Revisiting Professional Accountability

It is time once again that we spend a moment discussing professional accountability.  With our year end quickly approaching (June 30) and the Epic Roll Out upon us, everyone needs to pay attention to emails, deadlines, and mandatory requirements.  The Mandatory Town Halls are ongoing and schedules have been posted.  I will be receiving a report of anyone who did not attend.  Competencies and CATTS are due by June 30th.  You all have your folders and know what is expected.  Erin and I will NOT be chasing you down the last week in June.  By this time, everyone should be signed up for all the required Epic training.  Again, we will not be checking to see if you are registered.  However, if you do not attend you will not have a log in and will be unable to work.  Failure to meet any of the above requirements will result in a "does not meet" score in the job competency section of your annual evaluation.  This will make you ineligible for any merit increase associated with that evaluation.  Moreover, your nurse manager will be extremely disappointed.

In addition to the regular competencies, the PICU staff need to complete all education related to the Half-Pint Study by June 30th.  The website has been down for two weeks, but Erin will let you all know when it is back up.

Unfortunately, I need to address attendance issues as well. In particular, there have been a host of tardies.  Everyone on our staff should be clocked in, on the floor, and ready for report at 0700.  It is so incredibly disrespectful of your peers to rush in at the last minute and make them wait for you to get yourself together.  I have pulled the past six months attendance reports yesterday and some of you will be receiving personal invitations to come chat with me about accountability related to attendance.  As a general reminder, you can have no more than 3 call out occurrences in a rolling six month period.  Three tardies also count as one occurrence.  Any more occurrences should result in disciplinary action starting with a counseling.  In the coming months, we will implement the Absence Manager option in Kronos and I will be immediately notified when anyone is out of compliance with our attendance policy.  Take home message:  whatever it is that is keeping you from getting to work on time or at all, you need to fix it now.  Your peers will appreciate the effort!  For those of you who are here on time and ready to go each shift, I thank you for being a responsible professional.  Please don't make your peers look like this....

I know there is so much going on right now, but we need to stay focused and keep working together.  We have many very dedicated Epic Super Users who will help us sail through the Roll Out.

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about any of the upcoming deadlines.

Thanks,  Melinda

Air in line?

I've been hearing a lot of questions about this recently, so here are a few helpful hints to decrease "air in line" alarm:

• clean infusion sensor on pump with an alcohol pad
• when opening IV tubing, leave blue plastic cover on tubing while priming to keep this area clean of debris, fingerprints, etc.  
• clamp clear blue clamp on tubing prior to inserting into pump (the clamp that is inserted into the alaris pump)
• thread tubing straight through chamber so it is flush with holders at top and bottom (see video)

Hope this helps! Thanks Anna Durstine for your assistance!

Reminders

A few quick reminders:
Competencies due June 30th: we have trachs, EVDs, push-pull demos, etc on the units.  Please take advantage of this and get your competencies done ASAP.

 CATTS due June 30th

EPIC E-Learnings must be completed prior to each class:  See flyer in break room for which E-Learnings to complete for which classes.  I've completed the E-learnings for Nurse 100, and it took me about an hour.  They were VERY helpful.  If you complete them at home, fill out a time sheet.

7C: Moderate Sedation competencies are now in your mailbox.  See myself or Mary Carla to be checked off.
PICU: Moderate Sedation competencies will need to be completed for anyone who has not performed a moderate sedation yet this year.  I will notify you by the end of the week.

I know this is a lot, if there is anything I can do to assist, please let me know.

  

Please help welcome our new Diabetes Care Coordinator!

Hi! I am Ashley Ferrara and I am the new Diabetes Care Coordinator. I will be doing inpatient and outpatient diabetic teaching as well nurse education. I am originally from Charleston and obtained my degree at MUSC and have worked here since 2010.  I am super excited about taking on this new role and if you ever have questions please feel free to page me at 11953!

Annual Evaluations

It is that time again to begin our self assessment and peer evaluations.  You should already have received an email for your self assessment.  There is a two week time frame for completing this.  Also, I will be sending out peer evaluations this week.  What I typically do is send out an evaluation form through Success Factors to six of your peers.  There is also a two week turn around on the peer evaluations.  For all these forms, you will receive an email from Success Factors.  Peer input is crucial in our annual evaluations, so please participate.  If you choose NOT to participate in a 360 evaluation, please log in and select "decline to participate" so that the evaluation will not remain in an incomplete status.  As charge RNs and unit leaders, some of you may have more than others.  Also, since 7C is so small, you will have multiple peer evaluations to complete.  I apologize in advance and thank you all for participating.

