Pennsylvania Hospital’s nursing staff often juggle the roles of caregiver, advocate, coach, cheerleader, and mentor for their patients and peers alike, but Nurses Week offered a chance to take off a few of their many hats and celebrate with their colleagues.
This year’s activities included a “Blessing of the Caregiver Hands” offered by chaplain Madeline Dawson, a keynote speech focused on social influence and health care outcomes delivered by Jonah Berger, PhD, an associate professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, and a Spring Fling party complete with pretzels and puppies. Joanne Ruggiero, MSN, RN, MA, NE-BC, CMSRN, interim chief nursing officer, was bursting with pride, noting, “This year’s National Nurses Week theme is ‘4 Million Reasons to Celebrate,’ and over 1,000 of those reasons work alongside me. I can’t think of any other arena I’d want to be in besides Pennsylvania Hospital.”
Nurses Week ended with an outdoor Spring Fling celebration.
The week also featured the 19th Annual UPHS Nursing Clinical Excellence Awards, which celebrates the accomplishments of professional nurses across the health system. This year, five exceptional PAH nurses received special awards recognizing the vital part that they play in getting patients back on the road to health, driving innovative process improvements, and serving the community.
Nursing professional practice consultant Katie Farrell, MSN, RN, received the Victoria L. Rich Award for Transformational Leadership in recognition of the positive changes she has led throughout the hospital. Farrell’s colleagues note that she always “ensures that all stakeholders are considered and there is an organized plan for communication at every level,” whatever the project. Her creative problem solving and ability to make tough decisions when facing complex challenges have paved the way for PAH’s Magnet designation, a reinvigorated model for Nursing Shared Governance, and the creation of a Certified Falls Prevention Advocate program — among many other successes.
This year’s Helen McClelland Award for Research and Innovation was awarded to Bridget Foy-Graven, MSN, RNC-MNN, a nurse on the Mother Baby Unit. When Foy-Graven’s peers approached their nurse manager and educator about introducing more hands-on clinical emergency education opportunities, she enthusiastically volunteered to research simulations. She found evidence supporting in-situ simulation and, with the backing of her manager and nurse educator, partnered with the Penn Medicine Simulation Center to develop and implement a year-long simulation program to benefit her unit. She has also presented her work on “embracing confidence at the bedside” at conferences at CHOP and Villanova.
LaShaya Davis, BSN, RN-BC, a nurse in the Cardiac Cath Lab, earned the Lillian Brunner Award for Exemplary Practice. Davis played a vital part in implementing the Engage Project that sends automated calls to discharged patients, and she led processes to reduce bleeding events that earned her team the Josie King Award. Davis is not only a mentor who models patient-centered care, but she is also the “go-to for front-line staff” who is always willing educate them on Joint Commission standards and process improvements — all of which help her peers feel heard and supported.
Labor and Delivery nurse Jessica Strauss, BSN, RNC-OB, was awarded the Rosalyn J. Watts Award for Community/Patient/Family Relationships. Among her numerous accomplishments, Strauss acquired a MARTTI translator for her unit to bridge language barriers with patients and families, developed a “Birth Spanish!” educational packet for her peers, and organized a Bingo Night to support gay individuals who are living with HIV and struggling with homelessness. Whether encouraging participation in clothing drives or sharing information at health fairs, Strauss is an “advocate for diversity and inclusion” who is dedicated to providing culturally competent care and establishing strong community ties.
Finally, the Dianne Lanham Award for Leadership was given to 4 Cathcart nurse Lisa Scott, BSN, RN, CMSRN, WTA. By tracking medication errors and near misses, Scott keeps staff informed of opportunities for change and education. Her work with ENT patients has “resulted in financial savings by keeping patients out of critical care units,” and her leadership has ensured that PAH has experienced no hospital-acquired pressure ulcers for eight consecutive quarters. Scott’s leadership has had an enormous impact not only her patients’ outcomes, but also on her colleagues’ satisfaction and productivity and the unit’s fiscal responsibility.