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Missed Dreams I - NursingCenter
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Blasini, a fireplug of a man with a soothing voice, helps those who’ve survived combat wounds to succeed in the rest of their lives. He relies on humor and an easygoing, personal approach as much as high-tech prosthetics and medical care. “They’re my patients, but I also look at nurturing, guiding, and mentoring them,” Blasini says. “Their foundation has been wiped out. We plan their care around whatever their goal is, whether it’s getting married or going back to school.” The need for his position at BAMC was created by the war in Iraq and its legacy of damage wrought by improvised explo- sive devices that blow off limbs and broil skin. The job is tailor made for him because he served in the army, and his nursing experience includes rehabilita- tion, orthopedics, wound care, and psychiatric disciplines. “I was working under Global War on Terrorism funds, hired as a contractor as case manager for soldiers, marines, and sailors who were injured,” says Blasini, age 38. “Then Brooke had an influx of amputees and wanted me to do just amputee care. It’s unique all around—not a lot of people know much about amputees, their medications, pain meds, psych meds, infec- tions, weight gain and loss.” BAMC opened an amputee center last January and will become the military’s premier facility for amputees next year when a new state-of-the-art out- patient center opens. Blasini is usually found in the amputee center’s rehab room, where rock music plays in the background and the young patients come and go, high- fiving each other on their way to the weightlifting machines or occupational therapy. They’re all wearing shorts and T-shirts, their prosthetic arms and “c-legs” (computerized legs) exposed, although some have U.S. flags or tropical prints covering their stumps. He says humor helps to get the maimed young men and women through some of the stages of loss and grieving. “When they start to have their humor back, that’s when I know they’re getting better,” he says. I t’s the weekly Tuesday meeting in the amputee center at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and servicemen and -women barely out of their teens stream in, many on prosthetic legs, some in wheelchairs. Daniel Blasini, RN case manager, leans against a pool table in the middle of the crowded room and announces the latest Veterans Affairs news and upcoming activities. The older “amps” tease and heckle Blasini until he erupts in laughter. The newly wounded ones are quiet, their faces pale and anxious, and Blasini spends a few minutes with each of them after the loose, lively meeting. Missed Dreams RN helps wounded soldiers to set and reach their goals. 86 AJN ▼ February 2006 ▼ Vol. 106, No. 2 http://www.nursingcenter.com Dan Blasini, RN, is the case manager at the Brooke Army Medical Center amputee center. The key to recovery, he says, is finding patients’ “missed dreams” and helping them to achieve them. Courtesy of Patrice O’Shaughnessy
Transcript of Missed Dreams I - NursingCenter
Blasini, a fireplug of a manwith a soothing voice, helpsthose who’ve survived combatwounds to succeed in the rest oftheir lives. He relies on humorand an easygoing, personalapproach as much as high-techprosthetics and medical care.“They’re my patients, but I alsolook at nurturing, guiding, andmentoring them,” Blasini says.“Their foundation has beenwiped out. We plan their carearound whatever their goal is,whether it’s getting married orgoing back to school.”
The need for his position atBAMC was created by the warin Iraq and its legacy of damagewrought by improvised explo-sive devices that blow off limbs
and broil skin. The job is tailormade for him because he servedin the army, and his nursingexperience includes rehabilita-tion, orthopedics, wound care,and psychiatric disciplines.
“I was working under GlobalWar on Terrorism funds, hiredas a contractor as case managerfor soldiers, marines, and sailorswho were injured,” says Blasini,age 38. “Then Brooke had aninflux of amputees and wantedme to do just amputee care. It’sunique all around—not a lot ofpeople know much aboutamputees, their medications,pain meds, psych meds, infec-tions, weight gain and loss.”
BAMC opened an amputeecenter last January and willbecome the military’s premierfacility for amputees next yearwhen a new state-of-the-art out-patient center opens.
Blasini is usually found in theamputee center’s rehab room,where rock music plays in thebackground and the youngpatients come and go, high-fiving each other on their way to the weightlifting machines oroccupational therapy. They’re allwearing shorts and T-shirts, theirprosthetic arms and “c-legs”(computerized legs) exposed,although some have U.S. flags or tropical prints covering theirstumps.
