Chief Nursing Officer John A. Coldsmith is pictured with Nevada State College nursing student LaVon Elias-Jones (center) and Care Coach Katie Viloria, RN.
Sometimes a simple act of kindness and compassion can change a person’s life. That’s the essence of a special program at Centennial Hills Hospital that is helping to shape the nurses of tomorrow.
Caring Science was created through a partnership between Centennial Hills Hospital and Nevada State College (NSC), explains Chief Nursing Officer John A. Coldsmith, RN, MSN, DNP (c), NEA-BC. It is based on the Human Caring Theory of Dr. Jean Watson, who established “Ten Caritas Processes,” he notes. “Caritas” in Latin means love for all.
Since the program was initiated two years ago, student nurses practice the caritas process at the hospital under the guidance of staff nurses and their clinical instructor. While at the hospital, the students learn the importance of being compassionate and kind, while they focus on their clinical nursing skills, explains Rob Reynoso, MSN/Ed, BSN, RN, CEN, Lecturer and Clinical Instructor at NSC.
LaVon Elias-Jones will graduate from NSC this year. She recalls taking care of her first patient. “I thought about how I’d feel with the same diagnosis,” she says. “I asked my Care Coach if I could go talk to him,” LaVon remembers. “He told me about his family, how he’d come to Las Vegas to be with his sister. He said he was depressed about his condition, but having caring people around him made him feel like he had a fighting chance.”
Through her experiences with the Caring Science program, LaVon says she has found a supportive and welcoming environment at Centennial Hills Hospital. “Maybe one day I can be a Care Coach,” she says.
Centennial Hills Hospital is looking for exceptional people who share our values.