered care model needs to include a strong role for both the physician and nurse as an invaluable team toward the delivery of patient-centered care with the patient as the third and most important member at the center and constant focus of care. Where one team member is in the primary role at one point, the others are in the supportive roles, of which continually interact and change in a fluent cohesiveness. This is patient-centered care.