Coffee with COR-Featured Hot Shot

Pejman Mahdavi, LCSW, Director, Community CARE & Anne McMicken, LMSW, Community Connections Coordinator

Viewpoint Health is a community service board located in Georgia that provides services to individuals who need treatment and support to cope with mental illness, substance abuse, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. COR recently had the opportunity to interview Pejman Mahdavi and Anne McMicken about the importance of caring for those that care for others.

COR: Can you explain the involvement Viewpoint has had with the Department of Public Health during the COVID-19 response?

Pej Mahdavi: To give a little history, the involvement of Viewpoint during this response stemmed from the realization that mental health is a significant component of public health. I was deployed to Hurricane Dorian in 2019 on a Strike Team and that proved to our leadership team, and myself, how critical having an onsite mental health resource was in a public health response.

 Anne McMicken: I have been involved with this response since March. My involvement has changed over the course of this pandemic. At first, my primary role was to provide emotional support getting tested for COVID-19. In the beginning, fear was palpable in both the healthcare professionals and patients. Since then, I have supported the Incident Command leadership team, served as a staff advocate, and provided counsel and emotional support for all staff.

COR: We believe you have had an overwhelming task in front of you, ensuring that the Department of Public Health associates and agency staff were emotionally supported during the pandemic. What approach did you take?

Pej Mahdavi: It was important that we placed the right mental health staff in this role. This person had to be approachable, adaptable, and willing to change course quickly. Our staff had to be able anticipate the needs of the next hour or day and not to focus any further than that. In a true emergency response, you need people that can think critically and shift with the need…a person that needs more structure honestly won’t be successful.

 Anne McMicken: Crisis is where we THRIVE!  Anyone that responds to a public health emergency has to recognize where they are needed to cover any gaps. I would change my approach on a daily basis depending on who needed me the most. At times it was the patient and other days it was the staff. I took it one day at a time and stepped in from there.

COR: It is a commonly known fact that healthcare professionals do not take part in self-care, what are a few basic tips that you share that healthcare workers can incorporate into their routine?

Pej Mahdavi:  First and foremost, you have to CALL THEM OUT… Secondly, we had to CHANGE THE CULTURE. It was imperative that emotional support was needed. We were challenged to ignite the healthcare workers to be engaged. We did this by drawing parallels and helping remove the stigma of self-care. The old school way of thinking is a real phenomenon on any leadership team. The mantra: “Come to work and get it done”, is not sustainable in a long-term emergency response. We recruited a few “first followers” from the leadership team to engage and flipped the culture in order be successful.

Why wouldn’t you take care of your mental health like you would take care of something like diabetes?-Pej

Anne McMicken: Healthcare workers have to make self-care and emotional wellness a habit. Leaders have to lead by example and what keeps one person motivated is not necessarily what keeps others motivated. Once a leader recognizes this individuality it becomes much easier to spark the team. One leader within the response, Kim Pickens, stood out to me. She was a constant advocate for her team and placed their mental health as a top priority. It comes down to individuals recognizing they need to focus on their emotional health and the good news is that it is never too late.

The COR Perspective:

We can’t lie, practicing self-care is hard. We found ourselves head down buried in the response trying to ‘build the plane while we were flying it’. That can be true in any crisis. But this is not a Code Blue that lasts an hour or even a hurricane response that lasts a few days. The COVID-19 response has pushed healthcare professionals like nothing else we have seen in our lifetime. We are thankful to Viewpoint for taking care of our patients, our fellow healthcare workers, and us.

I attended a staff development workshop several years ago, and while the organization I worked for was well-intentioned, the only thing I developed was a mild case of boredom…which I’m quite certain was contagious! If our leadership was going to all the trouble of creating a workshop, and even throwing in a little appreciation by providing donuts, it should have most certainly been focused on ME and not on THEM.

There are a few elements that should be weaved into any staff development day. Planting the right seeds will help ensure that staff cultivate good followership, grow as leaders, and adjunct the organization’s culture. Any good leader worth their salt knows basic topics that are critical to staff development.... but we think about them from a slightly different perspective.

Influence: Using your Power for Good to Build an Army.

