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Member Spotlight

James L. Cavalier, Jr., MBA, MSN, RN, CRRN

 Candidate for One-Year Board Member
2005-2006 SE Texas Chapter ARN

Current Employment:          Clear Lake Rehabilitation Hospital

                                                      

Position:                                  Director of Nursing

Description of Responsibilities:       Responsible for the overall planning and operation of the nursing and dietary departments, as well as infection control, employee health, employee education, and laboratory services.

ARN Member Since:   2001

SETX Chapter ARN Member:      November, 2004

SETX Chapter ARN Involvement:            Research Committee – 2005

                                                                           Crescent City Chapter ARN – President-elect 2003-2004

                                                                                                                               President 1/2004-7/2004

 Why did you decide to join SETX ARN? 

James writes, “I decided to join SETX Chapter of ARN because I enjoy the collegiality, networking opportunities, and the opportunity to gain more rehabilitation knowledge from the top rehabilitation professionals in the area.

National ARN Involvement: Moderator 2003 National Educational Conference

Awards Received: Clear Lake Rehabilitation Hospital Mentor of the Year 2004

Community Involvement: Taught First Aid to High School ROTC students
                                                 Preceptor – Dillard University School of Nursing

Exceptional Accomplishment: “I completed my MBA and MSN in 4 years.”

Hobbies, Special Interests: “I like to fish and cook.”

Previous Experience:  James writes, “I began my nursing career as a Nurse Tech at Touro Rehabilitation Center on the Comprehensive and SCI Rehabilitation Unit in New Orleans. When I obtained my license, I moved to the Brain Injury Unit where I worked as a staff nurse for 3 years. I then became the Patient Care Coordinator at Ochsner Clinic Foundation on their Rehabilitation Unit, and after 7 months was promoted to Unit Director. From Ochsner, I moved to Texas and into my current position.

What does Rehabilitation Nursing mean to you?  The Miracle of Healing
“I love Rehabilitation Nursing. Before becoming a nurse, I was an X-Ray Tech, EMT, and a phlebotomist. I have a broad range of hospital experience. There is no hospital setting that I have enjoyed more than rehabilitation. I love it because I get to see the miracle of healing occur everyday, in real time. I also believe in the philosophy of rehabilitation nursing. In my opinion, it is the truest form of nursing. Rehabilitation is the setting where you have to look at the individual in a wholistic manner (support systems, the ability to adapt to their impairments/disability, and coping mechanisms of the primary caregiver, albeit the patient or other) to ensure a safe discharge. There is also that quasi transdisciplinary approach to providing patient care. The healthcare team works together, often overlapping, to assist the patient to reach their goals. The way Inpatient Rehabilitation Units function is a template for most healthcare settings.”

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