Remember The Mission

The nursing staff of Health for Women take pride in achieving our mission, vision, and values.  Our mission and vision is to promote good health to all women and improve their well-being.  As part of our values, we volunteer in community activities that involve health education and promotion.

In 2008, Nurses from OB/GYN and Labor and Delivery participated in the Univision’s Latina Health Fair.  The Gynecology nurses discussed the importance of having regular physicals to prevent and detect cancer. The Labor and Delivery nurses focused on the importance of prenatal care for a healthy pregnancy.

The Community First Health Plan hosts monthly presentations to its members about the CHIP Perinatal Program. Staff Nurses participate in these presentations to present information on premature labor, labor and birth. They also provide tours of the maternity unit. 

Staff nurses from Labor and Delivery participated in the 2008 Healthy Baby & Child Expo. The nurses focused on the importance of prenatal care, labor and delivery events, and pain management while in labor.

The March of Dimes is another program that campaigns for the prevention of premature birth.  We assist them by participating in the speaker’s bureau giving presentations on television and radio talk shows about prenatal care.

Classes are also provided to adolescents at the Healy Murphy Center and the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center.

There are more community events in sight and the staff nurses from Health for Women will continue to live up to the mission, vision, and values. We’ll be there.

by Marisol B. Leija, BSN, RNC

Certification is acknowledgment of excellence and commitment to professional development in nursing practice.  Certification requires patient care evidence that reflects the application of core knowledge and the skills needed to care for patients. Even though certification is not required in our Obstetrics Unit, I recognize it as a measurement of enhanced professional development and heightened expertise to provide the highest quality of care to our population. We always market our board certified obstetricians and certified nurse midwives, Why not market our certified nurses?  We always advi s e the community to seek care from certified health-care providers, Why not recommend our hospital known for certified nurses in the different specialties?  It takes rigorous work to achieve this credential .    It proves to be valuable work when critical thinking optimizes patient safety despite all of the hurdles we face as nurses. I always felt competent in caring for my Obstetric patients and now I feel more assured to endow our high-risk Obstetric patients with skilled care.  

Inside our report, you will see examples of Clinical Expertise and Shared Governance activities. The efforts of the Quality Council and the financial impact of the Product Evaluation Committee are highlighted. Professional Development identifies many activities and opportunities for increasing nursing knowledge. The Scholarship section describes several research projects in progress to improve nursing practice. The “caring side of nursing” is recounted in the section on Caring and Diversity. Opportunities when University Health System nurses were highly visible can be seen in the Community section. This is a wonderful overview of the many examples of how University Health System nurses impact Bexar County, South Texas and beyond with their dedication and service.

Download the 2007 Annual Report here.

I attended a Magnet Journey seminar for the first time in September of 2008. I was excited and pumped up by everything that was explained at the seminar. To my surprise it started in 2005. Nancy Ray CNO told us to “Speak up, speak out to make changes” those words were ringing in my ears as though she had spoken directly to me. I went home and thought of how I could bring this message to my co-workers so that they could feel the same excitement and enthusiasm I was feeling. I went home and made a power point presentation which is available on the BLOG.

I have been an employee with UHS for eight years. The times I saw Nancy Ray RN was during nurse’s week at night time when she pulled her red wagon with trail mix snacks. Now in the seminar she appeared to be genuine and sincere I felt that she really wants to help.

After hearing her powerful words I really wanted to believe that for the very first time my voice would be heard and something would be done to improve our working conditions and staff satisfaction.

It is very important to me that everyone know and understand that in the ER we are an elite team. I feel privileged and honored to work with them. We are a family and do the best that we can and take pride in what we do. I feel that it is our time to get recognition for this. We are expected to know and be experts with all age groups of patients. We always get the bad reputation for the long grueling hours of wait in the front waiting room and never do we get a pat in the back or “hey good job”. We are a special group that work hard and give it our all.


Patricia Medina RN CEN

Emergency Center

by Patricia Medina RN CEN, Emergency Center

I attended a Magnet Journey seminar for the first time in September of 2008. I was excited and pumped up by everything that was explained at the seminar. To my surprise it started in 2005. Nancy Ray CNO told us to “Speak up, speak out to make changes” those words were ringing in my ears as though she had spoken directly to me. I went home and thought of how I could bring this message to my co-workers so that they could feel the same excitement and enthusiasm I was feeling. I went home and made a PowerPoint presentation to make available here on RememberTheMission.com

I have been an employee with UHS for eight years. The times I saw Nancy Ray RN was during nurse’s week at night time when she pulled her red wagon with trail mix snacks. Now in the seminar she appeared to be genuine and sincere I felt that she really wants to help.

After hearing her powerful words I really wanted to believe that for the very first time my voice would be heard and something would be done to improve our working conditions and staff satisfaction.

It is very important to me that everyone know and understand that in the ER we are an elite team. I feel privileged and honored to work with them. We are a family and do the best that we can and take pride in what we do. I feel that it is our time to get recognition for this. We are expected to know and be experts with all age groups of patients. We always get the bad reputation for the long grueling hours of wait in the front waiting room and never do we get a pat in the back or “hey good job”. We are a special group that work hard and give it our all.

Download Patricia's PowerPoint here.

 The most notable property of a magnet is its ability to ATTRACT!  So it makes sense that an organizational culture that is MAGNETIC attracts nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and of course patients that would seek their care! 

But what does it take to be a Magnet Designated Health Care Organization?  And who does the designating?  The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has coined the term “Magnet” to recognize health care organizations that deliver excellence in patient care. 

But becoming a Magnet Designated Organization requires a Journey to Excellence! ANCC has recently released a New Magnet Model based on research that has been the basis for Magnet Workshops being held to explain this model and how the University Health System is on the trail to becoming MAGNET! The first workshop was held on September 23 &24 with over 35 attended. See below for addtional workshops. These workshops are open to Champions, Directors, PCCs and Educators……….anyone who wants to learn more about our exciting journey!    Come join the excitement and fun……….you might just become magnetized in the process! 

Download the Schedule

Download the Photo Scrapbook