Donna Robinson-Hampton, RN, BSN, began her nursing career in the ER. “Working in a hospital, things are different. It’s fast-paced. As a nurse, you don’t always get to make that connection with the patient,” she reveals.
What Robinson-Hampton did get to do in the ER was perfect her IV skills. “I have had many challenges working in the ER and IV placements are the biggest obstacles, but it is a great area to hone one’s skills.”
It was one of Robinson-Hampton’s friends, an AOM staffer, who suggested she put her deft skills to use at the growing company. “I worked with AOM as a per-diem nurse for 17 years before I joined them full time,” she shares. “It’s been a long relationship.”
Serving as an infusion nurse for vulnerable patients coping with complex chronic illnesses was dramatically different than her ER experience. “Infusion nursing is one-on-one,” she explains. “It brings you to the core of what nursing is about. It’s interesting getting to know my patients. The most important thing I can do is make them comfortable with the medical world while helping them feel like they’re a whole person — not someone who is defined by their illness.”
Nurturing Patient Trust
Making patients comfortable is the foundation of building trust.
“In the beginning, building trust can be very hard,” Robinson-Hampton admits. “I remember the first home visit I had with a teenage patient. He was very young and afraid and had what’s called white-coat syndrome. When I walked in to introduce myself, I could see he was panicking. He was sweating, so I sat down and introduced myself. I said, ‘Before I put in the IV, let’s talk.’ I asked him what he needed from me, then took 15 minutes to explain everything to him. I didn’t want to appear rushed, which I thought was leading to his anxiety. I just built that beginning of trust between us, and after that it was smooth sailing. Now if I see something wrong when I walk in the door, I start with conversation to see what’s causing the anxiety, to decrease it and form a better relationship with that patient.”
Trust is also built through good IV skills.
“I would encourage individuals considering a career in infusion nursing to get their base experience in a hospital because your IV abilities are paramount,” Robinson-Hampton says. “Most of the time when I put in an IV, the patient says, ‘Did you get it? Wow, I didn’t feel anything.’ Once a nurse has that capability, it nurtures an important area of trust.”
That mutual trust is the reason Robinson-Hampton has had many long-time patients over the years. Recently, Robinson-Hampton was promoted to clinical care navigator. Despite her new managerial role, she still cares for two long-time home-infusion patients. “When I accepted this new position, I said I still have patients who love me and would like me to still come to their homes to care for them.”
Championing Clinical Excellence
While Robinson-Hampton’s compassion for her patients comes naturally, she has benefitted from AOM’s unfaltering commitment to helping its staff stay abreast of advances in infusion medicine.
“You never stop learning here,” she notes. “The company holds frequent seminars and meetings about different medications to treat various diseases and conditions. Pharmaceutical reps come in, too. So we receive ongoing education about diseases and drug therapies. They really push us to learn.”
To ensure its nursing team stays at the forefront of excellence, AOM sponsors advanced credentialing — including CRNI (certified registered nurse infusion), VABC (vascular access board certified) and IgCN (immune globulin certified nurse). Each certification represents countless hours of advanced studies, labs, practicals and perfecting intricate protocols that foster the clinical expertise required to care for the most vulnerable patients.
Certifications and educational sessions with trusted pharmacy and manufacturing partners are just two elements of what AOM calls its “clinical ladder”— an effort to support career advancement and empower nurses to achieve their professional goals. In addition, a nurse residency program not only nurtures new talent, but prepares the next generation of clinical professionals to deliver high-quality care.
“When our nurses grow, the entire health care experience improves, making a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients every day,” says Sheila Iacono, vice president of nursing operations.
Promoting Career Growth
Robinson-Hampton appreciates the opportunity to advance her career. To prepare for her new role as clinical care navigator role, she received peer orientation with experienced navigators who worked with her one-on-one.
“The clinical care navigator role is managerial, but you still have to understand the wants and needs of patients — their desire to keep a certain amount of independence in their home and feel like a whole person,” Robinson-Hampton explains. “You have to be cognizant of the time the infusion nurse sees patients and how the visits go. If a patient requests a change, for any reason, we can’t just assume they’re putting up barriers. We need to understand why a patient needs a change. So the management part of this job offers a different perspective than the one a nurse sees when he or she walks into a patient’s home. As a clinical care navigator, I can help prep the patient for the nurse coming in because I have first-hand experience. I’ve been and still am an infusion nurse caring for people in their homes.”
Ready to infuse your nursing career with more passion, purpose and opportunities? AOM Infusion is growing and looking for compassionate, talented nurses to join our team. We have rewarding positions open across the U.S, visit our careers page.