One of the greatest skills a leader can have is their ability to influence others. Influence is the key to leadership and can be used to help achieve organizational goals. As any good manager knows fellow influencers can be a huge asset to the team…and of course, also equally as destructive. Authentic authority is gained through credibility, consistency, and building relationships while working toward the common good. Influence is the most impactful when there is a true exchange between the involved parties that creates a coalition toward the cause.

Teamwork: There is No “I” in Team-but Maybe There Should Be?

This saying has always made me laugh. While the collective of a team is crucial, each individual team member will either add value or dysfunction. The question is…. which one are you? Taking time to define YOUR role on a team, and evaluate how your behavior impacts the dynamic, will ultimately help define the team’s success. Each one of us needs to take responsibility for our behavior, communication, and competency to ensure that we are performing at our best.

Attitude: A Little Thing That Makes a Big Difference-Winston Churchill

I am sure that we have all been “stuck” with a bad hire. This is different than having to train an employee on a new skill or correct a knowledge deficit. In fact, you really can’t teach good attitude. The truth is, we have very little control over how our work day will unfold, but the good news is that we have total power over our approach to that day. Take the time to reflect on each interaction and ask yourself…What went right? What went wrong? What could I have done differently? Self-assessment is difficult, but small adjustments in attitude can make a world of difference.

Leadership: Not Just for Folks with the Big Office.

When it comes to healthcare we should all consider ourselves leaders, regardless of where you land on the organizational chart. Ultimately, leaders must convince others to try something new, in light of the fact that hardly anyone likes change. In an effort to have others recognize these moments as opportunities for growth, it is imperative to  really take time to explain the “why”. A good leader will keep consistency and a collaborative spirit as they influence change.

While a staff development day should be designed with the goal of imparting some knowledge that will ultimately impact your organization in a positive way…it doesn’t have to be boring…in fact, it doesn’t even have to be about your company at all! The promotion of personal growth goes above and beyond the walls of a classroom and will yield lasting benefits to both your employees AND your organization!

 

You cannot be the same, think the same, and act the same if you hope to be successful in a world that does not remain the same. -John Maxwell

 

 

COR has been involved in staff resiliency for many years. Healthcare in particular poses a host of issues for staff to work through and for leadership to attend to…and that is during the best of times. Blend in a little pandemic, limited workforce, role change, and generally terrified and exhausted employees…and that can be a recipe for disaster. During the COVID response over the last several months, we have been guiding our clients on how to ensure that these hardworking employees feel valued.

PREPARE THEM FOR CHANGE

“Hey Melissa! Great news-I know you were hired for one role…but now, during this pandemic chaos, you are being VOLUNTOLD to serve in a completely different role…ready, GO!” During times of stress and chaos, we tend to find our best and most reliable employees, those who rise to a challenge, and in-turn throw them into the deep end without a life preserver. Perhaps a crash course on how to swim and where the lifeguard is located is in order? Time is of the essence, but you would be surprised at what simply ASKING an employee to do, versus TELLING, and spending a few hours of training and preparation can do for your outcome!

CREATE A WORKPLACE CULTURE THAT MAKES UP FOR THE CHAOS

Temperature checks, staffing shortages, additional PPE, role changes…all are out of your control. COVID policies and procedures must be followed and staff have been asked to adapt to a whole new way of working. What doesn’t have to change is YOUR workplace culture. Each of your employees should feel safe at work, feel like they have a voice and most of all that they are being supported by you! Take a few minutes to understand what each of your staff are doing day-to-day and ask yourself what you can do to make that a little better!

 SAY THANK YOU…OFTEN AND IN PERSON

A blanket email to staff saying how wonderful they are is a good idea. A monetary bonus for extra efforts is also a good idea. Add in a quick Employee of the Month highlight for your organization and you are on your way to feeling like you have shown your appreciation to staff. Is this enough? Have you asked? Take time to find out what staff would like in order to feel valued and appreciated. Nothing replaces a face-to-face, sit down, genuine “thank you for all you have done for this organization…we truly could not have stayed afloat if not for you and your hard work”. When supervisors and managers take the time to KNOW which employees are showing up every day….even though their co-workers are not…the gratitude is relayed.

