Story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
Erica Jones, RN, serves in the radiology unit at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest. Jones is the only nurse working in her capacity at the hospital, she said.
“My biggest thing in nursing is always standing up for yourself, standing up for your patient,” Jones said.
Effective patient-centered care is the goal of her work, so she dismisses any fears about advocating for herself and her patients’ needs. Her role necessitates in-depth skill with an innate sense of being honest and open. Nurses must be willing to ask questions about things that do not seem right, she said.
“Self-assurance is important and being knowledgeable about your patient and their history,” she said.
Patients with tendencies to become claustrophobic are identified by the nurses who screen them. A family physician may have ordered for them a prescription to lower their anxiety. Once the patient is ready for the MRI, Jones assures them they are safe and will be monitored a cared for throughout the imaging process.
“It’s very common. I was surprised how many patients are monitored for claustrophobia,” Jones said. (story continues below)
Jones works with every modality in the radiology department, including CT-scans, MRI, ultrasound, X-Rays, mammograms, paracentesis, while closely following safety guidelines. She also monitors patients having an MRI with intravenous sedation or with pacemakers. They also offer fluoroscopy and nuclear medicine.
SSM Health Interventional Radiologists are board-certified physicians with advanced training in delivering minimally invasive therapies.
Jones enjoys the closeness with her patients on a one-on-one shorter time frame while monitoring and taking care of them. She works with different physicians allowing her curious nature to learn about diagnostic conditions patients have.
“I really wanted to be a nurse to take care of people,” Jones continued. “I felt like it was a profession where I could use my intelligence to really provide great care. I’m really big on enhancement, learning, and I want to use those tools I have to provide the best care for my patients, and to care for them the way I would want someone to care for me.”
A nurse for nearly 10 years, her nursing education began at Rose State College in Midwest City. Jones went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, located in Weatherford. Her first job was on a med/surg unit. Her background involves about two years of radiology, with additional time in a cauterization lab, and emergency department.
Jones had a series of training opportunities for her role as a radiology nurse to learn about the set-up at SSM Health St. Anthony-Midwest. She already had experience in her field before she came aboard. So, she built upon what she already knew about conventional radiology with specialized updates and continuing education offered by SSM Health.
“Also, there are groups that you can join and organizations you can join to make sure you’re staying up-to-date in radiology nursing,” Jones said. “In the 10 years since I got into nursing it has changed so much, and it doesn’t even seem like that much time.”
A nursing career has galvanized her to believe she can accomplish anything in life she puts her mind to.
“I have the patience, the perseverance. I have the will, the guts to do anything I put my mind to. Some of the things that I’ve done, some of the cases I’ve seen, some of the patients I’ve taken care of — when I look back, I can’t believe I did that or that my team did that,” she said. “We did that together. It just lets you know that you are capable of so much more.”
Indelible moments have touched her life. She vividly remembers her first patient when she was a medical surgical nurse a decade ago — even his name and face.
“I remember really being upset because I couldn’t get their pain under control,” Jones said. “I was just really talking to him and his daughter, working and trying to get that under control. That was something that really changed my life because it let me know that I was doing the right thing, that this is where I needed to be. And that these patients impact my life just as much as I impact theirs.”
She stays active when not working to rejuvenate her energy and spirit.
“I love to go to Disney World. I love to spend time with my son, my husband and our three dogs,” she said. “I’m a homebody unless I’m traveling. But I just love to hang out in my hot tub and just relax.”
To learn more about SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital-Midwest, visit https://jobs.ssmhealth.com/us/en.