He says humor helps to getthe maimed young men andwomen through some of thestages of loss and grieving.
“When they start to havetheir humor back, that’s when Iknow they’re getting better,” hesays.
It’s the weekly Tuesdaymeeting in the amputeecenter at Brooke ArmyMedical Center (BAMC) atFort Sam Houston, Texas,
and servicemen and -womenbarely out of their teens streamin, many on prosthetic legs, somein wheelchairs. Daniel Blasini,RN case manager, leans against apool table in the middle of thecrowded room and announcesthe latest Veterans Affairs newsand upcoming activities.
The older “amps” tease andheckle Blasini until he erupts inlaughter. The newly woundedones are quiet, their faces paleand anxious, and Blasini spendsa few minutes with each of themafter the loose, lively meeting.
Missed DreamsRN helps wounded soldiers to set and reach their goals.
86 AJN t February 2006 t Vol. 106, No. 2 http://www.nursingcenter.com
Dan Blasini, RN, is the case manager at the Brooke Army Medical Center amputee center. The key torecovery, he says, is finding patients’ “missed dreams” and helping them to achieve them.
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rtesy
of P
atric
e O
’Sha
ughn
essy
[email protected] AJN t February 2006 t Vol. 106, No. 2 87
The patients he sees rarelyhave just one injury. If they arenot double amputees, they aremissing a limb, hand, or footand have either nerve damage toother parts of the body orsevere burn wounds. Theyarrive at BAMC usually withina week of being wounded andafter having received excellentcare in the “golden hour.” Thebattlefield survival rate hasincreased from 76% in theVietnam War to 91% in theIraq War, according to armymedical officials.
“Even if they’re in the ICU,I’ll go there and start workingon their future,” Blasini says.“Where they want to be in 30days, six months, a year and ahalf. If they can talk, I ask whattheir goals are.”
He finds out what he calls“the missed dream”—what theythought about while they werein Iraq and wanted to do mostwhen they got home.
“When we find out what thatis, we bring the whole teamon—doctors, wound specialists,orthopedic specialists, pros-thetists, psychiatrists, and coun-selors—and that dream is at thecore of care. It is the great moti-vator,” he says.
Born and raised in Cleveland,Blasini attended ColumbusState College for a year beforejoining the Ohio NationalGuard. He served eight yearsof active duty in the army atFort Hood, Texas; Fort Devens,Massachusetts; in Turkey; at theNational Security Agency inFort Meade, Maryland; and atthe Pentagon.
“I wanted to get intosomething where I’d neverbe bored,” Blasini says.“Medicine is always chang-ing, evolving. Now, I’mtired but never bored.”
He received an associate’sdegree from San AntonioCollege and his bachelor’sdegree from the Universityof the Incarnate Word inSan Antonio. Blasini and hiswife, Sandra, have two chil-dren, 9-year-old Isabella and5-year-old Dominick. Afterhis workday at BAMC, heruns a pizza parlor in SanAntonio. His cappuccinoaddiction helps him managethe long hours. He oftengoes out with some of thepatients for dinner or a beer.Sometimes they go to hisrestaurant and he dons achef’s hat and apron andcooks up lasagna.
The Center for theIntrepid, a privately funded$40 million outpatient rehabcenter, will open at BAMCthis year to handle all mili-tary amputee patients.
“We have to have it becauseof the need, that’s the bitterpart,” Blasini says. “The goodthing is it brings a lot of peopletogether. It motivates people andbrings out a higher level of per-sonal care for the patient.”
But seeing his young patientsthrive outside the hospital iswhat drives him most.
Last summer Blasini accom-panied some amputees onSoldier Ride, a cross-countrybicycle trip to raise funds for theWounded Warrior Project—
devoted to raising public aware-ness about severely woundedsoldiers—when the ride passedthrough his hometown ofCleveland. And he is planning adeep-sea fishing trip for hispatients.
“I want to get them out onthe ocean to work on their bal-ance and strength, and givethem an experience they mayhave never had,” he says. “It’sabout showing them they cando anything.”—PatriceO’Shaughnessy t
Dan Blasini with former marine lance corporal Ian Lennon, 25,from Long Island, New York (standing), and B. J. Jackson, 24, anarmy national gaurd specialist from Des Moines, Iowa.
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