LISTEN TO THEIR SUGGESTIONS

Did you hear the one about the manager who created an amazing plan of action without any input from frontline staff….if not, I’ll cut to the ending….it didn’t turn out well. As consultants, we are experts in process and strategy and we pride ourselves on guiding clients to a process that fits their organization. However, we NEVER do this without input from those who are the impacted the most. Listen to your staff who are carrying out this brilliant new plan. Do they see a better way of doing things? Allow your staff the opportunity to use their voice and then take action and let them know that improvements were made BECAUSE OF THEM!

HELP YOUR STAFF KEEP THEIR CUPS FULL

As a reminder healthcare staff, by nature, are focused on CARING for others…it is what they learned in school, what they live and breathe each day at work, and why they chose this career. We are asking these employees to continue to stretch and give and go above and beyond…every single day!  They are pouring themselves into their work…even when they are running on empty. One of the most important things that you can do as a manager is to encourage your staff to take care of themselves…to keep their cups full so that they can pour from them. How do you do this? So glad you asked! Stay tuned as we interview our friends at Viewpoint Health about encouraging SELF-CARE!

It is safe to say that 2020 will not go down in history as the Best Year EVER!!  We have all experienced some level of loss through the pandemic as we re-learn everyday rituals in the land of COVID. Even through this trying time we cannot help but count our blessings. We have a thriving company, healthy families, and our bond as business partners is stronger than ever. We took a pause this month to work with our marketing team on new content and wanted to share some “behind the scenes” footage. Here were a few takeaways from our shoot:

 We can’t be confined to a box…or in this case a frame!

We have never fit into a “box”. From the onset of our careers we have both pushed the boundaries in our professional positions. Driven by our passion to provide safe patient care, neither of us were satisfied with being status quo. This allowed us to grow as followers, team members, and eventually leaders. As consultants, we pride ourselves on carrying this passion into each engagement. We connect with each of our clients as we work together to reach the desired future state with “outside the box” thinking.

We are fun!

Nursing is a serious profession, one in which we are charged with caring for people during major life events. Although our work demands stoic emotion at times, that doesn’t mean there isn’t enough time to have fun! We have worked together for over 15 years now and we both possess a lighthearted spirit that keeps us grounded and energized. We carry this spirit into our client’s healthcare organization and believe whole heartedly that staff resiliency starts with a positive attitude.

We take care of others….and each other.

Everyone knows that nurses care for others. That is our trademark. What some of you don’t know is that nurses are not always good at practicing self-care. This picture captured a great moment… Bonnie is taking time to adjust my hair and ensure that I look my best. With a small company like ours, it is important to take care of each other and hold each other accountable to self-care. COR doesn’t just sign a contract and meet deliverables…we work to honor each organization’s values and enhance their culture.

This year may be marked by a pandemic, but in these behind the scenes snapshots our company values and our personalities shined through in three pictures. Let’s continue this year with happy memories, successful engagements, and of course renewed clinical operations.

Coffee with COR-Featured Hot Shot -:Mark Reiswig

Hurricane Irma intensified into a Category 5 storm on September 4th, 2017. One of the largest hurricanes on record, it found its way through the Atlantic Ocean leaving a path of destruction in 14 different geographic regions and taking over 100 lives. Evacuations out of Florida were unprecedented and Georgia itself declared a state of emergency in preparation for our own coastal evacuations (including multiple healthcare facilities) as well as the response phase. None of this should come as a surprise since the news covers hurricane devastation very thoroughly….but what happens after a hurricane? How do government agencies learn from their successes and challenges, and look to improve their preparedness and response efforts after disasters?

There were so many lessons learned from Irma. Over the past 22 months COR has been in collaboration with the Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments, (GNR) and Georgia’s state Department of Public Health (DPH), working through mass sheltering clinical operation processes.

Our hot shot of the month is Mark Reiswig. Mr. Reiswig graduated from Baylor University Hankamer School of Business and has served in many advisory roles for all forms of disaster response. He began work with the GNR County Health Departments over 12 years ago. In his current role, as the Director of Emergency Preparedness, he is responsible for directing all emergency preparedness efforts including budgeting, staffing, training, exercising, and responding for the three-county public health district that serves over 1.2 million people in metro Atlanta. Additionally GNR is often provides mass shelter support for evacuees of coastal areas of Georgia, either locally or by sending support teams to other regions to support shelter efforts there.

