04/15/2021
PNC met via Tenet’s “Teams” account Tuesday April 13. Teams is a video teleconferencing app, similar to Zoom. The meeting lasted about an hour. Here’s what was covered –
Amy Hamilton, Interim CNO, spoke to the current increase in DMC’s Covid cases –
• DMC has ~180 current cases vs 6-700 this time last year
• Request sent to Tenet in Texas for additional staffing at Huron Valley via AMN Staffing Services
• Patient visitation ceased at Huron Valley, with some exceptions, until further notice
• All staff must continue PPE vigilance
• Quarantine after exposure: If you’ve been vaccinated and exposed to someone positive for Covid 19, self monitor for symptoms/no need to quarantine. If you haven’t been vaccinated and are exposed, 14 day quarantine is required.
• Nurses week, May 6-12. Calendar of special events in the works. The Nurses Conference will feature virtual speakers on Pain, Dealing with the stress of Covid and other topics, some offering CE credit. Education on the Professional Development Ladder (PDL) will likely be intertwined in the week’s activities to increase awareness and promote opportunity for additional pay among nurses.
Annual Nurse of the Year Nominations: Deadline for submissions has been extended until April 23.
1st Quarter Daisy Award recipient chosen. Name to be announced upon award.
1st Quarter Bumble Bee vote deferred.
Misty Cuellar, Director or Quallity, Patient Safety and Regulatory –
• requests PNC members to take charge of their specific units’ hand washing audits. We need to collect 200 audits/unit/month. Print the audit form, called the Hand Hygiene Observation Tool, attached above.
• Reminds staff to prevent lab errors, including labeling errors, by going back to the basics:
o Use two patient identifiers to ensure proper patient/label
o label specimen tubes at bedside
o remember to sign order requisitions
o Ask a colleague to double check before sending
Carly Hayes, 3W/3E/2P/Float Manager, is interviewing for multiple open positions on all 4 units for nurses and PCAs. Referrals welcome.
Welcome new PNC member, Olga Melnick, 3 East staff RN! Olga reported no difficulty with the switch from faxed to verbal patient report from the ER. Kim Fugate, ER staff RN, reported the change back to verbal report is being used by most ER nurses without additional delay in report.
Kathy Lehman, previously PACU/now PAT – PreAdmissions Testing, reported that her manager, Sharlene Nova, got bonus pay for on-call overnight nurses in their area working extra hours. Recently, ortho patients had to be held in PACU because 2P was closed/insufficient staffing on other units. In previous, similar circumstances, Bonus Pay was not offered.
Cathy Urban, has left her position in PACU and subsequently in PNC. Thank you, Cathy, for your contribution to PNC! Good Luck in your future endeavors!
