A sincere Thank You to all of the nurses who work in the field of Intellectual Disabilities (ID) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)! You strive to provide quality health care supports to this population. So far, this has been another challenging year as the variants of the COVID-19 continues to have impact on our lives and the lives of the individuals we serve.
To celebrate Nurses Week, PCHC is delighted to introduce you to Ms. Niesha Harley L.P.N who is the agency nurse for Shared Support South. Niesha originally worked for her agency as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) in 2014.Her work as a DSP increased Niesha’s understanding how vitally important it is that individuals with ID and ASD have access to quality health care support in their communities. Niesha started working towards her LPN license at the PITC Institute in Glenside PA while she was a DSP.
In July 2019 Niesha joined Shared Support South as their agency nurse. To celebrate Niesha and her accomplishments the interview questions she answered for this article are below.
How many homes to you provide nursing oversight to? Altogether, I provide nursing oversight to 10 different homes. I work with house supervisors, departmental directors and program specialists here at Shared Support South.
What does a typical day look like for you? Well, no two days are the same so they vary! Overall, my work includes doing head to toe nursing assessments, wound care, and helping DSPs formulate questions ready for doctors’ appointments. I also help DSPs decide what health care information to report to doctors about the individuals they serve.
What has been the greatest challenge during the last year? On reflection making sure that I delegate work to be done in a thoughtful way. This helps to ensure that individuals receive the best health care Shared Support South can offer even if I am unable to go their home in person.
What has been a highlight during the last year? I worked closely with a physician to set up a ‘vaccination lunch’ over Zoom. All of Shared Support South’s staff were given the opportunity to ask questions about the COVID-19 virus and available vaccinations. It was a lively event and addressed some concerns that staff had.
Professional update from Niesha! She is currently studying for her RN license at the Allegany College of Maryland! Thank you Niesha for all the extremely valuable work you do!