The AAMC Nursing Blog

Archive for April, 2010

Giving thanks, recognizing our staff, and acknowledging the contributions that nurses make every day is a big part of the reason we celebrate Nurses Week every year. Another equally important reason is to remind the public of nursing’s contributions to the health and well-being of the nation. Why do you celebrate? Please share your thoughts below.

The following events are part of AAMC’s annual recognition of Nurses and Hospital Week. We hope to see you there!

Monday, May 3

Professional Nursing Fair, Main Hospital Lobby and Garden Café, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Open to all staff.

Tuesday, May 4

“Breakfast & Brains,” stroke seminar with Daniel Hexter, M.D. and Laura Norton, M.S.N., R.N., Health Sciences Institute, 8-9:30 a.m. Please register through Clinical Education at x1527 or via e-mail at clinedu@aahs.org.

Certification Social, Health Sciences Institute, 2-4 p.m. By invitation only.

Wednesday, May 5

“SHIFT to Professional Paradise” seminar with Vicki Hess, R.N., M.S., Health Sciences Institute, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., lunch provided. Please register through Clinical Education at x1527 or via e-mail at clinedu@aahs.org. MNA contact hours pending.

“SHIFT to Professional Paradise” seminar with Vicki Hess, R.N., M.S., Health Sciences Institute, 4-6 p.m., dinner provided. Please register through Clinical Education at x1527 or via e-mail at clinedu@aahs.org. MNA contact hours pending.

Thursday, May 6

Annual Nursing Celebration Dinner, Westin Annapolis, 5-9 p.m. By invitation only.

Tuesday, May 11

Employee Recognition Dinner, Health Sciences Institute, 6-9:30 p.m. By invitation only.

Friday, May 14

Hospital Week Celebration, cafeteria, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and 1-3 a.m. (May 16), and at Pathways, noon-2 p.m. on May 14. Open to all staff.

Mirror, mirror on the wall… a little honest self-reflection is good for all of us. It helps us to see where we are excelling and where we may need to improve. Here at AAMC, we are able to do just that during the upcoming R.N. Satisfaction Survey. We take the results very seriously, and we should.

After all, the information this survey will provide is a major force behind our Nursing Strategic Plan, our roadmap to an excellent nurse practice environment. The R.N. Satisfaction Survey is about finding out how you, our nurses, perceive the practice environment in which you work.  

If we didn’t take the results so seriously we wouldn’t invest time and resources into trying to get you to take the survey—and we’d want to hear only the good stuff. Like Snow White’s stepmother, we’d want our magic mirror to say, “Anne Arundel Medical Center…you are the fairest of them all.”

But we don’t. We value your input and want you to participate with honest responses. Please help us build an excellent nurse practice environment at AAMC by taking the R.N. Satisfaction Survey.

It’s easy! You can access the R.N. Survey here, 24/7, from May 3-May 24. The log in code will be emailed to you.

Eligible R.N.s are full or part-time, regardless of job title, who spend at least 50% of their time in direct patient care, and have been employed a minimum of 3 months on the unit (Float pool nurses employed by AAHS are eligible; agency or contract nurses are not eligible).

Ever have one of those days when you feel as if you have worked like a dog…and nobody even noticed? Well, the hard work you do is appreciated. And now, your coworkers, patients, and visitors have a way to show their thanks.

Last May, AAMC launched the Honor Our Team (HOT) Program, developed by the Professional Nurses Council (PNC). Recognition forms—called HOT Cards—were made available on all units for anyone to fill out. To date, over 4,000 HOT Cards have been collected!

The comments on the cards have a wide range of compliments from:

She covered my shift for me when I had to get home.” (from a coworker)

She came in to clean my room, but she really made me feel more comfortable when she took the time to talk to me.” (from a patient)

Most departments have set up bulletin boards on their units to display the Hot Cards. Some units make sure the HOT Cards are a part of their admission packets, making it easier for patients and family members to fill one out. Having helped to get the program started here at AAMC, the icing on the cake for me was when a patient actually asked for a HOT Card to fill out before he was discharged.

HOT CARD- FAQs

What is the HOT CARD?

· The HOT CARD is an easy way to recognize and honor employees and members of your team for “Making it Great!” The criteria include: Attitude, Appearance, Teamwork, Accountability, Courtesy/Respect, Listening/Explaining, Privacy, Safety and Caring.

Why is the HOT CARD such a great tool?

· The HOT CARD allows members of our team and visitors to the Medical Center to recognize and honor employees who consistently demonstrate behavioral standards that exceed our expectations.

Who is eligible for a HOT CARD nomination?

· All non-management employees who are regular full-time, regular part-time or CPT

Who can nominate an employee?

· Peers, supervisors, directors, executives, patients, and visitors

How do I nominate an employee?

· The HOT CARD’s can be found in brochure holders and a centrally located suggestion box on units and departments across the medical center. The completed cards will be collected by the director responsible for that area each month. Any forms completed for employees outside your department can be forwarded via inter-office mail to the employee’s director.

Remember, if you catch someone doing something nice, tell on them… you can even post it here!

AAMC is fortunate enough to have two certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses, Irene Repka, RN, BS, CWOCN and Michelle Perkins, RN, BS, CWON.

WOC nurses are lifesavers for patients with wounds, ostomy and continence conditions. Their advanced education equips these nurses to treat special conditions and provide counseling, teaching and emotional support.

