The Resource Nurse Team at Oklahoma City VA Health Care System
May 2025
The Resource Nurse Team
at Oklahoma City VA Health Care System
Oklahoma City VA Medical Center
Oklahoma City
,
OK
United States
Bo Grissom, RN
Steven Han, RN
Steven Han, RN
The Resource Nurse Team became a reality in March 2024. Originally approved for a team of 4 nurses, strategic hiring provided for two. Bo Grissom, ED RN, and Steven Han, ICU RN, were selected for this brand-new role. As with any new initiative, it has been a work in progress. There are four main focuses of this team, and as we have learned along the way, they are continually adding tasks/goals as they go based on the needs.
The four main focuses include posting the NEWS scores report and traveling to physically assess any veteran who triggers on the medium or high NEWS score. This score can be a precursor to identifying potential sepsis. The Resource Nurse collaborates with nursing and physicians to effect earlier intervention and facilitate transfer to a higher level of care if necessary. They are each certified in Ultrasound Guided Peripheral IVs. This training facilitates visualization of veins, making it much easier and comfortable for our veterans that are hard to stick.
In their first 9 months of this program, Bo and Steven started 80% of the difficult IVs in the hospital with a success rate of 99.5%! This helps our patients, but also helps the nursing staff. The Resource Nurse also assists with responding to code blue, rapid response, code stroke, and now also code purple. They are also tasked with assisting in areas that may be seeing high admissions or discharges. There have been times when critical staffing has necessitated pulling them to the ICU or the ED to take patients. They have never complained, and while doing so, they continue to respond to calls for assistance with the other tasks that our staff have come to appreciate that they do.
They work closely with the Nursing Officer of the Day and go wherever they are needed to help. They work opposite of each other, and unless someone is on annual leave or sick leave, the Resource Nurse role is covered 7 nights per week, 1930-0800, including weekends and holidays. In every capacity described, they lead by example, teaching as they go and collaborating to ensure the very best care for our veterans.
The four main focuses include posting the NEWS scores report and traveling to physically assess any veteran who triggers on the medium or high NEWS score. This score can be a precursor to identifying potential sepsis. The Resource Nurse collaborates with nursing and physicians to effect earlier intervention and facilitate transfer to a higher level of care if necessary. They are each certified in Ultrasound Guided Peripheral IVs. This training facilitates visualization of veins, making it much easier and comfortable for our veterans that are hard to stick.
In their first 9 months of this program, Bo and Steven started 80% of the difficult IVs in the hospital with a success rate of 99.5%! This helps our patients, but also helps the nursing staff. The Resource Nurse also assists with responding to code blue, rapid response, code stroke, and now also code purple. They are also tasked with assisting in areas that may be seeing high admissions or discharges. There have been times when critical staffing has necessitated pulling them to the ICU or the ED to take patients. They have never complained, and while doing so, they continue to respond to calls for assistance with the other tasks that our staff have come to appreciate that they do.
They work closely with the Nursing Officer of the Day and go wherever they are needed to help. They work opposite of each other, and unless someone is on annual leave or sick leave, the Resource Nurse role is covered 7 nights per week, 1930-0800, including weekends and holidays. In every capacity described, they lead by example, teaching as they go and collaborating to ensure the very best care for our veterans.