Once I have all the peer and self evaluations  completed, I will begin writing the final evaluations.  Those will be completed by June 30 for review with each of you in July and August.  My plan is to start as early as possible this year since we will be inundated with the Epic Roll-out as well.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Melinda

Epic Reminder

Please be sure to sign up and attend the required Epic training.  Many convenient class times are already full.  If you do not attend training, you will not have a login and will not be able to chart after July 1st.  This is NON-NEGOTIABLE for all staff including MDs.

Thanks so much!

Melinda

Epic Staffing Plan Incentive Pay

An incentive pay plan to increase staffing for the Epic training and rollout was announced this week.  See the details below.  It is for RNs only (fulltime, partime, or benefit exempt).  You must commit to either 4 extra 12 hour shifts or 8 extra 12 hour shifts during the specified pay periods.

Please let me know if you are interested and I will get a contract to you.  I am happy to answer any questions via email or at work next week. 

 

•RN’s who commit to 1 extra 12 hour shift on inpatient units for 4 weeks = $500 incentive pay (IOP 8 hours = $350)

•2 extra 12 hour shifts for 4 weeks = $1,000 (IOP = $700)

•In addition to regular pay and appropriate OT and shift differential

•Prioritized on home units first and can float on other units to meet 4 week requirement

•Staff must have no call-offs, sick time, etc. during 4 weeks to receive the incentive (management call-offs don’t void incentive)

•Incentive period is June 15 – July 12

Employee of the Quarter Nominations

The year is flying by and another quarter has passed us! 
Please take a moment to nominate one of your wonderful co-workers for Employee of the Quarter.  Remember, you can choose someone on our staff or anyone outside our units who helps give excellent care each day.  Follow the links below:


7C Employee of the Quarter nominations for January - March 2014

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3HMTLSJ

PICU Employee of the Quarter nominations for January - March 2014

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3PCZQLK

Blood Product Administration During Emergencies

We all know emergent transfusions are hectic and we want to intervene as quickly and safely as possible.  Please remember to check blood products before administration, even in an emergency.  You can check them all at once to save time.  The Blood Tag MUST be signed by 2 RNs, dated, and timed before being placed in the chart.  Feel free to write "Pushed" or "Resuscitation" in the vital signs box, but please complete the Post Transfusion date and approximate time as well.  We have received several incomplete blood tags from reviewed charts.  Refer to policy C-087 Blood Product Administration. 
When I get home and realize I forgot to do something...

Thanks!
Erin
  

Neonate Coding

Hello Charge Nurses:  There has been some confusion about proper coding for our neonate patients.  This is important because it affects our billing for this population.  I hope this clarifies how to appropriately code this population. * Please DO NOT change the coding for our current patients* Once we have coded them PEDS, we can not go back to neonate.  That being said, please refer to the notes below for our future NICU grads and transfers from outside hospitals:

• If a baby is born at MUSC, they are considered a neonate until discharged.
• If a baby is born elsewhere and is transferred here within their first 30 days of life, they are considered a neonate until discharged.
•  If a baby is born (here or elsewhere) and readmitted within the first 30 days of life, they are considered a neonate until discharged.   
• If a baby is born elsewhere and is more than 30 days old when transferred here, they are considered peds (even if they have never been discharged home). 

This means that our NICU grads who are here for months should be coded as neonates until discharge.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  
Thanks,
Erin   

Nominate one of our awesome nurses for Nurse of the Year!

I have not received many nominations for the PICU and 7C Nurse of the Year.  I will extend the deadline until Monday, April 21st.  Please remember to post a reason for your nomination.  We will celebrate our unit winners on May 6th.  The Children's Hospital winners will have a ceremony on Monday, May 5th at 12:30 in the atrium.  More details to follow.

