New Innovative Initiatives Enhancing Nursing at UH

UH Clinical Update | April 2024

By Michelle D. Hereford, MSHA, RN, FACHE, Chief Nursing Executive, Ethel Morikis Endowed Chair in Nursing Leadership

This month, I am pleased to inform you of several exciting initiatives happening in our nursing teams.

Michelle D. Hereford, MSHA, RN, FACHE

Virtual Nurse program: In May, we will begin piloting virtual nursing on a few med-surg units across the system. Bedside nurses will always be the main source of care for our patients, but by having their colleagues be able to lend a virtual hand, we can increase the attention given to our patients. Using technology like room cameras, digital vital sign monitoring, and digital communication tools, Virtual Nurses will be an integral part of patient care. For example, they can monitor activity in the patient room and alert the Mobility Aide that a patient who is at risk of falling might be attempting to go to the restroom by themselves. Virtual Nurses can help review the patient’s discharge instructions with them and answer questions they or their family might have. They can connect with the on-site nurse in the room and assist with medication verification review, among other things. Virtual Nurses will decrease the workload of the on-site nurses, freeing them to focus on hands-on care.

UH Future Nurse Academy: Our second annual Academy is coming up in June. We tripled the size of the program, going from one location with 26 students to three locations (Lakeland, Tri-C, and Lorain County Community College) with nearly 80 students. We partnered with those three community nursing schools to host our program, and are working with new partners to expand our curriculum.

Last fall, we engaged with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) to establish a Clinical Scene Investigator (CSI) Academy here at UH. The goal is to build skills for direct care nurses and leverage their expertise to create positive change that improves outcomes for patients, nurses and the system. Nurses on seven different teams are using what they learn in the CSI Academy to complete projects centered on the AACN Healthy Work Environment:

1. UH Geauga Medical Center ICU/Stepdown – Project: Your voice is V.I.T.A.L.! CSIs: Ann Doerrige, BSN, RN, CCRN, Sarah A. Hanson, BSN, RN, Jen Pirichy, RN, Katie Wilks, BSN, RN; Coach: Rachel Nagy, MSN, RN, CCRN
2. UH Tripoint Medical Center CCU – Project: Spread Kindness, Not Germs. CSIs: Kelly Cecil, RN, Kimberly Smith, RN, Veronica Williams, BSN, RN; Coach: Marianne Dempster, RN
3. UH Beachwood Medical Center OR/PACU/PAT/PreOp – Project: Co-Worker Kudos. CSIs: Valerie Gehalo, BSN, RN-BC, Rita Smith, RN; Coach: Heather Pappalardo, RN
4. UH St. John Medical Center ICU – Project: Stop the Drain, Let’s Retain. CSIs: Candice Cadle, BSN, RN, Michael Seaton, RN, Coach: Travis Carter, BSN, RN, CCRN
5. UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Heart Center – Project: DISCovery Caring in a New Way. CSIs: Craig Erickson, BSN, RN, CPN; Grace Jackson, BSN, RN, Meg Varley, BSN, RN; Coaches: Lisa Welsh, RN, Jennifer Gonzalez, RN
6. UH Urology Institute – Project: It’s a Dream when you work as a Team. CSIs: Samantha Phillips, BSN, RN, Lara Pickard, BSN, RN, Regina Tucker, MA III Lead; Coaches: Kathy Day, RN, Jacob Held, BSN, MBA, RN-BC
7. UH Ambulatory Specialty Care & Infusion Center – Project: Dripping with Information. CSIs: Carla Grzely, BSN, RN, Ladrea Parker, BSN, RN, Angela Zambito, BSN, RN, OCN; Coaches: Ryan Surovey, RN, Holly Urbansky, MHA, RN

Care Team of Tomorrow: Last month, we expanded this program across the system in all UH inpatient med/surg units. This new care delivery model, piloted in 2022 and 2023, was designed by our direct patient caregivers to enhance patient care and the patient experience. The Care Team of Tomorrow includes six new roles created to focus on putting the patient at the center of all we do. These roles were developed to bring all of our talents together to collaborate on improving patient care, and feedback thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. Read more about the Care Team of Tomorrow here.

Nurses’ Month: Our theme is Be the Change: Inspiring Action and Making a Difference. This theme resonates with what UH Nursing is all about – making a difference – both in the lives of our patients and families, and in creating an inspiring and compassionate work environment for each other. During Nurses’ Week (May 6-13), each medical center will host special events for their teams, and our Nursing Education team has curated thoughtful seminars to empower our nursing teams to advocate and innovate to create the best patient care environment.