Meet Vantage Health Plan employee Jennifer McDonald! Jennifer works in our Integrated Care department as a Case Management RN. Before her employment with Vantage Health Plan, Jennifer served as a nurse with Mercy Ships across the seas. Learn more about Jennifer's story below!
How long have you been with Vantage Health Plan?
I have been with Vantage for almost 6 months. I started in June 2020 after a brief travel nursing contract in Tyler, TX. Before that, I spent two months serving as a post-op/ICU nurse with Mercy Ships in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa.
Wow! What was it like working with Mercy Ships?
Going on a trip with Mercy Ships was something that I have wanted to do since high school when I first learned of the organization. As its name infers, all the work takes place on a ship – the Africa Mercy. It is a large, decommissioned ferry boat that sails to a different port along the West African coast each year, providing free medical care, surgery, post-op. care, and physical/occupational therapy to the African people. From August 2019-March 2020, the ship was docked in Dakar, Senegal. The entire hospital – operating rooms, radiology department, pharmacy, lab, and patient units – take up most of an entire lower deck of the ship. Every job position on the ship is volunteer, and each position is filled by volunteers from all over the world. There are a few jobs that are not volunteer. Mercy Ships provides a small salary for the "Day Crew". The Day Crew are people from Senegal who are hired to serve as translators between the patients and the medical staff; they know and speak the many different tribal languages/dialects. Each hospital unit has a rotating number of approximately 10-day crew who work 12-hr shifts – both days and nights – to not only translate for us but also work as nurses' aides. A lot of them work second jobs or go to school while working for Mercy Ships and it's not uncommon for them to have to commute an hour or so each day they're scheduled to work. The patients travel even farther! Some travel in from a neighboring country to get medical treatment and surgery for things that we as Americans never see or hear. In America, even the poorest of the poor can walk into any ER and receive treatment for any ailment without being turned away. It doesn’t matter if they can’t pay. It’s not so in Africa. Only the minority of wealthy people can afford extensive medical treatment, even for basic health needs. During the two months that I lived and worked on the ship, most conditions I saw and treated were the results of poor nutrition or an infection that could have been cured with penicillin. My time in Senegal helped put a lot of things into perspective, and the people I met and spent time with changed me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. And I’ve only recently understood just how impactful this trip was for me.
What does a day in your shoes look like?
Because I work remotely, each morning I take a few steps away from my bed and arrive at my office. I start my day by catching up on emails and messages then jump into Acuity, where I work on care plans, health risk assessments, and ongoing routine assessments for our Dual Plus Program members. I work specifically with members from West Carroll Parish. The doctors within West Carroll are more hands-on in their approach to caring for our members, which means a different way of doing things within our nursing case management department. Because our West Carroll membership continues to grow, it made more sense to designate this region to 1 or 2 nurses to manage. I volunteered to do just that shortly after I finished my training and orientation. I figured that since I was already in the mindset of learning new things, why not step in to help?
What’s your favorite aspect of being an RN?
Even though I no longer work as a bedside nurse – specifically eight years of experience as an ICU nurse – my new job has not taken away my role as a Registered Nurse. I still feel like an RN, despite my less-traditional role change. I have more of an opportunity to talk with our members, learn more about them and their needs, and through our various programs, I get to research their medical history and use this information to help them feel better and healthier. I work with the best directors and supervisors for whom I have ever worked, and our team of nurse case managers is fantastic – always there to assist each other and answer questions. We're also quite an entertaining group and always uplifting.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
These days, you will most likely find me outside in my hammock, when the weather permits, catching up on the classic novels I never had the chance to read in school. This part is still a work in progress, but I'm attempting to create a habit of running regularly throughout the week and establishing a steady workout routine. My husband and three of our best friends have formed a running group, which has been great support and encouragement. Our friends are a big part of our lives, and we consider them as family. We're especially close with our small group at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston.
Any interesting moments on the job?
The first thing that comes to mind is my group of co-workers. Each of these nurses has a distinct personality and a unique sense of humor, and the combination makes for something that is never shy of entertainment. It’s refreshing to work with such a great group of nurses and incredible directors/managers. I also appreciate our social workers – they are an amazing resource and are always willing to assist me and our members in any way possible.