Remember The Mission

Nancy Ray

Welcome to Nurses Week.
Team members from across University Health System celebrated their Magnet status during Nurses Week – May 10-16. During the week, it seemed like no one could stop jumping with joy and excitement over becoming a “magnetically” excellent healthcare organization.  (See ad for Nurses week)

On the first day of Nurses Week, nurses were greeted by UHS executives, Mariachis and lots of Magnet balloons! They were provided with copies of the new nursing newsletter, emPOWERED, a quarterly publication featuring stories about our nursing excellence. The names of our nurses were spotlighted in our local newspaper, Express-News, for everyone in the city to know and appreciate the great nurses that work in our organization. (See ad)

The rest of the day was dedicated to our Magnet Celebration!  Mr. George B. Hernández, Jr., UHS President/CEO; Peggy Deming, CFO; Chris Vasquez, COO; and Nancy Ray, CNO, were the party leaders!   The festivities kicked off at University Center for Community Health with cheers, dancing and proclamations from Texas State Representative Trey Martinez-Fischer, District # 116. Nancy Ray read the proclamation during the celebration. The unveiling of the trophy and the congratulatory message from Gail Wolf, DNS, RN, FAAN Chair, and Commission on Magnet Recognition, made it official. Plus, Nancy’s favorite moment couldn’t arrive a minute sooner. She was excited to distribute the Magnet pins to staff members. Everyone was ecstatic to finally wear their “magnetically” wonderful pins! The entire organization joined in the pinning as it takes an entire organization to obtain Magnet Recognition.

UHS Celebrates being Magnetic.

The party continued at University Health Center-Downtown with many more cheers, posters, food and the unveiling of the trophy, not to mention, more Magnet pins! Staff celebrated with music as the Magnet Champions ripped through the paper to the sounds of “We are the Champions!”  Pride was everywhere as CareLink cheerleaders led the crowd in a special “I am UHS” cheer!

University Hospital was the last stop for two more celebrations!  Not to be outdone, the Magnet Champions at University Hospital provided the crowd with a celebratory “Texas” dance and songs!  City of San Antonio Councilman W. Reed Williams, District # 8, was on hand to read the proclamation from the City of San Antonio signed by Mayor Julian Castro. The posters were displayed throughout the cafeteria from multiple units and departments from across the organization, demonstrating how each provides a critical piece to our Magnet designation.

Last but certainly not least, our night shift celebration began at 11 p.m. with more cheers, dancing and food! Mr. Hernández and Nancy provided the crowd with yet another proclamation from Texas State Senator Leticia Van De Putte, District #26. Team members were filled joy and pride over their hard work and dedication to providing excellent care. Their work has never gone unnoticed, as they labor throughout the night to help make our patients better.

The week continued with the annual Walk in My Shoes program, as UHS executives shadowed nurses for a morning. Also, several units conveyed their wonderful massages in a special essay contest describing their “magnetic” status. Various units enjoyed cake and punch in honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday and the launching of the Nursing Ethics Council. This final celebration completed the Nurses Week 2010. We celebrated our commitment to excellence, and to making a difference in the lives of our patients in San Antonio and South Texas!

Click here to view more "Magnetic" images.

Dr. Setzer and Diana Espinoza.

On Tuesday, May 11, it was an opportunity for the University Health System Foundation Board members and Vice Presidents to walk in the shoes of a nurse, and to see first-hand how our nurses deliver quality care at the bedside.

Jean Setzer, VP, Strategic Planning, shadowed Diana Espinoza, RN, in Labor and Delivery. She shared in a family’s fear of fetal distress and joy of a healthy delivery, even if it came through an unexpected caesarian section. The experience left her speechless and so grateful for this very intimate, yet intense experience.  

Chris Vasquez, COO, spent her morning with psychiatry nurses and was completely impressed on how Larry Toms, RN, advocated for and in her words “saved the patient’s life.” Some might view this as a contradiction, as psychiatry is usually not viewed in this way. However, that morning Tom worked diligently with the team to advocate and recognize a patient’s extreme needs and depression. She was able to see his knowledge and skill in action and the positive “life-saving” outcome it had in this patient’s life. 

Our CFO, Peggy Deming, and our VP for Facilities Management, Richard Rodriquez, stepped into the world of Transplant ICU and Transplant Telemetry.  Nurses Julianne Wisloff and Stephanie Knight were both eager to share their expertise with Deming and Rodriguez. Our visitors were able to witness the details and difficulties in transporting patients that are ventilated to procedures like safely moving them and ensuring their airway and respirations are managed. Also, demonstrating how to actually move patients to a procedure table brought new insights into why the safety initiatives are critical in our institution. 

Peggy Deming and Stephanie Knight.

Another experience was the end of life procedure. This experience was shared by Yvonne Gonzales, a University Health System Foundation Board member and Eva Balboa, RN, Surgical Trauma ICU. She requested permission from a patient’s family to share in their grief, as they prepared for the death of a loved one. As Ms. Gonzales reflected on the experience, she remembered the respect and dignity shown to this patient by Eva and the entire staff, as they continued to explain everything that was being done for this patient and the family. The difficulty and anguish was eased by the nurse’s commitment and compassion to remain dedicated to her patient, even until the end of life. 

George B. Hernández, Jr., our CEO/President, joined the Newborn Nursery team, during his Walk in My Shoes experience. He shadowed NICU nurses Katia Pelletier-Snell and Michelle Randsdell. He soon learned that wearing scrubs before entering our newborn nursery was a critical procedure. Their advocacy doesn’t stop, no matter who the individual, it’s a critical standard in protecting our patients from infection. His experience was enlightening; you could see it in his eyes, as he walked through the unit.