Irene and Michelle cover all the AAMC inpatients units, seeing patients Monday through Friday, as well as some  evenings and weekends. By request, they care for patients in the ESP OR and in the outpatient setting for wound, ostomy and continence teaching and support.

Thank you Irene and Michelle for your endless support to our patients, families and staff!

From May 15-20, the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI) is coming to Washington D.C. for the very first time. NTI is sponsored by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). This year’s theme is Act with Intention. Designed by President Beth Hammer,  encouraging us to ask ourselves, each time we act, “Why am I doing this?” “How will it help my patient?” and “If it won’t help, how can I stop doing it?”

The Association for Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN) is also having their annual convention June 12-16 in Nashville, TN. The theme will be, “Sharing Science, Finding Solutions for OB, Women’s Health and Neonatal Nurses.”

Why attend conventions? They’re a great opportunity to:

• network with peers, colleagues, see old friends, make new ones
• learn from renowned national experts how to handle the things you face every day
• earn CE credits
• learn about newest technology and methods
• renew your professional pride and passion
• update your professional portfolio
• have great fun.

Have you been to a professional convention? What did you enjoy the most about it? 

I’m sure, like me, you have walked into a restaurant’s bathroom and upon opening the door, heard the hiss of their well-intended air freshener. As pleasant as smelling strawberries is compared to the base scent, have you ever stopped to think what it is you are inhaling into your lungs? I can assure you there are no strawberries in the list of ingredients.  

Since World War II, scientists have followed the consumer’s request for products to be silkier, bubblier, and better smelling. (Who determined that clean was the smell of pine trees?)  Scientists add F.D.A. registered carcinogenic, neuro toxin, and endocrine disruptor chemicals because, until recently, most consumers had not connected the link between their environment and their health.

There have been countless studies of human serum, urine, and even breast milk, looking at the chemicals we absorb, inhale and ingest. It was believed that these chemicals could not cross the placenta, but a recent study found 287 chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in the cord blood of newborn babies (Environmental Working Group, 2005). Unfortunately, these chemicals do not biodegrade or metabolize into something less toxic. They persist in our bodies where they are believed to have a half-life of 7-12 years.

As healthcare providers we pledge to “do no harm.” AAMC is committed to reducing the chemical exposure for the healthcare provider, fragile patient and numerous visitors. Since 2003, 85% of our cleaning chemicals are Green Seal certified. AAMC is a near mercury and latex free facility. The cafeteria offers rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) free milk, cottage cheese and cream cheese. AAMC has pledged to use low to no VOC paints, stains and finishes. Our battery-recycling program has diverted over 5,000 pounds of batteries from the incinerator, significantly reducing the heavy metals released into the air. These along with countless other sustainable initiatives are helping AAMC improve the quality of and possibly even saving lives.

Want to learn simple steps to reducing toxins in your home?  Do you have a sustainable idea you would like to share with AAMC’s green team? Stop by the Earth Day Fair on Wednesday, April 21^st, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Rotary Room, you’ll be glad you did.

“The 2010 International Year of the Nurse (IYNurse) is the centennial year of the death of the founder of modern nursing — Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). To celebrate this historic milestone, the 2010 IYNurse was established to actively involve the world’s nurses — estimated to be more than 15 million — in a celebration of commitment to bring health to their communities, locally and worldwide” (http://www.2010iynurse.net/)

As part of the 2010 International Year of the Nurse, a Commemorative Global Service Celebrating Nursing will take place at Washington National Cathedral.

Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), the Nightingale Initiative for Global Health (NIGH), and the Florence Nightingale Museum invite you to participate in this celebration. This free event is open to the public.

Sunday, April 25, 2010
4:00-5:00 p.m.
The National Cathedral
Washington, D.C., USA

Date:  May 8, 2010

Location:  Navy Marine Corps Stadium

Time:  Walk begins at 8:00 a.m.

KidWalk is a 5K for families, adults, youth groups, community organizations, companies, and caring individuals to benefit six Annapolis charities: the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, the Light House Homeless Shelter, Anne Arundel County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Vision Workshops, and Box of Rain. Visit the KidWalk web site here.

This is a FAMILY ORIENTED EVENT. There will be a moon bounce, face painting, snacks, music, and an SPCA mobile unit! Bring your family and friends to walk for a great cause or sign up to be a volunteer at our first aid stations. 

FIRST AID STATIONS:

We need six volunteers to staff two first aid stations from 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m., contact CommunityServiceInitiative@aahs.org if you can help. Slots go fast, so sign up soon!

Do you have a child needing volunteer hours? They may come with you to assist—it’ll be a great opportunity to teach your kids about giving back to their community.  

FUNDRAISING TEAMS:

AAMC is proudly forming a walking team to participate and raise funds. Last year, we had a strong showing of employees and families who decided to walk and raise funds at this important event. 

You can also form a team from your unit or department or bring family and friends together! Show your community service spirit! 

If you are interested in walking and/or fundraising, please stop by the Community Health and Wellness Office, located in the Sajak Pavilion (Suite 250) to pick up your sponsorship forms. For more information on joining the AAMC team, contact adestefano@aahs.org

*Each AAMC volunteer for the first aid station or fundraising team will receive a letter confirming volunteer service time/funds raised.