Employees are key to making sure that every experience for patients and families –and coworkers – is exceptional. And these efforts are not going unnoticed. Our patient satisfaction rates are at an all-time high! Penn Medicine Experience Week, which ran from October 15-19, celebrated these efforts and thanked employees, letting them know how truly valued they are.
The celebration kicked off early Monday morning, with senior leadership handing out small gifts at all of the hospital entrances. The no-carve pumpkin competition brought out the artistic talent of employees, with 38 entries this year. "Just Keep Swimming" from the ICN won! Closing the week’s celebration was a special “harvest festival,” featuring ice cream and warm cider, a photo booth, and games.
Evening shifts had celebrations as well, with Zumba classes Wednesday night and an ice cream social at the Nursing Renewal Center on Thursday evening. “We wanted to make sure we celebrated all shifts,” said Tonita Chapman, senior clinical operations consultant. “We are a 24/7 operation and we appreciate all of our staffs’ efforts.” Employees also received a Penn Medicine lunch tote as a thank-you for their efforts that make such a big difference to patients and families.
An important part of the celebration was raising awareness of the “BE” standards, ie, pledges to “Be Compassionate, Be Present, Be Empowered, Be Collaborative, and Be Accountable,” which were introduced last year. “When people come here we want them to know they’re going to be treated compassionately, staff are going to be present,” Chapman said.
“We want the BE Standards to outlive the campaign, to become part of our culture,” Chapman said. “We want these standards to be as recognizable as our shield.”
Units and departments shared patient stories illustrating the many ways employees use the “BE Standards” to put patients and families first, for example, the collaborative efforts when a patient suffered a cardiac arrest in the Urology waiting room in the Perelman Center. From the receptionist’s immediate call to Rapid Response the moment she heard a call for help, to the employee who stayed with the patient’s wife during the nonstop efforts to bring her husband back to life, and the ongoing compassionate care he received on every unit during his two-week stay at HUP – every action, every moment made a difference. In a thank-you note to CEO Ralph Muller, the patient’s wife wrote, “Thanks to the quick response, decisive medical interventions, care and concern, I witnessed a miracle and my husband continues to enjoy life, friends, and family.” (Click here to hear the whole story).