Page 8 - 2016 Nursing Annual Report | Summa Health
P. 8
Transformational
Leadership
Building a collegial
culture in Surgical
Services
Introduction Reiter said the team members provided valuable feedback
and were dedicated to creating meaningful change.
Surgical Services covers a wide area, from Pre-admission While there were some uncomfortable discussions, the
Testing to Same Day Surgery and from the Operating outcome remained positive.
Room to the procedural areas. These areas all work in
tandem with the patient, along with surgeons, nurses, “Participating in the CIT was very enlightening,” said
anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse anesthetists Meesha Kress, BSN, RN, OR Coordinator Plastics, ENT,
and a number of support staff. While the working ophthalmology. “When we started identifying things we
environment was professional, the leaders of all of those could do better, all members from our group brought up
areas recognized there was room for improvement. the same problems, but from a different perspective. For
example, nursing staff wanted to be acknowledged by
Background their names, and physicians wanted to use their names
but did not know them. Once we realized we were all
In 2014, Kaye Reiter, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Vice President of feeling the same, it was easy to make our process better.
Surgical Services, Tom Mark, MD, Chair of Anesthesiology, We made it a priority to write all of the OR roles with
and John Fink, MD, Chair of Surgery, met to discuss safety. everyone’s name on the dry erase board in the room.”
They quickly realized they were all working in their own
silos and that the current environment had the potential Initiative
to negatively affect patient safety. In 2015, collegial
interactive work teams were created to help address the In 2016, each team presented its compact to the staff and
issue. the ideas were implemented.
Goal Statement “It really opened a lot of people’s eyes about expectations
and what the different areas needed,” Reiter said. “It made
Four collegial interactive teams (CITs) were created the nursing staff in the OR aware that it’s okay to speak up
to cover the areas of endoscopy, pre-operative, post- to a physician and the expectation of the physician is they
operative and operating room. Each team had physician, hear the nurses’ concerns. We all want to do what is best
nursing and anesthesia representatives tasked with for the patient.”
creating a compact outlining common goals and
an action plan. Members of the team talked to their “For all of us who work in the Operating Room, surgery is
departments and then brought the feedback to the group. a normal day,” explained Kress. “But for our patient, it’s a
big, scary day that could bring a new discovery, treatment
“We talked about how to demonstrate what it is nursing or diagnosis. That is a lot of stress for them and their
might want from anesthesia and physicians, what family. That was one of the good things that came out of
anesthesia might want from physicians and nursing, and the CIT groups, we are all here for the patient.”
physicians might want from nursing and anesthesia,” said
Reiter. “Then we came up with very bold statements— Reiter said she was very impressed with how the nursing
physicians will, anesthesia will and nursing will.” staff adapted to the culture change and how they
appreciated the additional support given by anesthesia
and physician staff.
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