Director's Message January 28, 2022

Let's take a moment to really think about the jobs of our nurses, and to appreciate their hard work. Here are a few things that our nurses to do serve our you here at VAPIHCS.

• Emotional Job

Nurses perform emotional labor that not everyone can do. Nursing is one of the most emotional jobs one can have and it requires a lot of strength. It’s important we focus on the emotional wellness that they bring people along with the physical and mental wellness. 

• Knowing a little about a lot

While nurses can (and do) focus on specialties, usually they are required to know a little bit of everything. They can tell you everything from oncology to gynecology as they often have to help patients deal with a multitude of different issues. Nurses need to learn as much as they possibly can so they are capable of triaging and helping every patient that comes through the door. The passion and dedication required to do that shows how much heart they have.

• Death

Nurses are required to do a lot of emotional labor for any patient that comes through the doors. Hidden within that emotional labor is the emotional labor required to face death. Every day nurses provide sick or even dying patients with amazing and respectful end-of-life care. However, their job doesn’t stop there as they help the family of the patient come to terms with their grief and deal with it in a healthy way.

• Long hours

Nurses often work long hours. Even when they only put in a standard workday, the hours themselves are long. Standing, bending, lifting, and dealing with emotional people is exhausting. Nurses tend to go home tired at the end of the day.

• Advocate

Anyone who has had to have care for an issue knows that nurses are usually the biggest advocates. Nurses are with patients almost all of the time, creating treatment plans and assisting with everything necessary to advocate for their patients.

• Caring

Many of our nurses here at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System are award-winning. They are educated, compassionate, and motivated to help their patients. This pandemic has been hard on all health care workers. On the front lines of COVID-19, hospital employees have seen their co-workers get sick, and they've even seen some die. In addition, they've seen their patients die. Facing down mortality on a daily basis is hard and working long hours in PPE has been a challenge too. So, take a moment to thank a nurse this week. Not because it's any special day or observance, but because it's good to be grateful.

Windward CBOC

Remember that the new Windward CBOC is accepting patients now. veterans on the Windward side of the island can transfer their care at any time. The new CBOC is located at 46-001 Kamehameha Hwy Ste. 301 in the Adventist Castle Professional Center. If you would like to transfer your care to the Windward CBOC, call 1-800-214-1306. Get Your COVID-19  Booster & Flu Shot

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, and everyone is safer when they are fully vaccinated. Studies have shown that getting your vaccine and your booster shot can significantly reduce your risk of getting the virus and lessen the symptoms if you do get sick. However, the vaccine is just one layer of protection. It’s also very important for everyone to wear masks and practice good hand hygiene. We must remain vigilant for as long as it takes to keep everyone safe.

One Team, One Ohana!

Adam M. Robinson, Jr., MD, MBA, CPE

Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System

VADM, MC, USN, (RET) 36th Surgeon General, USN

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