October’s Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) Week celebrations at Pennsylvania Hospital offered staff members across PAH and the entire health system the chance to highlight the accomplishments of their colleagues, recognize team successes and identify new areas of opportunity, and re-energize their efforts to “BE” compassionate, present, empowered, collaborative, and accountable across the continuum of care and in the local community.
For Eileen Murphy, MSL, director of Patient & Guest Relations and Volunteer Services, and Mao Pezzella, MBA, RRT, director of Respiratory Therapy, Sleep Center, and Neurophysiology Services, “Penn Medicine Experience Week highlights the importance of service excellence and recognizes the entire team for the important work everyone does all year to enhance the patient experience.” As a thank you for each staff member’s commitment to making the PAH experience the best it can be for patients, families, and colleagues, Murphy, Pezzella, and the PMX Week Committee created a jam-packed schedule of events and activities designed to help staff take a breather and celebrate.
PAH leadership kicked off the festivities by greeting staff with breakfast bars bright and early on Monday morning, and staff were invited to visit Café 1751 for a caffeine boost. Throughout the week, PAH’s unique combination of T.I.P.S. and the BE Standards was explored in viewings of a collaborative video that showed how departments throughout the hospital reflect these standards all year round.
There were also giveaways for both patients and staff, stress relief activities like massage therapy and pet therapy with the Paws for Pennsy dogs, and Grand Rounds focused on the role mindfulness plays in stress management.
At the annual Patient Advocacy Awards, the PMX Week Committee also recognized a group of 11 exceptional patient and family advocates nominated by their peers for their compassion and consistently positive impact on the patient experience. To close out the week, staff were invited to the Elm Garden for some fall fun — an Oktoberfest celebration with food, games, and performances by the Hall-Mercer Voices of Hope Choir.
Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Penn Medicine Experience Week a great success, and keep showing our community that we put patients first at the nation’s first!