Crowley works to strengthen patient care at Rocky Boy Health Center

By Anne Cantrell

MSU News Service

BOZEMAN - A recent graduate of the Montana State University College of Nursing has been using her education to strengthen patient care and nursing protocols at a health clinic on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation in north-central Montana.

Jacy Crowley, who graduated May 1 from MSU's Associate Registered Nurse to Master of Science in Nursing Program - also known as the ADRN-to-MSN program - serves as director of nursing at Rocky Boy Health Center. In that role, Crowley works to ensure the delivery of quality patient care. She started in the position in the summer of 2019, right after she attended orientation for the graduate portion of the MSU College of Nursing's ADRN-to-MSN program.

Working as clinical nursing director while simultaneously furthering her education has benefitted both her education and her work, Crowley said.

"Being in a position that has allowed me to actively apply what I have learned in real-time has been beneficial to both my education and my position at the clinic," Crowley said. "The program has taught me to have a broader understanding of health care and has influenced how I approach (it)."

Crowley said her education has allowed her to design a number of strategies to improve patient care at the clinic. Among those are strategies to manage COVID-19 drive-up testing, procedures for immunization clinics, policy development and educational outreach.

Crowley said that the health center has offered two large COVID-19 testing events with the assistance of the Montana National Guard, as well as two COVID-19 immunization clinics, with more planned. And, when creating plans for COVID-19 drive-up testing, Crowley worked to design a system that minimizes staff exposure while meeting the demand for testing.

Prioritizing quality patient care has helped guide Crowley as she has worked to design procedures, she said.

"The quality improvement tools like flow charts, along with risk/benefit assessment and applying clinical experience ... have helped me visualize and anticipate problems creating a workflow for COVID drive-up testing and immunization clinics that run smoothly and effectively," she said.

Crowley also hosts regular question and answer sessions via Facebook Live for the Rocky Boy's tribal community. Crowley said the sessions are part of the Rocky Boy Health Center's COVID-19 vaccination education campaign.

"This is an opportunity for the Rocky Boy Health Center staff to educate and for the community to voice concerns and questions," Crowley said. "The events are live and mediated, allowing the speakers to focus on discussing the topic and answering questions."

Topics that have been covered include what an mRNA vaccine is, how it differs from traditional vaccines, the clinic's vaccination plan and phases, and the differences between the three currently available COVID-19 vaccines.

Crowley said the clinic plans on continuing the question and answer sessions and expanding the information covered to topics beyond COVID-19.

Lisa Scheresky-O'Neil, diabetes program director at Rocky Boy Health Center, served as Crowley's preceptor in the ADRN-to-MSN program. A preceptor is an experienced practitioner who provides supervision during clinical practice and helps students apply theories into practice. Scheresky-O'Neil said that Crowley is trusted within the community.

"She's very professional and has the patients' best interests at heart," she said. "She follows through and is very dependable."

Scheresky-O'Neil added that Crowley's steadiness has earned her the respect of the community.

"The fact that Jacy has been here for quite a while now and has been committed to the community, as well as the clinic, says a lot," Scheresky-O'Neil said.

Crowley has been a registered nurse for 16 years. Before becoming Rocky Boy Health Center's clinical nursing director, she worked at the center as a clinical/urgent care nurse for 11 years. She also previously worked at Northern Montana Hospital in Havre as a medical/surgical nurse and in family practice for three years.

Crowley, who grew up in Chinook, previously attended MSU for two years as an undergraduate student and then transferred to Montana State University-Northern to earn an Associate of Science in Nursing.

In 2018, Crowley enrolled in MSU's ADRN-to-MSN program, which provides a pathway for registered nurses with an associate degree to earn a master's degree focused on clinical nursing leadership. Students in the program first complete two bachelor's-level nursing courses and satisfy any other Montana University System core requirements that are needed before advancing into the Master of Nursing program. The program prepares graduates with advanced leadership skills for a wide range of roles in a variety of health care settings.

"I was drawn to and ultimately chose MSU because the program was supportive of RNs who were actively working," Crowley said. "Plus, I am a diehard Bobcat fan; the idea (of) receiving my MSN degree from MSU was something that I (was) proud of."

Crowley chose to continue her nursing education with the hope that it will allow her to have a greater impact on health outcomes.

During the years she has worked as a registered nurse, she said, she saw gaps in care, with too little focus on preventative health.

"I wanted to have more credentials and be in a position that I could be more impactful on health outcomes for my patients," she said. "I am excited to see what I can accomplish for patients as a clinical nurse leader." 

Anne Brown, master's program coordinator and a clinical instructor with the MSU College of Nursing's Great Falls campus, said Crowley is well-positioned to positively impact patients.

"She has become a trusted and respected health care leader in her community," Brown said. "Jacy truly exemplifies nursing leadership. Nurses with an MSN focused on clinical nurse leadership are able to focus beyond an individual patient's needs to consider how to best deliver care to groups of patients with similar needs. This systems-level thinking brings value to both patients and the organizations that serve them. We are so proud of Jacy's accomplishments and the impact she is having on the health of her community."