|
|
Network: April/May 2008
Sentara eCare® Teamwork: Sentara Nurses Help Colleagues Prepare for Launch
Newport News resident Lori Vasquez, RNC, enjoys her easy, 10-minute commute to Sentara CarePlex Hospital where she has worked as a member of the Nursing Resource Pool since 1993. But she enjoys a good challenge even more.
That’s why Vasquez was one of more than 50 RNs system wide who volunteered to work shifts this past fall at Sentara Leigh Hospital to allow nurses there to attend training sessions in Sentara eCare Health Network®, Sentara’s new Electronic Medical Records system.
 |
| Melissa Rodriguez | “The opportunity to work at a different facility and assess and strengthen my nursing skills was appealing to me,” said Vasquez, who worked approximately 10 shifts in Sentara Leigh’s Mother Baby Unit between mid-October and mid-December 2007. “It gave me a new perspective and it was nice to meet new people.”
Vasquez didn’t mind the 30-minute commute temporarily, but decided to adjust her hours to 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. to avoid getting stuck in Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel traffic. She signed up for the program looking for a challenge and definitely got one. In addition to a monetary incentive, the experience was personally rewarding.
 |
| (L-R) Minnie Mendoza and Melissa Rodriguez | “It was challenging to be in a new environment. You didn’t know who the doctors were, the RNs, the care partners, who was responsible for stocking…it wasn’t something you just did automatically, so it was challenging. I was looking to learn more skills and I found I could hold my own. I had never done hearing screens for infants before, so I learned to do that while I was there which was good.”
According to Brett Willsie, Human Resources Manager at Sentara Leigh Hospital, this new program was the result of months of preparation and significant teamwork system-wide.
“The RN Backfill Project was successful due to the hard work of all members of the team working together for a common goal,” said Willsie. “The RN Backfill initiative was a true coordinated effort led by Human Resources with input from our partners in Finance, Reinventing, Sentara eCare® and Operations. Countless hours were spent researching our needs and bench marking with other organizations to allow us to continue to provide excellent and safe care to our patients while we sent our staff to receive Sentara eCare® training.”
 |
| Minnie Mendoza | Willsie said the team knew they needed to draw on resources from both outside (Internal Travelers) and inside the organization, utilizing RNs across the system to backfill Sentara Leigh staff attending training.
“Recruitment efforts began in mid-August and due to the hard work of Erin Creath, team leader, Recruitment; Cheryl Levinson, RN, manager of Patient Care Services; and the Leigh Management Team, we were able to meet the needs identified in less than six weeks with more than 50 RN volunteers from other Sentara facilities,“ said Willsie.
Melissa Rodriguez, RNC, staff nurse in the Labor and Delivery Unit at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, also volunteered to work backfill shifts at Sentara Leigh and appreciated the opportunity to earn supplemental pay before the holidays.
“It was definitely interesting to witness the ways of another Labor and Delivery Unit within Sentara,” said Rodriguez. “I enjoyed seeing other perspectives, but the experience gave me renewed appreciation for my home base unit.”
According to Minnie Mendoza, RN, Sentara Leigh Labor and Delivery Unit, carving out the time for nurses like her to attend Sentara eCare® training would have been a real hardship without the RN Backfill Project.
“Given our high volume of deliveries, it was difficult for us to attend training in addition to staffing our regular shifts. The backfill nurses were able to staff each shift based on our needs. They were a tremendous help to us. One nurse came all the way from the Peninsula, so I give her credit for going through the tunnel,” said Mendoza. "Hopefully when they go live we’ll be able to help them out and return the favor.”
 Read more of the eCare feature stories on Network.
Do you have a story idea for Network? Contact the Editor and share your idea.
|
|