ROBERTA NEE ADAMSStaff Writer

May 4 kicked off National Nurses and Hospital Week, and Vanderbilt Tullahoma Harton Hospital (VTHH) celebrated the week with several award and recognition events, beginning with the Patient and Family Choice Award.

Members of the Patient and Family Advocacy Council are given seven unnamed patient reports from individuals who felt that a particular caregiver went the extra mile in their interaction with the patient. The members do not know who they are voting for, and report that it is a very difficult decision as all the submissions are exemplary. This year the award went to Vicki Caldwell, RN, an ER nurse.

The next event was the Blessing of the Hands. This year Pastors Don Dixon and Martin Nutter performed the blessings. Water is poured over the nurses’ hands while a prayer is said for them. The pastors take time to speak to each nurse to ask if they have any specific needs that they wish to include in the prayer. It is especially meaningful to the nurses and caregivers, and many line up to receive the blessing. This event takes place from 6:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. (during shift change) to allow as many nurses as possible the opportunity to participate if they wish.

On Wednesday, the staff participated in a Pathway to Excellence Program. The program was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). It “recognizes healthcare organizations for creating a positive work environment where nurses feel empowered, valued, and supported,” and will be a distinctive designation for VTHH. The program began at VTHH under the leadership of Marilyn Smith, Chief Nursing Officer, and is worked in steps.

Also on Wednesday was the DAISY (Disease Attacking the Immune SYstem) Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award was started in 1999 by the family of Patrick Barnes, who lost his life to an immune disorder at age 33. His family wished to honor him in some way, and after deliberation realized that his extraordinary nursing care and compassion was so important to both Patrick and his family. They established the award, and VTHH participates by recognizing nurses who go the extra mile.

DAISY awards are given quarterly. Nominations are made by patient and staff feedback, and those with the most merit are voted on by staff committee. This quarter recognized Vanessa Yentz, LPN, with the Progressive Care Unit (PCU). A gentleman under her care came in to the unit having suffered a cardiovascular accident (CVA), and had several other serious comorbid illnesses. Both he and his wife felt that Vanessa gave him exceptional care, offering comfort and compassion as well as medical care, and was instrumental in his recovery.

Thursday wound up the week of events with the poster contest. Nursing leaders and staff nurses teamed to submit posters highlighting important aspects of improving patient care. Four teams submitted posters. The winning poster was titled “Decreasing Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries Through K Card Compliance,” submitted by the team of Marilyn Smith, Chasity Gipson, Stephanie Crago, Brittany Wiser, Destiny Roberts, Demesha Warren, and Ruth Donlon.

Second place went to the poster titled “Purposeful Rounding Stops Alarms from Sounding,” third place was “Enhancing CHG Bathing Practices for ICU Patients to Minimize Hospital Acquired Infections,” and fourth place was “Interdisciplinary Team Rounds.” If these sound highly technical and quite in depth, it is because they are. The posters included charts, graphs, purposes, goals, lots of facts, and references.

Encouraging, supporting, and recognizing excellence fosters more of the same. VTHH is invested in the excellence of their staff, knowing the outcome. That outcome? The best patient care possible.