COR: We believe you have an overwhelming task in front of you, ensuring that the GNR district staff feel both competent and empowered to serve in a disaster. What has been your approach to this?

Mr. Reiswig:

My every day job (as well as that of my 6-member team) is to anticipate potential disasters and to prepare for them. However, although also expected to respond during emergencies, this is not the day-to-day job of the other 300 GNR employees. It is my team’s task to analyze our hazard vulnerabilities, develop plans to address them, train all staff in plan implementation, and conduct exercises that test the viability of those plans. After every exercise or real-world event, it is then critical to conduct something called an After Action Review. This simply analyzes the strengths and challenges of the exercise or event, identifies planning or resource gaps, and develops an Improvement Plan to address areas of weakness. This is all part of the planning cycle. I guess my approach to all this boils down to three key things:

1. Make sure my own Emergency Preparedness team is strong and knows that they are empowered to make suggestions and decisions without me having to vet everything. A big task requires a great team; one individual will accomplish far less. Furthermore, Public Health response is never in a vacuum, and we are part of a larger community-wide team, and it important that we know key players in our first responding agencies, healthcare organizations, etc.
2. Train people in the organization in the roles that they are likely to play in a disaster response, and then conduct regular drills so they can develop these skills. Brain capacity drops significantly in a high-stress situation, so it is critical that people have some degree of “muscle memory” and a general comfort level in terms of what is expected of them to reduce that stress level.
3. No response will ever be perfect. Learn something from every single event or exercise, and seek ways to improve your response the next time, whether it means revising your plans, improving your training program, obtaining new resources, etc.

COR: Many people may not understand how the Department of Public Health and volunteer agencies work together to ensure that medical needs are met in an emergency or disaster. Can you explain how multiple entities collaborate?

Mr. Reiswig:

Volunteers are a critical component of what we do. As I said before, our health department has about 300 total employees, and only about 10% of these are nurses. Depending on the type of disaster, we may be required to dispense life-saving medication to as many as 1.2 million people in less than 48 hours. Not possible with just our staff. We need collaboration with trained volunteers as well as our many partner agencies if we are to have any chance of succeeding. Another example is sheltering. While Public Health is the agency charged with coordinating the health and medical needs in an evacuation shelter, that does not mean that it can fill all the roles. The chart above shows some of the partner agencies we would need just to help us with only the medical needs in an evacuation shelter. This does not even count people such as Red Cross shelter managers, DFCS personnel filling other positions, security personnel, inspectors, etc. that fill the non-health needs in a shelter.

COR: We have enjoyed our professional collaboration with both GNR and the state Department of Public Health. Why did you feel that it was important to aggressively revamp and enhance the mass sheltering protocols and processes?

Mr. Reiswig:

Just after Hurricane Matthew hit Georgia in 2016, we sent a team of five Public Health nurses to assist in a Red Cross shelter in Savannah. To be blunt, it did not go well at all. Our nurses felt overwhelmed at extensive medical and behavioral health needs they witnessed, many of which went well beyond the scope of practice for a PH nurse. They had no logistical support whatsoever and thus spent most of their time performing tasks that could have been performed by non-medical staff. Most importantly, they did not feel safe, because security was not as strong as they would have liked. We knew we needed a new model. Therefore, we developed the concept of a Shelter Support Task Force (SSTF) to send out as a unit to a shelter (local or deployed elsewhere in the state). This SSTF consisted of nurses, epidemiologists, and logistical support staff, which would primarily be drawn from either our environmental health staff or volunteers. We were still in development of this concept, when we had the opportunity to test it out in the fall of 2017 as Irma bore down on Georgia. We were able to quickly put together a team that consisted of four PH nurses (including strong leadership skills and decision making ability), two volunteer MRC nurses with significant acute care experience, two environmental/logistical support team members (including one male, which our nurses from the prior year told us was essential), and one epidemiologist. Most of these team members did not know each other, and our training was very limited at that time. Also, unbeknownst to me, our two MRC nurses were also the principals of COR Consultants, who happened to be extremely skilled in studying processes and operations, and identifying ways to improve them. Success = Preparation + Opportunity + Luck. We sent this team to a 650-person shelter in Columbus, GA, and they made a huge impact. Despite the relative lack of training, shelter medical operations improved greatly, lives were positively impacted and I am sure in a few cases saved because of this team. Furthermore, we learned much more, and began the process to improve again. Through the feedback of this team, we worked with COR Consultants to develop new rounding processes to improve health outcomes, developed forms that improved the ability to track residents’ health needs, identified key shelter supplies to bring in a kit, and developed training curricula for PH staff and volunteers. We also put together community-wide exercise programs to demonstrate to all our partners the critical nature of collaboration among all partners. I honestly feel that we are light years ahead of where we were three years ago. I am extremely grateful to Bonnie and Nicole at COR Consultants not only for volunteering their time to help make our shelter a success, but in utilizing their skills along with information learned from the experience of actually working in a shelter to improve our process even further.

