The Perioperative Department at St. Mary's Hospital (SMH), Leonardtown, Md., celebrates Perioperative Nurse Week annually through a variety of educational activities and team-building events.
An open house held for SMH employees promotes interactive and productive discussions between poster authors and staff interested in the perioperative specialty. Staff members also visit local elementary schools and let the children try on surgical caps, masks, gowns, and handle basic surgical instruments.
We have a catered meal each day of the week followed by a gift card for each staff member, all donated by the surgeons and anesthesiologists. We also have a grand prize daily drawing before each workday begins. Finally, we highlight the many achievements of our perioperative staff throughout the year, from certifications to climbing the clinical ladder. We're very proud that 33% of our perioperative team is certified in their specialty area.
If a community-based system told you 95% of its OR nurses were certified, would you be surprised? Ann King was. The new director of surgical services for Princeton HealthCare System, Princeton, N.J., was very impressed with the figure-so much so, that she decided to celebrate it in a tactile, visible manner.
Ann's plan? A "Perpetual Plaque" recognizing the nurses who've added to the skill level in the OR and inspired the nurses who are working toward certification.
Set to be unveiled at the luncheon, the Perpetual Plaque will list nurses' names and the dates they earned their certifications. Steve Hardwick, RN, takes great pride in his certification. "I felt like I went the extra mile. To be recognized like this is such an honor. It's a great feeling to know management recognizes us[horizontal ellipsis]that they care."
Kelly Mayo of Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadel-phia, Pa., brought her grandmother, Vera Carney, who used to be a perioperative nurse in the late 1940s, to give an in-service to the OR staff. Ms. Carney, a 79-year-old bundle of energy, talked to the staff about the OR of the 1940s.
Ms. Carney worked in an OR in Northern New Jersey from 1948 to 1949. At that time, suture material was kept in test tubes and baked in an oven to sterilize, clamps/hemostats were just coming into use, and the surgeons mostly sutured each tiny blood vessel as the procedure progressed.
After Ms. Carney gave the in-service, the Fox Chase staff gave her a tour of the "new" OR to show her the advances that have been made.
Since the very first annual appreciation event at UCLA Health System, Los Angeles, Calif., we've been changing the way we say "thank you" to our employees. First, we did it with a free lunch, followed by a slideshow about life in the OR. We also hosted many themed events, and have even recreated "Gilligan's Island" and built our own set of "The Price Is Right."
As time goes on, we'll continue to find new and creative ways to celebrate Perioperative Nurse Week with our employees to show our appreciation.
At Flower Hospital, Sylvania, Ohio, we'll celebrate the 2007 Perioperative Nurse Week by:
* recognizing nursing peers and support services with a special treat to thank them for all their work in delivering care to our customers.
* celebrating our week with a potluck recognizing all our partners.
* inviting high school and nursing students to experience a day in the life of a perioperative nurse throughout the week, and sharing our skills and exuberance for perioperative nursing with our future nurses.
The James A. Haley VA Hospital, Tampa, Fla., will celebrate Perioperative Nurse Week by highlighting Patient Safety First. This year, the staff began using orange wrist bands with a "No Exclusion Policy" for surgical site marking, and currently report a 100% compliance rate. "Time-Out" invitations to attend the Orange Day Celebration that commemorates our year-long successes will also be sent out.
The nurses will wear orange arm bands and headgear, as well as use orange time-out pens. An orange juice smoothie breakfast and special luncheon promoting cardiac health will start the day, and the celebrations will continue throughout the week with contests, awards, and a very special recognition for staff members who have entertained their colleagues at past events.
Perioperative services at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center, Alamosa, Colo., are busy and fast-paced, but in a friendly and caring atmosphere.
Utilizing a team approach to nursing, we strive to maintain exceptional quality of care. Cross-training within the department insures flexibility in staffing while maintaining defined levels of competency.
The educational backgrounds and experience of our perioperative services team provide a safe and caring environment for our patients from the time they're admitted into the outpatient surgery department until the moment they're discharged. We focus our care on patients and families, and all of our endeavors are geared toward providing an environment that results in a favorable outcome and a positive experience.
Our perioperative team at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N.Y., will kick off Perioperative Nurse Week with a large game of OR Trivial Pursuit. Posters will explain the state of the art equipment used in our hospital, and pictures of equipment and staff will help the community learn more about our expertise.
The communities surrounding Lenox Hill Hospital will be invited to a lecture on the history of the perioperative nurse and take a look at our simulated ORs. Children from local schools will have an opportunity to use laparoscopic equipment, and our nursing staff will instruct them on the proper handling and passing of instruments to the surgeon.
World-class, personalized patient care will be the theme of Perioperative Nurse Week celebrations at Ohio State University (OSU) Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. Throughout the week, the perioperative nursing department will recognize the nursing staff's daily efforts to provide personalized care to patients before, during, and after surgery.
"During this wonderful week, each member of our department will be thanked during a departmental luncheon and reception for their unique contributions toward our team goal of continually providing personalized nursing care to each of our patients," said Diane Nagel, BSN, RN, nurse manager of OSU Medical Center's Ambulatory Surgery Unit.
Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage, Calif., strives for excellence in healthcare. With safety as the hospital's first and foremost commitment, perioperative nurses at Eisenhower work closely with some of the finest medical practitioners in the country, providing a secure environment that allows for the best possible care in treating patients.
Employees who demonstrate an outstanding effort to these commitments are recognized by patients and peers through a reward and recognition program that acknowledges their good work. In 2006, Rancho Mirage Mayor Richard W. Kite presented a proclamation declaring Perioperative Nurse Week, and recognized the surgical department at Eisenhower Medical Center for its excellence.
At Frederick Memorial Healthcare System, Frederick, Md., nurses benefit from a philosophy of total support that allows them to express themselves fully as team members and as individuals. Nurses' ideas, insights, and feedback are actively encouraged, and management is always ready to positively respond to their needs. Here, perioperative nurses find all the backing their skills and dedication deserve. They also find 12 state-of-the-art OR suites, ideal staff/patient ratios, beautifully renovated private patient rooms, and decentralized nurse stations that foster a genuinely collegial environment. The focus of Perioperative Nurse Week is to thank our nurses for the important role they play in taking care of our patients.
At the Uni-versity of Michigan Health System (UMHS), Ann Arbor, Mich., nurse recognition activities have included bus trips to Chicago that offered four continuing education (CE) opportunities and a trip to Comerica Park for a Tiger's baseball game. Transpor-tation and CEs were free, as were the baseball game tickets.
This year's Perioperative Nurse Week celebration will be our first at the new Cardiovascular Center. This center's concept, "a passion for excellence," wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of our perioperative staff.
At Nash Health Care Systems, Rocky Mount, N.C., we celebrate Perioperative Nurse Week throughout the year. We believe perioperative nursing isn't only about compassionate care, but about giving back to our community.
Perioperative nurses and the entire surgical team will be recognized during Perioperative Nurse Week with a luncheon, during which we plan to demonstrate surgical equipment in our lobby.
Section Description
Along with our sponsors below, we hope you enjoy the following featured facilities around the country who are celebrating this special week. Thank you for your hard work and dedicated contribution to the perioperative nursing profession. To show our appreciation, OR Nurse 2007 is offering the CE articles featured in this issue FREE OF CHARGE on our Web site during the month of November. Visit http://www.nursingcenter.com/ORNurseWeek for details.