Ever wonder what it would be like working at a wound care center? How it really feels being on the inside and dealing with patients on a daily basis? Well, thanks to Leticia Rodriguez, who has spent the last two years working at Wound Care Advantage wound center at the Palmdale Regional Medical Center, you are about to find out.
Leticia has always had her patient’s best interest in mind. While still in nursing school, she had no problem doing whatever was required of her to do. In fact, she distinctly remembers discovering early on that wound care was not for everyone when her colleagues often ask her to take care of the things they just simply couldn't stomach.
“When I was in nursing school, nobody wanted to handle the wounds,” she said. “They found they were squeamish toward dealing with such things and I was not.” “For me, there is tremendous gratification in seeing the ending result – healing,” she said.
Rodriguez has always thrived on the relationships, trust, and loyalty that come along with her role. “I have always felt that I hold the caregiver trait and I genuinely get attached and love my wound care patients.”
The most common types of wounds that Rodriguez and her fellow clinicians treat at the wound center treat are pressure and diabetic foot ulcers. “As far as wounds go, we are seeing a lot more diabetic ulcers and dehisced surgical wounds,” she said.
One disturbing trend Rodriguez and the other clinicians are also noticing is younger diabetic patients with health issues requiring wound care. “More and more young patients are coming in with diabetic problems than ever before.”
When Rodriguez, who has been a nurse for three years, but involved in the medical field for 27 years, is not healing patients, she is most passionate about spending time with her family and children.
“I love spending days off with my son,” she said. “If I ever take a day off, it is to make sure I am spending time with him doing something fun. We have Disneyland passes that we use all the time, and if not Disneyland, then we always make sure we are on an adventure.”
Leticia's patients can rest easy because they are fortunate enough to have her as their wound care nurse.
