Trauma nurses help patients navigate urgent care
IU Health Methodist Hospital
By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist
These nurses help patients during and after hospitalization.
Tyler Delph has been described as “GAP Insurance.” As a Clinical Nurse Navigator, he works with trauma and acute care surgery patients.
“We were tired; we were scared; we were overwhelmed and we were bewildered at discharge. We are thankful for Tyler Delph for stepping in and helping make my transition from hospital to home a cohesive experience,” wrote one patient.
Wendy Hoover is also a Clinical Nurse Navigator working with trauma and acute care surgery patients. One patient who was hospitalized for five days in August commended Hoover for her compassion and warmth. “Wendy answered all my questions, and I can’t tell you how heartwarming it is to have someone who cares about you as a person and not just as a number on a chart,” wrote the patient.
Hoover has been a nurse for 13 years and joined IU Health 11 years ago. She graduated from Ben Davis High School and followed a career in nursing influenced by personal experiences.
Her son was born with a congenital heart defect and required surgery. He was 4 months old and they were living out of state at the time.
“I’d always been thinking about nursing but then after seeing the care he received, I knew that was what I wanted to do,” said Hoover. That son is now 21 and she has a second son, 23.
Hoover and Delph serve as the only two nurse navigators in trauma and emergency care at IU Health Methodist Hospital. Delph, who grew up in Lebanon, Ind. worked for an agricultural company throughout high school and college. He received his nursing degree from IUPUI and joined IU Health after graduation eight years ago.
“My dad went back to school and became and EMT and flight paramedic and was in school from the time I was a teenager. I think that had a big influence on my choice for going into nursing,” said Delph. He and his father were in nursing school at the same time.
Hoover and Delph alternate between hospital units. Their patients include those who have had surgery such as gallbladder or appendix, or those who are recovering from trauma such as automobile accidents and gunshot wounds. They assist with patient needs during their hospital stay and then follow up after discharge to answer any questions.
“I’d say it’s the variety that I like the best. I get a lot of opportunities at the bedside and beyond. We get to see patients routinely and then follow up after they leave,” said Delph. Their job extends in scope to trauma quality improvement. At an upcoming conference they are part of a team from IU Health presenting “Optimizing Readmission Data Accuracy Through a Multidisciplinary Performance Improvement Approach Leveraging the Nurse Navigator Role.” The presentation includes research on reduction of emergency and trauma readmission rates.
Hoover said connecting with patients is the best part of her job.
“It’s about building relationships. There was one patient who came in and had trouble navigating her hospitalization,” said Hoover. “Over the course of her stay I was able to provide a lot of education and then follow up with her, helping her get on the right path to healing. That was very rewarding.”
