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As part of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s regular “Ask the Expert” series, community members submit questions via social media to the hospital’s clinicians and researchers.
The latest featured expert is Matthew Grissom, MSN, who has been a nurse with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for 11 years. With expertise in spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation, nursing leadership and quality improvement, he currently serves as clinical quality coordinator. Matthew collaborates with interdisciplinary care teams to drive quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient safety and improve patient outcomes. He is passionate about rehabilitation nursing and providing the highest level of care to patients with SCI.
In the following Q&A (which has been edited for length and clarity), as well as in a video on Instagram, Matthew shares his experiences as a rehabilitation nurse:
What do you love most about working with the patients you serve?
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What I love most about working with our patients — particularly the spinal cord injury population — is some folks arrive and they are ready to go, ready to work, ready to learn and ready to get back to the community. But, sometimes, people get stuck in their trauma a little bit. They have a hard time moving forward and seeing their future.
I really love helping them to see that future. When you work with someone long enough, you can see the switch in their mindset when they stop focusing on their past and start to see their future. Helping people see themselves in their new bodies is really a blessing.
What should a patient expect when they first arrive for a long stay at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab?
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When patients and families arrive at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, they should expect to work and to learn. We like to engage patients and families early in learning their care — everything from wounds to ventilator management to tube feedings.
What is the difference between rehabilitation nursing and nursing in an acute-care hospital?
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The difference between nursing in a rehabilitation hospital versus a more traditional acute-care hospital is the goals for the patients.
We use a lot of the same skills in rehabilitation as an acute-care hospital. However, the focus is really on patient and family education — and getting patients, families and caregivers to a point where they can safely transition to the community.
