Remember The Mission

Nationally, nurses’ value certification as it enhances personal accomplishment, provides personal satisfaction, demonstrates professional growth, validates specialized knowledge, enhances professional credibility and provides a professional challenge.  Just to name a few values!   UHS nurses have made it clear how they value certification.  CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL CERTIFIED UHS NURSES AND HOW THEY VALUE CERIFICATION.

At UHS nurses throughout the organization have demonstrated this professional excellence and were recognized on National Certification Day on March 19th!  The Recruitment, Recognition, Retention Council co-chaired by Robert Yancey and Amy Henz created a wonderful event during days and nights to express how appreciative we are of our Certified Nurses! 

Nancy Ray, CNO was on hand for both events to express her gratitude and support for nurses who are certified along with encouragement for every nurse to become certified and demonstrate their specialized knowledge!  Additionally every certified nurse received a letter of appreciation from George Hernandez, CEO and a special gift pen engraved “We are Proud of You!”   


How are units creating cultures that encourage certification?  Intermediate Progressive Care Unit Magnet Unit Council encourages staff to take every opportunity to earn recognition.  They want all nurses to demonstrate their professional practice through Nursing Professional Clinical Advancement.  The support has helped create determination and personal drive for 5 nurses to obtain their CCRN certification in the last year.   Mariamma Shaju, Sherly Biju, Jai Philip, Allyamma Kuruvilla, Bessie Moonummackal, and Renimal Kochumon, have now brought the total of nationally certified nurses in IPCU to 29%.

To encourage certification, IPCU’s Magnet Council maintains a National Certified Recognition bulletin board mounted on our "Hall of Fame".  The board is filled with pictures of National Certified RNs, other staff who have obtained certification in the past and provides staff with review materials.  We also celebrate successful certification achievements with a unit party!  Now that review materials are provided by the hospital free and we are dedicated to honor National Certified Nurses, we believe that there will be an increased awareness and interest among UHS RNs to be nationally certified.

Thank you to RRR council and Amy Hensz for recognizing UHS Nationally Certified Nurses even at 1030 PM on March 19 to include the other half of UHS (nightshift)."We are UHS too!”
 

In 2006/2007 Reneau Elsworth, PT; Noel Schafer, RN; and, Julia Aulner, PT identified a need for outpatient nursing staff to be competent in the crutch training of patients requiring crutches during off hours to facilitate discharge.  This prompted us to work in collaboration to develop nursing competencies in this area.

Reneau and Julia completed all of the crutch training competencies for the nursing staff and trained one person as a staff “Super Trainer.”  This allowed the outpatient nursing staff to continue to train all new staff members to be competent in this area as well.

In doing so, we feel we have been able to decrease length of stay, improve patient satisfaction, and improve the overall efficiency of services provided.

In early 2009, PT/OT had the opportunity to work with a small child with a gun shot wound to the left arm requiring extensive arterial and nerve grafts from his left leg to facilitate recovery.  In the process, he lost a great deal of strength and range of motion in his left leg and became fearful of intervention.

Child Life Specialist, Jessica Tarcin, CCLS and I,  Julia Aulner, PT collaborated to make rehabilitation “fun” and used “Big Wheel Races” combined with other modalities to facilitate functional return.

This child looked forward to therapy each day; his range of motion improved by over 30 degrees in three days and the family was given an easy method of “play therapy” that was extremely beneficial to this child.  By discharge, he had nearly full functional return of his leg and his family was able to participate in seeing the continued return to functionality of his left leg.