Life's Journey

A Life Well Lived

From childhood dreams to motherhood joys, career milestones, and peaceful retirement reflections.

Life's Journey

Snapshots from childhood to retirement milestones.

Life's journey

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Medical Gazette
Thursday, July 16, 1981

Nursing specialist provides counselling, support

Adapting to a modified lifestyle and experiencing an altered self-image are problems which face the ostomy patient. Problems which can loom large and troublesome. However, they are problems which do not have to faced alone today in larger medical centers across the nation.

The special counselling and support needed by the ostomy patient are handled by the Enterostomal Therapist, a registered nurse who has received accredited education in taking care of patients with ostomies.

At Baptist Memorial Hospital System, Jill Morris, RN, BSN, ET, has been providing patient and family teaching and support since January of 1981. Morris is one of six enterostomal therapists in San Antonio.

Traveling between the three hospitals in the system, Morris sees ostomy patients before and after their operation. Some areas she deals with are diet, medicines, skin care, and appliance selection. The enterostomal therapist provides self-care instructions for the patient, with clinic follow-up to insure comprehension and optimal management. Morris explained, “I emphasize what the patient can do, not what they can’t.”

As on-going follow-up of the ostomy patient’s adjustment is maintained by Morris.

The enterostomal therapist sees patients on a referral basis or by the order of a doctor. Morris can be contacted through nursing service at Baptist Memorial Hospital.

Morris also works in the areas of training wound management, fistula management, and is a resource for decubitus care.

In addition to patient care and counseling, Morris works on staff development for the system in her areas of specialization. She takes staff nurses who are already on the floor with her on rounds, and she has a portion of the orientation program for new nursing service employees. She also holds floor conferences and in-service programs as well as community education.

A native of Texas, Morris received her BSN from West Texas State University. Her advanced specialization in enterostomal therapy was earned at the University of Texas/M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute.

Morris is a member of the American Cancer Society Committee and the United Ostomy Association.

A paper on a research project Morris completed at M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute is to be published in Ostomy this fall. Entitled “A Comparative Study of Ileal Conduit contents,” the study is concerned with what may be considered normal urinalysis for patients who have undergone urinary diversion surgery. The project was also undertaken to study qualitative and quantitative bacteriological presence in these patients utilizing a relatively new technique in catheterizing ileal conduits.

What have you learned in retirement?

Retirement brings quiet joy, allowing reflection on a life rich with experiences.

What advice would you share?

Embrace all phases of life and cherish each moment, for they shape who you are.