The stories shared by Walk in My Shoes participants were filled with the joys, sorrows, pains and amazements which are integral in a nurses daily walk. They truly experienced what it is like to walk in the shoes of nurses at University Health System! We salute our nurses for their commitment to excellence every day, and we thank those who took time from their busy schedules to see first-hand the superb job our nurses are doing to make the lives of all patients better.

Elizabeth "Ann" Maxey, RN, CCRN; Chasity McDonald, RN, CCRN; Michael Payne, RN, CCRN

Written By: Elizabeth "Ann" Maxey and Chasity McDonald

The Beacon award is a well deserved award for our unit.  The minute I heard about the award and what it meant to receive it, I knew our unit had to get it.  The idea was initially pitched to us by Craig Marshall, who was responsible for setting us on our Beacon Journey so many years ago.  We already met a great many of the criteria and the criteria that we did not meet we set out on the road to accomplishing. The word journey, is used a lot to describes the process in receiving the award and, to be honest, I cannot think of a better word.  We did not sit down one week and fill out the application. The process started and continued to evolve over several years. We had highs and lows just like any journey you take.  One of the great attributes about the Beacon Award is that it encompasses a 360 degree picture of the unit.  This means no one person can accomplish this task alone.  It is not only about nurses; it takes a whole team.  It encompasses everyone who has an interaction in our unit: patients, techs, physicians, clerks and visitors. For example that extra minute a nurse takes to answer a family's concerns, or the nurse that studies day and night to become certified.  The many years and dedication of service we have in the TICU alone screams Excellence.  I never had a doubt in my mind we would not receive the award. Then, finally,

I received a text message, "We won Beacon," from my co-worker Sonia Figueroa!  I remember standing in my kitchen and I could not contain my excitement! Word traveled pretty fast. Nancy Ray was very supportive and she gave our unit the opportunity to send 2 staff representatives to Washington, D.C. and represent the Transplant ICU and UHS at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute (NTI), where new Beacon Award unit recipients were recognized. I jumped at the chance. Our Director chose the two TICU Beacon Award representatives after asking those interested in making the trip to write a letter stating "WHY I SHOULD BE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT TICU AT NTI IN WASHINGTON, D.C.".  When Michael called and told me that I was selected to go, along with Chasity McDonald, it was the icing on the cake!!

On arriving to D.C., we attended the NTI Opening Ceremony. Sitting among seven thousand of our colleagues, I suddenly realized the impact that winning the Beacon Award had on me. When they asked all of the newly recognized Beacon winners to stand, I looked around saw such a small number of people stand up from the sea of 7,000 people sitting, and I knew we were among the elite. NTI was such a great learning experience and a fun time in general, to have gotten to share it with my co-worker was like no other

Poster presentation in DC

The STICU’s abstract was accepted for poster presentation at the May 2010 American Association of Critical Care Nurses National Teaching Institute Conference to be held in Washington DC.

This is the largest critical care nurses conference in the country with attendance ranging from 6,500-9,000 critical care nurses.

"Meeting Educational Needs with Portable Technology: Adapting to the Next Generation of Nurses”

Authors: Charles Reed, Heather Williams, Susanne Thees, Kate Robertson, Susan Gerhardt, Randy Beadle, & Nanette Larson.
Susanne Thees presented the poster.
The poster describes meeting the learning needs of the staff, through a novel method of disseminating medical information in a portable and on-demand format.
 

TICU is #1

(San Antonio, TX)    University Hospital’s Transplant Intensive Care Unit (TICU) has received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The TICU team is the first intensive care unit in San Antonio and just the second transplant ICU in the nation to receive this prestigious award. Developed in 2003 by the AACN, the Beacon Award recognizes individual critical care units that exhibit high-quality standards and exceptional care for patients and families while fostering and sustaining healthy work environments.

There are about 6,000 intensive care units in the United States, and less than four percent of them have been recognized for achieving, maintaining and documenting these extremely high standards. “This award is living proof of the great quality and service delivered on our transplant unit," said George B. Hernández, Jr., University Health System president/CEO.

"We are all so proud of the work done by this talented and dedicated team," added Christann Vasquez, University Health System chief operating officer.

To receive the award, a unit must meet 42 different criteria in six categories, including: Patient outcome, Evidence-based practice and research, Leadership and organizational ethics, Excellence/innovation in recruitment and retention, Education, training, and mentoring and Promoting healing environments.

The Beacon also provides nursing care units a way to better measure systems, outcomes and environments. “Your unit sounds like a great place to work and exhibits many Beacon qualities," wrote one of the Beacon Award reviewers.

"By reading your application, I get the sense that your unit holds each staff member and itself as a whole to a very high standard. Through all of the examples that you provided, I was able to develop an understanding of your unit culture," added another. “The teamwork of your unit staff and management is apparent in every exemplar. You have provided many excellent examples of unit based activities that show a consistent and pervasive sense of collaboration and excellence in practice."

Nancy Ray, RN, University Health System’s chief nursing officer, knows she has the best nurses in San Antonio. “It is so incredible what you all accomplish every day. I am so thankful you are UHS."

Michael Payne, RN, administrative director of the TICU agrees. “This is such a huge achievement! You all consistently provide the highest quality care and I hope you all take some time to pat yourselves on the back and appreciate your achievement.”

“I want you all to know how proud I am of you, and what a pleasure it is working with you," added Dr. Glenn Halff, medical director, University Transplant Center, and interim dean of the UT Health Science Center School of Medicine.

The AACN is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 500,000 nurses providing care to critically ill patients. University Health System was recently designated as a Magnet facility by AACN and this new award is further demonstration of the organization's commitment to excellence in patient care, and recruiting and retaining the very best nursing staff. To learn more about the Beacon Award, please visit www.aacn.org.