November 10, 2014
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By
Staff Writer
Sincere hugs, a heartfelt ‘thank you,’ a smile.
These small gestures make Ludmila Johnson’s work rewarding. Johnson, a Certified Nurse Practitioner at the University of Minnesota Health Neurology Clinic, helps her patients navigate complex health care systems. In honor of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ national NP Week, we posed several questions to Johnson about her role in the University of Minnesota Health community.
Why are you passionate about your position?|
I am passionate about my professional role because of the multiple opportunities I have to learn and share my knowledge with patients and their families.
How does your work as a nurse practitioner fit into the larger structure of the care team? In what ways do you, and others in a similar role, impact the overall patient experience?
The modern health care system is complex, and navigating it is difficult for our patients and their families—and for the providers, too. We rely on teamwork. The keys to successful teamwork are respect for one another and a willingness to communicate with each other, including our patients and families. It’s my duty to be an accessible team player for our patients, and to ensure I am able to listen and communicate the patient's needs to other team members.
What is one of your favorite memories from your job?
Once, I received a sincere hug from a patient who suffered from headaches for many years. The patient was a Spanish speaker and it took me sometime to understand the causes of her headaches. When she returned for a follow-up visit, she simply hugged me because she found that her treatment was very helpful. Her hug was very unexpected, but rewarding. Any small moment when I can help a patient or a colleague gets added to my "album of my favorite memories." I hope that this album will be full by the time I retire.
What do you love about the University of Minnesota Health community?
Diversity of patient population and the people with whom I work. The University of Minnesota Health community enables me to submerge in a rich cultural environment and gives me opportunities to pursue lifelong learning. I also enjoy the academic environment I work in.
Tell us one surprising or interesting fact about your work as a NP.
The interesting fact about my work as an NP is that I am able to combine my different clinical skills and experiences to deliver an exceptional, direct patient care.
Anything else you want to share?
I would like to share my dream for a research-based, integrative health clinic that is available to our patients. I do believe that we all should slow down, take a deep breath, clear our minds and think about what all of us can do to further develop the already-robust University of Minnesota Health community.
