Discussion:
1. I am in the process of learning several things about my organization, the main thing is there are some things we do very well and there are some things that we really need to work on.
The Leadership at the head of the organization, namely our President & CEO and Vice President & COO, are fantastic.
They set the bar high, yet are very approachable and personable. They hold Town Hall Meetings and open the floor for feedback and questions from staff at all levels.
I believe these two truly intend that in all things that we should put patients first and do amazing things here and at all of our campuses.
Unfortunately, not everyone shares their vision. Other leaders do not always follow their example or cause staff to feel engaged, empowered or invested in what we do.
We have high and lofty ideals that often go unpracticed and unenforced by other senior leadership. We celebrate the mundane by giving "shout-outs" at our daily huddles to people whoshow up for work and do their jobs. To me, that is an indication of a disconnect from our Core Values.
When a patient can tell staff that they do not think their nurse is really there to do anything more than administer medicine, they do not actually take care of them, there is a disconnect.
We have HCAHPS scores to let us know how we are doing in certain areas. When we consistently score low in areas like communication between clinical staff and patient, there is a disconnect.
I am of the opinion that as a worker in Healthcare, you have to maintain a heart of compassion. You have to feel. You must have empathy. When we stop listening, caring, putting ourselves in their shoes, responding and taking ownership of our responsibilities, whether it is the direct care of a patient or providing purchase orders, everything our CEO and COO stand for, we are disconnecting. When coming to work each day becomes more about our press releases than it does the well-being of the patient in room 053, we have lost sight of our purpose.
I am impressed by some of the initiatives here which reflect the great care and concern our leadership has built into this program in order to ensure the well-being of staff.
We have a program called NYP Be Healthy that includes well being assessments, and a coach to encourage, advise and support you.
There is an Employee of the Month program to recognize individual staff members for their accomplishments. There is an on-line recognition system available to all staff to send e-cards to show appreciation to other staff for their work.
The organization does Employee Appreciation day once a year, provides a themed full meal/event and at least twice a year distributes a jacket, sweater or bag with the hospital logo to every employee as a thank you.
Basically, what I am saying is, we have a great organization with great intentions, but if we lose sight of the true purpose for what we do, we will ultimately fail one another and our patients.
2. What I've learned about my organization is that people are resistant to new things even when they know that the change is necessary. People are threaten by change especially when things have been done the same way forever. Never mind that things have not worked well for the past 15 years, they still resist change. However, the biggest thing learned is that I realized that it's the fear of being left behind that fuels the resistance to change.