story and photo by James Coburn, Staff Writer
SSM Health St. Anthony Midwest is near completion of a new endoscopy clinic and outpatient unit, said Laura Easley, RN, who works in the ambulatory surgery unit.
The clinic is still under development as more staff is being hired. Easley will be floating back and forth to the unit that is expected to open in August, according to plans. Patients have been coming to the ambulatory surgery unit for pre/op and post/op procedures.
The new endoscopy clinic will expand the number of colonoscopies and EGEs at the hospital, she said. An upper GI Endoscopy allows the endoscopist to directly observe the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and first part of the small intestine.
“We can get more people covered in a day, and we’ll be able to cover a larger portion of our community here,” Easley explained. “It’s better than patients having to go out of this area.”
Easley is well acquainted with patients needing an endoscopy procedure. She checks their vital signs, including blood sugar for persons living with diabetes. Patients answer questions about their health and get dressed and ready for the procedure.
The doctors speak to the patient to answer any questions and explain anesthesia before they are taken into the unit. Following the procedure, the patients receive post-anesthesia care. (story continues below)
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Her nursing journey began in 2011 after graduating from OSU/OKC. She joined the nursing staff at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital, located in midtown Oklahoma City
“I had a really laid-back preceptor. She was calm and cool all the time. When I was stressing out as a new nurse, she was like, ‘It’s okay. This is what we’re going to do.’”
Easley did some brief clinic work but came back to St. Anthony Hospital to focus on med/surg psychiatric behavioral nursing. She was a charge nurse on the floor for eight years.
Her advice for students before they decide on nursing is to work in health care in some capacity. Get exposed to it a little bit, she said. Make sure it is for you.
“I had an aunt who was a nurse, and she was always the person the family would turn to when they had health problems going on,” she said. “Inevitably that happens to everybody, and everybody is scared. She was always our rock and I just thought I wanted to do that, too. She did home health. So, she had all kinds of tips and tricks up her sleeve. I decided not to follow her path that closely, but still kind of the same.”
Today, Easley is fascinated with her current role.
She gets to see a lot of different types of patient procedures. Easley had never worked in surgery before this job. So, her understanding from the perspective of ambulatory surgical nursing now makes more sense, she said.
“I get where they’re coming from on their end. So, I get to see all the different patients and get to send them home,” she said of seeing the full spectrum of care.
The endoscopy clinic will be a streamlined process. Two procedure rooms are located nearby the patients’ rooms within the unit. Some patients coming for an endoscopy have never had a surgery before, Easley said.
“They’re really scared. They’ve heard about Michael Jackson using Propofol and we use that drug sometimes,” Easley said. “They’re just scared that they’re not going to be okay.”
Easley explains that administering the sedative is a very routine process with constant professional monitoring.
She thought about the impact that nursing has had on her own life.
“I think that health care is complicated and messy and painful and wonderful,” Easley said. “Having a support system is really important. I get to see the big difference in people when they have one versus when they don’t. As a young person as a nurse, you don’t really get that until you’ve seen it.”
Easley said the nursing profession has galvanized her strength.
“Sometimes you have to use your poker face and maybe want to go cry. But you must keep your professional face on because it’s not about how you feel. It’s about how they feel,” she said.
Easley said her time with Saints has been well spent. Once you work at Saints, even if you leave for a little while, you’ll come back, she said.
Easley’s caring nature extends to her great sense of comfort — her family.
“I have a 3-year-old daughter and she is the most hilarious human I have ever met in my life,” she said. “She is completely distracting and joyful. Her favorite thing right now is swimming. So, we’ve got a little pool in the backyard.”
For more information about SSM Health St. Anthony Midwest or to join the team, visit
https://jobs.ssmhealth.com/.