COR: We are members of the Medical Reserve Corps, a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network has worked closely with public health departments, emergency managers, and homeland security to ensure the safety of the public. Since you have expressed that many disciplines are needed to help meet the medical needs of a community in a disaster can you explain to healthcare professionals the steps they should take to volunteer for the current hurricane season?

Mr. Reiswig:

There are over 900 local MRC units nationwide. They all need more medical and non-medical volunteers. Google it, find one in your area, and find out the process to join. Disasters are different in the various regions of the country, but they exist everywhere, and you can be part of making a great impact on peoples’ lives in a difficult time. Few things are more rewarding.

The COR Perspective: Preparation is key in readying yourself for a disaster. Although the GNR district is only one of 18, it has proven itself as one of the leading districts in the state. Mark has gone above and beyond to ensure that his district is up for the task of mass sheltering. Bringing his previous hurricane sheltering experience to the table, he has demonstrated great leadership skills by exploring both previous successes and failures.

As with all of our clients, we have been focused on two main elements during this engagement: (1) End-User Experience (is it both the best that it can be and feasible), and (2) Patient Experience (are we helping to provide safe and effective care for the community).

Mr. Reiswig has demonstrated that his priority is to ensure that DPH staff, volunteers, and community health partners are ready to serve if disaster hits Georgia or the surrounding coastlines.

Corazon Para Servir: Identify Mission Experience

To serve you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. -Martin Luther King

Standing in the foyer packing twelve suitcases full of medical supplies...our Identify team’s excitement filled the air. Once a mission team is formed, there is a lot of work to be done prior to departure, to get ready for the in-field mission. Donations are collected and lessons are put together that the team will use to educate the communities of Guatemala.

I myself had not been on a Mission Trip but felt as though I was in good hands with the
founder and my business partner having eight trips under their belt. Our members were also comprised of pre-med, pre-nursing, and early childhood education college students. Additionally, Bonnie and I brought our daughters along to be part of the team.

During our time in Guatemala we traveled around the country and set up clinics in both city and rural communities. Identify has several host partners who live in these communities and they utilize them to help customize each clinic to match the needs of those communities. Host partner relationships also help to solidify opportunities and additional resources needed along the way. Each day brought us early mornings, new challenges, immense heat, and late nights; but we worked together as a team and carried on. A week that brought some of our longest work days...turned out to fly by all too quickly.

As we sat on the living room floor of our Guatemalan home, prior to leaving for the airport, Kristi read us a story and asked us to share our favorite part of the trip. Each member quickly reflected and shared something that had personally touched them. The young women on our team provided answers that were filled with emotion and insight. Bonnie and I were astonished by the depth of their answers and at how open to the experience they had truly been. Prior to the trip each teammate had expressed an interest in learning more about healthcare and education as their highest priorities. Surprisingly, the answers that were revealed on that last day had almost nothing to do with medicine at all, but rather they had common threads surrounding service to humanity. My daughter, Ava, stated that her favorite moments on the mission were the home visits, because it allowed her to see both joy and sadness at the same time.

