A letter from the vice president of nursing

We’re back! And I am delighted that we are able to once again provide Emerson nursing staff with their own newsletter! The intent of this newsletter is to keep everyone up to date with the many programs and activities that occur within nursing at Emerson Hospital.

I want to thank Chris Schuster and Bonnie Goldsmith for their strong support, and Patti Shanteler and Mary Seymour for making this newsletter a reality. The idea of doing this electronically in the coming months is exciting because, for most of you, “high tech” has become a way of life.  Many of you will see yourselves and your colleagues recognized in this publication, and you’ll be as amazed and excited as I am about how truly exceptional you all are.

In order to demonstrate the high level of nursing competency our nurses have acquired, we strongly encourage each of our nurses to pursue certification in their specialty area. Many of you have held that certification for years, and we thank and applaud you all. We’ve listed below those who achieved certification milestones in 2005. We hope that many more of you will take this important step. As you know, our Auxiliary Scholarship Fund supports local preparation courses for certification, and, in addition, you are eligible for a salary adjustment (for one certification) when you do reach that goal.

We hope you enjoy the rebirth of our newsletter and we would appreciate any input you might have. Now that we’re all on Outlook email, you can contact me that way. I would love to hear from you.

lwells@emersonhosp.org

Congratulations!

In keeping with our mission to provide quality patient care, eliminate medical errors and focus on evidence-based practice, it is important that nursing demonstrate expertise in chosen specialties. Certification also recognizes the nurse as a professional who has met nationally-recognized standards. It is a testament to the individual's dedication to nursing. Congratulations to the following nurses who achieved national certification in 2005.

Certified pediatric nurse Candice Respass RN Wheeler 4	Certified oncology nurse Gail Eastwood RN Infusion Room
Certified medical surgical nurse Lisa Buckley RN Wheeler 5	Certified nurse operating room Mary Ellen Biaz RN OR Services
Certified ambulatory perianesthesia  nurse Debbie Musto RN SDC Diane O’Brien RN SDC Wendy Repucci RN SDC Marge Watro RN SDC	Certified pain management nurse Peg Bitter RN Wheeler 5 Trudy Coburn RN Radiation Oncology Marilyn Converse RN North 6 Peggy Flood RN North 6 Barbara Kemp RN PACU
Certified critical care nurse Shirley Roy RN North 4 ED Susan Twomey RN North 4 ED	Certified post anesthesia nurse Mary Krause RN PACU Constance Raynor RN PACU
Certified emergency nurse Laura Loverme RN ED Maureen Mancini RN ED Paula Saunders RN ED	Anticoagulation Susan Bauer RN Anticoag Clinic Kathleen Donahue RN Anticoag Clinic
Certified nursing professional staff development Donna Kilcoyne RN Education Mary Seymour RN Education	Certified nurse administration advanced Kevin Whitney RN Director of Nursing

 

Nursing in the news

The following Emerson nurses were featured in recent local news coverage. Thank you to our PR and marketing team for increasing the visibility of the important work our nurses do every day.

Ginny Caples, RN, charge nurse in the OR, was pictured with high school students as part of a National Youth Leadership Forum, which brings in potential future nurses to get hands-on experience in the nursing field. Liz Allen, RN, home care mental health coordinator, and Mary Lou Cunningham, RN, manager of continuing care, coordinate this program for Emerson annually.

Tricia Jordan, RN, home care, recently performed a home care visit with State Representative Cory Akins to highlight the important work nurses do in caring for patients in the community. “Today we provide a level of care in patient’s homes, such as complex wound care and intravenous medications, that previously would have been available only in a hospital setting,” said Jamie Stier, RN, director of home care.

PRN Nurses Peg Bitter, RN, C, Wheeler 5; Peggy Flood, RN, C, North 6; Trudy Coburn, RN, C, radiation oncology; Marilyn Converse, RN, C, North 6; and Barbara Kemp RN, C, PACU, were recently featured in a news article commending them for achieving national certification in the first Pain Management Certification exam offered by the ANCC. “The real champions are the PRN nurses,” said Peggy Flood, cancer clinical specialist.  “They have studied very hard and worked very hard. They have really picked up the ball and run with it.”

Teddy bears arrived at Emerson Hospital! Kay Liebmann, RN, MSN, nurse coordinator of the pediatric intervention team; Mallory Harrison, child life specialist; Shelly Lorrain, LPN; Mary Bell, patient care technician; and Julie McMahon, RN, nurse manager, all from Wheeler 4 were recently pictured in an article reporting on a collaborative effort between Emerson and the Sudbury Extended Day program to bring handmade teddy bears to children hospitalized at Emerson. “The bears will accompany children to surgery or other procedures to provide comfort and reassurance,” said Kay Liebmann. “And we tell our small patients that they were made for kids, by kids.”

Kevin Whitney, RN, MA, CNAA, was recognized for his promotion to the new position of director of nursing. “After interviewing many excellent candidates, and observing the work environment that Kevin had designed for the emergency department, it became clear that his outstanding leadership ability and excellent management skills would help move the nursing division at Emerson Hospital into the future," said Linda Wells, vice president for nursing and patient care services.

Special thanks

Jane Nowak, RN, and Liz Jewell, RN, home care, did not expect a JCAHO visit when they showed up at work on Friday, January 20. Their level of competency, teaching skills, and care and compassion helped lead to a very successful one-day random survey. “Both Liz and Jane were willing to help in any way they could and both had to rearrange their schedules to accommodate the surveyor,” said Sharon Malone, nursing supervisor. “Their level of professionalism and sense of responsibility to the organization clearly showed. I am very proud of both of them.”

Best practice

Despite an extensive medical work-up, physicians were unable to identify the cause of one patient’s problem. Thanks to a caring, empathic approach, excellent nursing assessment skills and the use of the medication reconciliation process, Cheryl Greenwood, RN, Wheeler 4, was able to identify the problem as a medication overdose. Cheryl’s approach put the patient at ease. Listening not only to what medications the patient was taking but also reviewing when and where they were taken identified the problem.

Take away message

In 1993, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a division of the American Nurses Association, developed the Magnet Recognition Program™ as a means of recognizing nursing excellence within a health care organization. Magnet is a prestigious international award given to organizations that demonstrate the 14 Forces of magnetism in innovative and dynamic ways. In Magnet hospitals

• nurses are empowered and accountable for their practice
• patients have better outcomes and are more satisfied
• professional advancement is encouraged and rewarded
• there is greater staff involvement in decision-making