 

PICU Nominations:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7MMZFX6

7C Nominations:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7XQZ3RS

April Town Hall Meetings - Attendance at one session is MANDATORY for all employees

April 2014 Town Hall Meetings - General Sessions
Date	Day	Time	Location	Presenter
4/21	Monday	2:30pm	ART Aud	Matt Wain
4/22	Tuesday	7:45am	ART Aud	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/22	Tuesday	1:00pm	2 West Amp	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/23	Wednesday	7:45am	WEBINAR	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/23	Wednesday	4:30pm	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
4/24	Thursday	9:00am	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
4/24	Thursday	10:00pm	ART Aud	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/24	Thursday	11:00pm	ART Aud	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/25	Friday	12:00pm	WEBINAR	Matt Wain
4/26	Saturday	7:45am	ART Aud	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/27	Sunday	7:45am	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
4/28	Monday	7:45am	Storm Eye Aud	Matt Wain
4/28	Monday	11:00am	ART Aud	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/29	Tuesday	10:00am	2 West Amp	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/29	Tuesday	4:00pm	ART Aud	Matt Wain
4/29	Tuesday	10:00pm	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
4/29	Tuesday	11:00pm	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
4/30	Wednesday	9:00am	WEBINAR	Dr. Pat Cawley
4/30	Wednesday	11:00am	IOP Aud	Matt Wain
4/30	Wednesday	2:00pm	2 West Amp	Dr. Pat Cawley
5/1	Thursday	7:45am	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
5/1	Thursday	10:00am	ART Aud	Matt Wain
5/1	Thursday	12:00pm	WEBINAR	Matt Wain
5/1	Thursday	8:00pm	WEBINAR	Dr. Pat Cawley
5/2	Friday	12:00pm	WEBINAR	Dr. Pat Cawley
5/2	Friday	4:00pm	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
5/3	Saturday	7:45am	2 West Amp	Matt Wain
5/4	Sunday	7:45am	ART Aud	Dr. Pat Cawley
5/4	Sunday	3:00pm	WEBINAR	Dr. Pat Cawley

Conflict of Interest

Please complete your annual Conflict of Interest disclosure:

http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/coi

Once completed, you will receive a confirmation email.  If you did not receive confirmation, you may have missed something, so please try again.  As off April 8, the following people have not completed it:
7C

Amerman, Lindsay

Crawford, David

Dorman, Emily

Grommersch, Kelly

Holland, Latoya

Jennings, Andre

Liechty, Michelle

Loury, Karen

Mack, Julia

Masters, Kelli

Rudisill, Thomas

Russell, Amy

Siegfried, Katharyn

Terry, Trellar

Walsh, Julianne

Weddington, Kylie

Williams, Patrice

PICU

Ball, Natalie

Barber, Rachel

Bryers, Kerry

Bussey, Jennifer

Durstine, Anna

Fannin, Sheri

Gilbert, Karen

Hawks, Gregg

Kemp, Mary

Lee, Donna

Major, Tammy

Mccraw, Allison

Morrow, Robert

Mullins, Tiffany

Nitterhouse, Brooke

Nock, Patrice

Piede, Alicia

Scott, Kelcy

Smith, Carrie

Smith, Laura

Taylor, Julie

White, Emily

Williams, Jason

Extra Ca$h!

Interested in earning a little extra money?  Clinical Education is looking for RNs to help with new employee Nursing Skills Lab.  This would require about 2.5 hours of your time and you would be paid 90$ per session.  They are looking for people interested in helping at least 6-9 times a year.  The skills lab is held every other Thursday morning.  Please let me know if you are interested and I will pass on a list of RNs to Clin Ed.
Thanks,
Erin

When I need to hang a new bag, and I catch it right before it runs dry:

Competencies

April is POCT month for PICU and 7C.  I will be coming around to check you all off on the iStat, but in the meantime, please perform controls on the glucometer.

I will be holding PD Cycler in-services for PICU this week: 

Tuesday 4/8/14:  3:00PM - 3:30PM PICU

Wednesday 4/9/14: 6:00AM – 6:30 AM PICU

Wednesday 4/9/14: 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM PICU

Thursday 4/10/14: 11:30AM – 12:00 PM PICU

Friday 4/11/14: 6:00 AM – 6:30 AM PICU

These will be the last in-services of the fiscal year.  If unable to attend, you will need to arrange time with a super user to get signed off before 6/30/14.

Thanks Everyone!

Erin