Identify believes in educating, healing, and providing mercy to those they serve. Additionally, the organization prides itself in providing “more than a mission trip”, but rather a “mission experience”. Bonnie and I not only agree with that concept whole-heartedly, we also believe that each one of these young women walked away with a stronger foundation in making their career decisions. As for myself, a newbie in providing international healthcare, my experience was just as rich as any other team member. Last week was a simple reminder that having a heart for service should remain at our core, especially as a healthcare provider.

What the young women on our team, aspiring healthcare professionals, had to say:

• I want to really put myself to the outside world than just school and my family.
• It’s an eye-opening trip that shows purpose in my life.
• The week spent serving the people of Guatemala was one of the most eye opening and life changing experiences I have ever had.
• I went into this experience thinking I was just going to gain medical experience, but I actually gained new friends, a new perspective on life, and a deeper
understanding of the true purpose of medicine.
• I want to go into the medical field when I’m older and the experiences I get from these trips inspire me more and more to do so.
• It was a life and mind changing experience which made it extremely special and makes me want to continue doing it.
• It’s pretty cool to be able to serve others through ministry and medicine!

Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love. -Mother Teresa

We had the pleasure of working with Gwinnett County Public Schools for almost a year and are humbled to receive the following:

COR consultants were instrumental in providing a baseline analysis of our current healthcare programs. They were professional throughout the entire process. Their findings helped to create short- and long-term goals that will enable growth and improvement across all programs. Their experiences in clinical settings helped to ensure that students in health science programs in Gwinnett County Public Schools have access to high skilled, high need and high wage careers in healthcare.

COR believes that collaboration with our healthcare and academic partners is the only way to ensure a strong healthcare pipeline for our future. We have been blessed to work on this project!

Coffee with COR-Featured Hot Shot

‘Why Solid Processes Matter in the Management of Health Technology’ an Interview with Adele Lolus, Commercial Operations & Finance Manager

Although Adele Lolus is the Commercial Operations & Finance Manager, that title simply does not do her role justice. Ms. Lolus graduated from the University of Florida with an Industrial and Systems Engineering Degree and went on to become a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Her career has been rooted in process improvement, change management, and data analytics.

COR has had the pleasure of working alongside this young professional for a few years now and the energy she has for her work is contagious. She is passionate about bringing her process knowledge to the Health Technology field to help facilitate both the patient and clinical experiences. Even as she was entering a bustling week in Jupiter Florida for the Excel-Medical National Sales Meeting, Adele graciously accepted our request for an interview.

COR: We believe you have an interesting background, one that has the potential to guide decisions to adjunct the care team. What competency from your education and training do you believe you bring to the table that will benefit the healthcare environment?

Ms. Lolus: Having worked in hospitals, I know how challenging it can be to figure out your priorities- whether you’re a Clinician, an IT Analyst, a Clinical Educator or a Chief Nursing Officer. Excel Medical has been making and supporting great software and hardware for years. Using my project management, change management, and process improvement background, I want to optimize:

• Workflows, access and use for the Clinicians
• Technical implementation for the IT Analyst
• Clinical deployment for the Clinical Educator
• Building the business case for the Chief Nursing Officer

This will allow us all to prioritize getting vital data in the hands of our clinicians to help save patient lives.

COR: The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has a mission to advance safety in the health technology field. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that the Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) profession is expected to grow by 61.7% over the next 10 years. In your opinion, how does the vendor help fill the gap in ensuring that health technology implementations are adopted and continuing to patient safety efforts?

Ms. Lolus: First off, vendors need to develop solutions that are easy to utilize for end users and have the fewest points of technical failure. If clinicians cannot depend on it and hospital technical resources cannot support it, customers will not use it. Secondly, vendors need to treat their relationships with customers less as a transaction and more as a partnership; developing and maintaining relationships with both technical and clinical users. As a part of this relationship, vendors need to:
• Define what success looks like from the customers point of view
• Be clear with their expectations of resources (roles, time, technical infrastructure) from the front end of a project
• Offer clinical training on an ongoing basis to handle clinician turnover
• Give their customers a way to track utilization, if the clinicians aren’t using it- why not?

