Nursing at the Digestive Healthcare Center
Nurses at the Massachusetts General Hospital Digestive Healthcare Center get to know patients undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic treatment for gastrointestinal conditions and provide them with personalized care that ensures their comfort and safety.
Nurses Knowledgeable in all Areas of Digestive Health
From the moment you contact the Digestive Healthcare Center, we’ll put you in touch with an experienced nurse practitioner or nurse who is specially trained to manage your digestive health condition. Working side by side with your physician, these highly skilled nurses review your health history and provide guidance to help minimize the impact of digestive conditions.
Browse treatments and services
Depending on your condition, you’ll meet nurses specializing in:
- Acute and chronic colorectal conditions
- Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- Throat, esophagus and stomach disorders
- Acute and chronic liver conditions
- Pancreatic and biliary diseases
- Weight disorders
Advocating for Patients
Our nurses consider the whole patient, not just the disease process. By getting to know you, and understanding your lifestyle and family responsibilities, they offer personalized care that suits your needs and goals. For example, some patients prefer minimal sedation during procedures such as colonoscopies. Our endoscopy nurses teach these patients breathing techniques so they can relax without heavy sedation.
Designated Center for Nursing Excellence
Mass General was the first hospital in Massachusetts to achieve Magnet status, one of the highest honors for nursing practice by the American Nurses Association. The Magnet program recognizes hospitals that exemplify nursing excellence based on five principles, including:
- Transformational leadership
- Structural empowerment
- Exemplary professional practice
- New knowledge, innovations and improvements
- Empirical outcomes
Advanced Training
Digestive health care nurses undergo specialized training to understand the complex procedures and equipment, and management of digestive conditions. Our nurses have an average 15 years experience, and many have earned additional certifications, such as our bariatric nurses who are certified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
They are also engaged in national outreach to advance learning. From peer-to-peer networking to participation in national nursing association boards, our nurses regularly contribute to improving practices.
Dawn TenneyContinuous improvement is a hallmark of our nursing team. As part of an evidence-based practice, our nurses are always looking at ways we can make things better for patients. Nursing professionals from around the country often seek our advice on improving upon standards of care.
Associate Chief Nurse, Massachusetts General Hospital
Nursing Research
Many nurses at the Digestive Healthcare Center are recognized for their nursing expertise as advanced clinicians or clinical scholars through the Clinical Recognition Program. These clinical scholars conduct, gather and interpret research data to uncover new ways to improve nursing practices. Some of their recent studies include:
- Helping to reduce patient anxiety during procedures
- Ensuring non-English speaking patients can access the latest screening technologies
- Improving sedation practices
- Implementing new infection control initiatives
- Defining the role of the registered nurse during more complex procedures
Learn about research and clinical trials at the Digestive Healthcare Center