Patricia DeVenney
July 2016
Patricia
DeVenney
,
RN
Specialty Clinic, Dermatology
Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System
Biloxi
,
MS
United States

 

 

 

Patricia DeVenney embodies the VA's ICARE values (integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence) daily. She treats all veterans equally and puts veterans needs first. As an example, in addition to providing excellent dermatology services, Patricia coordinated with an inpatient unit to enable a veteran who had arrived in soiled clothing to shower and get clean clothes. She has created a database of all dermatology biopsies by which she tracks, updates, and schedules veterans for return appointments. Through her diligence, she caught three near-miss biopsy labeling errors and fixed these immediately. She trained a new dermatology nurse at a distant clinic site, helped established the site's biopsy database, and is authoring a dermatology SOP. Patricia collaborates with lab and pharmacy personnel to maximize veterans' success with biologic medications. She also works closely with Tulane residents and stays abreast of research by the American Academy of Dermatology, to ensure veterans receive evidence-based treatments.