Nurses work with a wide variety of patients on a daily basis. Specialty work can include areas such as oncology, emergency, and psychiatric nursing, to name a few. Then there is the age difference. Nurses take care of neonates, geriatric patients, and everything in between. A nurse is there from life to birth and can care for it all!

As care models shift from tertiary inpatient care to more services being offered and available in the home and community setting, nurses are going to be tasked to navigate an even greater spectrum of patient population. The ‘face’ of healthcare is literally changing, and since nurses are consistently on the front line of care, we are best equipped when knowledgeable about all sorts of patients!

Recently, I have had the honor of being introduced to, and subsequently interviewing, two exceptional nurses who work with some unique patient populations. The first is Nathan Levitt, a Nurse Practitioner in New York, NY. He previously worked as a Registered Nurse on the Oncology Unit at Maimonides Medical Center and as a education and outreach nurse and training consultant at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.  Nathan has had experience as a community organizer, program coordinator, researcher, consultant, trainer, and health educator with international and national organizations for 15 years and has been published widely on transgender health.

Nathan was able to speak to me about transgender health, transgender patients and what this means to us as nurses in healthcare. It was interesting to learn about all of the various places that this population finds challenging. Think about it- a simple form that needs a box checked for gender… this can be an obstacle for this patient population. Nathan is one of the 12 speakers for this year’s Art of Nursing virtual conference held during National Nurse’s Week. His talk will speak to:

• Transgender sensitive language regarding nursing care;
• Clinical protocols for competent, informed, and quality trans health care;
• Strategies to integrate knowledge and skills into current practice; and
• How nurses can feel more comfortable speaking to this patient population.

Another interesting patient population that you may come across during your nursing career is the correctional population. I know, the times I had to rotate down to the psychiatric emergency room, I might encounter a patient from the prison system from time-to-time.

Lorry Schoenly, PhD, RN, CCHP-RN, is a nurse author and educator specializing in the field of correctional health care. She provides consulting services to jails and prisons across the country on projects to improve professional nursing practice and patient safety. She began her corrections experience in the New Jersey Prison System. Before “accidentally” finding correctional healthcare, she practiced in critical care and orthopaedic specialties. Lorry will also be speaking during The Art of Nursing 2016 program and will teach us about:

• Common characteristics of the US inmate population;
• Nurse-patient relationship concerns when caring for prisoner patients; and
• The legal and ethical concerns when caring for prisoner patients.

These two talks are going to be exceptional! So much useful information for nurses to know about in their particular place of practice and novel information for nurses to stay cutting-edge. I hope you’ll join us. There are two ways for you to participate:

1. Nursing organizations can purchase the program as a Nurse’s Week gift for all nursing staff. To find out more and schedule a time to talk with me about this wonderful event, click here.
2. Individual nurses can register to join us. Information for individual registration can be found by clicking here.

What did we miss? I’d love to hear about other patient populations you have cared for in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

About the Author: As a keynote speaker, bestselling author and virtual conference host, Elizabeth partners with hospitals, organizations, associations, and nursing groups to help transform the field of nursing from the inside out. During the National Nurse’s Week online conference, ‘The Art of Nursing‘, Elizabeth supports nurses in achieving professional goals of continued learning and development. Click here to find out more about how The Art of Nursing appreciates and celebrates our profession in a meaningful way.