Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Simply Extraordinary


Janis Donnelly, BSN, MS, MBA
Senior Nursing Director Quality, Safety and Education
It’s an extraordinary nurse who volunteers to step away from the bedside for three months to thoroughly learn a new electronic medical records (EMR) system, then turn around and train other nursing colleagues.

I am proud to say that we have 18 such extraordinary nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

These patient caregivers love caring for patients, and they are great at it. Yet, they immediately understood the critical role nurses have in launching this upgraded system, aimed at enhancing efficiency, safety and the timeliness of care. They became so proficient with the ins and outs of the system that they recommended more efficient and practical ways of doing things.

They saw a need, and stepped up to meet that need.

We could not have launched this system without this team of nurses. And when they return to their units next week, they will continue their “trainer” role for several more weeks before they once again devote themselves to direct patient care.

One of our nurses, Maureen Long, works in the medical intensive care unit. She said, “We’ve been very involved.  We formulated and wrote the lectures. We developed workflow systems.” Another nurse, Megan Philbrick, who normally works on the surgical intensive care unit, said, “I’ve gotten to meet so many people from so many parts of the Hospital Center, and that’s been fun.  It’s been a nice change of pace. But after this is over I’m excited to go back to caring for patients.”

We can’t wait to have you back on the units, Megan and Maureen. All of us at the Hospital Center, and me, especially, thank you for your amazing efforts. I have learned so much from you and this terrific team of nurses who are putting their hearts and souls into making sure this important new system is the best it can be for our patients.

Janis Donnelly, BSN, MS, MBA
Senior Nursing Director Quality, Safety and Education

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