COR: It is so clear that you are passionate about your work at Excel Medical. Elaborate on why you believe in the solutions your company has to offer the medical community?

Ms. Lolus: Excel Medical’s ability to build real solutions to the problems that every hospital and health system have, and do so quickly, has been incredible to be a part of. I am a member of an amazing team, each one of us with a different background and experiences that contribute in different ways to build, deploy, and support our solutions. I have seen our solutions making a difference in the lives of physicians, nurses, techs and patients with my own two eyes. I wake up every morning believing that the work I do changes the lives of both clinicians and patients, and I will do everything to make sure that belief continues to be a reality.

The COR Perspective:

Adele is a very spirited and humble leader, one that possesses many innate skills and competencies. But the one that stands out among the rest is her ability to jump in and do anything necessary to advance the team.

“Good leadership is always human. It takes time and energy. It is hard work. Which is why good leadership is so special when we find it.”-Simon Sinek

Nurse’s Week has a bit of a different feel for us this year. Having spent our entire careers in a large hospital setting, you become quite used to banners, and cookies, and free BBQ in the parking lot to celebrate NURSES! In a company of two-the fanfare is not quite as great...although, it has allowed us to reflect on the amazing opportunities we have had to work with nurses from every discipline. Here is who we have had the privilege to work with:

The High School Student: Setting themselves apart from their peers, they are taking advantage of opportunities that most of us only dreamed about as teenagers. Understanding the hard work that is required to be a nurse allows them a chance to focus early in their academic careers.

The Nursing Student: Proudly sporting the word NURSE on a T-shirt, a hat, a bumper sticker, and even shoe laces...but whose passion for the profession is contagious!

The New Graduate: Signing their name with a trailing “RN” when signing a check or a restaurant tab. The one who is terrified and the most impressionable and who needs to be reminded that seasoned nurses have bad days too!

The Academic Faculty: Those who are growing the future of nursing by delivering relevant, challenging, and holistic education to students. These are the nurses responsible for ALL other nurses reaching their full potential in this profession.

The Clinical Educator: These nurses are often overlooked; they work tirelessly to make sure that the clinical staff are competent to serve their patient population. This requires them to strike a perfect balance between the mission statement of the organization and keeping management happy.

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (NP, CNS, CNM, CRNA): Although we love our doctors, it is very refreshing to be cared for by an Advanced Practice Provider that was trained in holistic care. APRNs are empathetic to the bedside nurse and really understand the continuum of healthcare from diagnosis to management.

The Informatics Nurse: This role is not one that is a commonly known to the general public. Times have changed and we need nurses that help spearhead and manage healthcare technology through a system. When they get involved… all of nursing is benefits!

The Nurse Manager: Productive vs. Non-Productive hours and balancing a budget…doesn’t sound very warm and fuzzy…but it is imperative that nursing understands how to balance a budget and run their business effectively so they can not only support their staff but ensure fiscal viability.

Nurses in the C-Suite: The other side of nursing. We have all worked with the nurses in leadership that we loved…and who had a pulse on the true needs of both the organization and the bedside nurses….a true advocate for our profession!

The Volunteer Nurse: Those who donate time and resources to make a healthier and more empowered community. This may be serving as a camp nurse over the summer, an MRC volunteer in a disaster, teaching community CPR classes, or serving as a missionary. We believe that it is our responsibility to serve the community with the gifts we have been given.

Finally, The Nurse Consultant. We won’t say that the Nurse Consultant role is the best in nursing….that would be bias. We have served in so many roles that have allowed us to understand a little about a lot. This translates into a wealth of competencies and drives the empathy behind our practice. Nurse Consultants have the privilege to support our amazing peers and advocate for the profession as a whole within other healthcare organizations.

Nurses may have different levels of education, serve different patient populations, and hold different initials behind their name…. but at the end of the day we all share a common goal….to provide safe and quality patient care and continue to advocate for our profession as it grows around us. Happy Nurses Week to each of these roles and thank you for your daily contribution to our great profession.

 

“I am of certain convinced that the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel.”

― Florence Nightingale

Bonnie Matthews & Nicole Denham with COR Consultants and Kim White with AMC Theatres

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