Nurse Manager Spotlight on Faith Lynch, RN, MSN: Seeing Opportunity in New Technology
April 2021
Summary
As a seasoned and passionate dialysis nurse manager, Faith Lynch credits Tablo as being a game-changer at NYU Langone Hospital, as well as having a major role in the future of home dialysis.
Faith Lynch has had a passion for dialysis for 15 years, ever since graduating from nursing school. She has served in multiple roles including LPN, staff RN, chronic dialysis nurse manager, and now acute dialysis nurse manager, with experience serving patients with all types of kidney diseases. She is a recognized, knowledgeable leader in her field who has created a practice environment at her hospital that focuses on delivering high-quality patient care, and job satisfaction among her nursing staff—with the Tablo Hemodialysis System playing a starring role in these endeavors.
She is also the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) Acute Care Specialty Practice Network Leader, and also Chapter President for Long Island. “Nephrology nursing is so unique in terms of caring for and saving lives in this specific population, and that is what keeps me in the specialty, and wanting to inspire other nurses. It is not to be taken lightly. You develop such a different relationship with your patients and they really need that. That’s what makes it so worthwhile,” she says. Inspired to achieve an even higher level of nursing and patient outcomes expertise, Lynch is also going to school to earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in the next year.
Lynch Drives Effort to Bring in Tablo During COVID-19 Surge
With New York being a prominent COVID-19 epicenter in the U.S. last April, Lynch had a unique, first-hand perspective on the virus’ escalation. She credits the unique capabilities of Tablo with helping her and her team deal effectively with an unexpected high demand for dialysis.
When COVID-19 hit, Lynch’s hospital was in the process of revamping their entire dialysis unit, so the timing was ideal for her to initiate the process for bringing on Tablo consoles—something she had been wanting to do since she was first introduced to the technology at an ANNA symposium several years ago.
“When we were prepping for COVID and machine shortages, I told my administrators that Tablo would benefit us due to the compact size, the integrated water purification and on-demand dialysate production, and its multiple modalities. They were very interested,” she says.
Lynch recalls the day the decision was made to bring on a fleet of Tablo consoles. “It was a Saturday afternoon, I spoke with my fellow ANNA member Michelle Gilliland (a STAR team Clinical Manager at Outset Medical) who then connected me with others on the Outset team. I met with my directors an hour later, and then leadership agreed to move forward on ordering Tablo machines for all three of our inpatient units. Deliveries, training, and patient treatments ensued shortly thereafter,” she says.
Lynch says that having Naveed Masani, MD as a supportive nephrologist and medical director was also essential during this process. “Dr. Masani is all about patient care, quality, and safety. He trusts me as a nurse manager, so once I told him my idea, he fully supported me and helped seal the deal to bring in Tablo.” She adds, “the Outset Medical team has been amazing in terms of support during the whole process, they became part of our team and have really made our lives easier.”
“Tablo definitely made the COVID pandemic much easier on us. It was the only option we had for fitting four dialysis machines at the same time in those rooms.”
Lynch explains that overwhelming surges in COVID-19 patients created a difficult staffing situation, as they had patients cohorted into COVID units in small, four-bedded rooms who all required dialysis. “Tablo definitely made the COVID pandemic much easier on us. It was the only option we had for fitting four dialysis machines at the same time in those rooms. It helped to alleviate the 1:1 bedsides we were doing, and I was able to assign two nurses to those rooms.”
Lynch also credits the system’s capabilities, including TabloHub and remote monitoring, with providing invaluable support both during and after the COVID-19 surges. TabloHub is a cloud-based support tool and part of Outset Medical’s digital ecosystem. “TabloHub and remote monitoring in itself is a game changer for us,” says Lynch. “During the surges, we used Tablo remote monitoring to watch the blood pressures, alarms, and other patient data. That drastically decreased nurse exposure to COVID.”
Having used just about every type of dialysis machine over the years, Lynch says that Tablo has been the best all-around solution due to its size, ease of training, setup and use, and versatility in terms of treatment modalities. “Tablo allows for a gentle dialysis treatment with the same outcomes as any other machine, even with a lower dialysate flow rate. We use Extended Therapy (XT) here at NYU Long Island also, that enables 24 hours of therapy at a minimum Qd of 50 mL/min. And for our patients, I see fewer complications of intradialytic events when using Tablo,” she says.
And, with the device’s onboard fully integrated water purification system producing dialysate that is customized to the patient’s prescription, she and her team are grateful to not have to haul portable reverse osmosis machines or carry heavy 5-liter bags of dialysate to the bedside.
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An Inspiring Thought Leader in Dialysis
Having volunteered with ANNA since 2017, and now serving as the Long Island Chapter President, Lynch is passionate about her leadership role, both locally and nationally. Locally, she organizes educational conferences for members, and at a national level she participates as an Acute Care Specialty Practice Leader and Chair Designate, helping to develop goals for acute care nephrology and organize educational sessions for members. “I have grown so much just from volunteering for them. It is so important to be part of your nursing organization because you are empowered to make changes,” she says.
This May, she will step out of her current ANNA responsibilities to take on a larger national role as the association’s Specialty Practice Networks Chair, focusing on Acute Care, Home Therapies, Pediatrics, CKD, Administration, Advanced Practice, and Transplant. “It is very exciting to be able to lead and see what all of these specialty practice areas come up with as projects for the next year. Through ANNA, I see that dialysis is being pushed to new heights when it comes to home therapies. It is a big part of the way the future is moving. I think Tablo will be a big part of that success,” she says.
“Dialysis is being pushed to new heights when it comes to home therapies. It is a big part of the way the future is moving. I think Tablo will be a big part of that success.”
Lynch is also an accomplished nursing curriculum writer, having co-authored several chapters in the Core Curriculum for Nephrology Nurses, and currently co-authoring a chapter on acute kidney injury for the upcoming Contemporary Nephrology Nursing textbook.
With a career and expertise spanning the spectrum of dialysis care, and in an important leadership position as momentum builds for home dialysis, Lynch is an inspiring role model helping to guide this critical field into a bright future.
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* Note:
Results may vary. It is important that you discuss the potential risks, complications, and benefits of this product with your doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that you rely on your physician’s judgment. Only your doctor can determine whether you are a suitable candidate for this treatment.