Tiffany Rice, APRN

I grew up in Osmond, Nebraska  I attended grade school and high school in Osmond.

In 2000, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  I was admitted, treated, and provided my dietary and injection education at Osmond General Hospital.  Not only did I receive amazing care, but the nurses at the time cared about me as a person and not just another patient through the hospital doors.   It was during that time and because of those nurses and doctors, that I decided I wanted to work in health care.  Initially I wanted to be a doctor, but as I went through high school I changed my mind to start a career in nursing.

I will start by saying that Critical Access and Rural Healthcare is my passion.  My career started and still resides in critical access and rural healthcare, and because of this I have had the opportunity to learn and grow as a nurse and a person. In 2008 I started my healthcare career as a CNA in a nearby nursing home, while I went to college.  In 2009, I worked as a LPN in a nursing home, followed by a hospital as I completed my RN degree.  In 2011 I completed by Associates degree in nursing and began my career as a RN at Osmond General Hospital.  I started as a floor nurse, who also covered the ER.  The outreach staff needed assistance in surgery so I started assisting in PACU and occasionally in the OR.  In 2016, I obtained my Pharmacy Technician license and began working in the Osmond Hospital Pharmacy and became the Assistant Director of Nursing and in 2018 transitioned the Director of Nursing and decided to return to school for my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

While in these roles, I also served as a BLS, PALS, and ACLS instructor.  I have provided CPR classes for staff at the hospital, but also for our school and local daycare providers.

I continued my education in healthcare because I wanted to do more for others.  As an APRN, I am able to get to know my patients, know their families, and work with them to develop a holistic plan of care that works for them and that they can comply to.

When I am not working, I devote my time and love spending time with my kids and family.  We are a sports family and if we are not going to one of the kids’ sporting events, we are busy watching and attending a sporting event of some type.  As a family we spend a lot of time riding our ATV’s and taking trips that involve ATV’s.

The need for prior authorizations.

I wish we could eliminate the need to prior authorize certain medications and procedures that patient’s would benefit from.  The required prior authorizations can lead to delayed treatment that could confirm a diagnosis or treatment plan.

Ensure that in addition to taking care of your “acute” illnesses, you are also prioritizing your wellness exams annually for prevention.  Through routine screenings and examinations, chronic conditions and illnesses may be detected and prevented early.  We are a very mobile society, busy with our own schedules and our families that we (myself included) tend to lean towards convenience.  While this is okay, we need to ensure that we are focusing on primary and secondary prevention to ensure that this lifestyle doesn’t progress into chronic problems.