Event: Nursing Strategic Planning
“The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.” - John Ruskin
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| CEO/President, George B. Hernandez, Jr. waits while presenter makes introductions. |
Kicking off the New Year, UHS nurses, support staff and senior level administrators came together for the Nursing Strategic Planning retreat. Nancy Ray, CNO, introduced CEO/President George Hernandez who provided the political horizon on health care reform. His message was one of hope and encouragement! Using Bob Dillon’s song, Times are changing , he emphasized that our organization is in a great position to meet the new challenges in health care. Peggy Deming, CFO provided the audience with the financial data and how we can achieve our mission with a margin through excellence in patient care. Mark Webb delighted everyone with animation of our new facilities and UHS future! Christian Vasquez, COO spoke for the first time to many nurses since joining UHS in August. Her message was clear that our patients come first; we are here to provide them with care that not only satisfies them but exceeds their expectations. Michelle Ingram provided a roadmap to the Quality solution in which we must become savvy in our use of data and metrics. Last but not least, Nancy Ray, CNO set the stage for the afternoon! Outlining the goals of quality, customer service, fiscal strength, and continuity of care for the nursing journey to professional excellence always strive for the best! Today is an opportunity for nurses to demonstrate their skill, dedication, and passion for the UHS mission in creating 2010 strategic plan.
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| Brainstorming Session |
Over 90 UHS nurses formed several groups to brain storm on improving operations and fostering continuous improvement efforts in their units while serving patients. Dr. Jean Setzer, UHS Strategic Planner provided this large group with her skilled guidance and enthusiasm in creating the plan. She led each group with empowering suggestions to help nurses achieve their goals while using tools that would strategically implement their unit’s ‘action’ priorities. Goals and opportunities were identified and discussed as each participant enthusiastically expressed their ideas. As bright colored note pads and flip charts encompassed the room, it was clear each participant was dedicated to the goal at hand. The plan and our Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results (SOAR) can be clicked on here. The day provided new excitement, prospects for the future, and a plan! The journey to excellence continues!



Another honor was when Charles received the 2008 Administrative Specialty Award of Critical Care Medicine for his abstract on “Improving Tight Glycemic Control With The Adjunct Use Of A Data Management Software Program” Click here to view the poster this poster. His most impressive experience was when he presented the implications of implementing tight glycemic control in ICUs to three governors' healthcare policy advisory panels.
I am a RN in surgical services and recently went on vacation. When returning from vacation during the airplane boarding process the flight crew made an announcement for any medical personnel to come to the front of the plane immediately. I dropped my bags and rushed to the area to find a gentleman on the floor on the ramp a step before boarding the plane. Upon assessment the man had no respirations or circulation. I began CPR. Several minutes later I was joined by an off duty EMS staff member from the airport. We worked in tandem until an AED was available. We shocked the gentleman twice before he returned to a normal sinus rhythm. He was then taken by EMS to an area hospital. I was overjoyed at the end of the flight when the pilot came over the PA system to announce the gentleman had been taken to an area hospital and underwent a cardiac cauterization and was doing well!