Institutional Report
...te sofas. My personal interview was conducted with a nurse that has been on the St. Luke's team for over 20 years. Her name is Margie Anthony and she happens to be the aunt of a close and personal friend of mine. She works as a nurse manager in the ICU department. I basically asked Ms. Anthony would she be interested in sharing some information about her work environment in which she obliged and invited me to re-visit the hospital for lunch. An overview of the questions asked during the interview in which took place on Monday, April 1, 2003 is followed: Sondatre: What are your goals and how are you meeting them? Margie: I believe that my main goal is to make my patients a number one priority. As manager, I emphasize the importance of a good patient-nurse relationship and make sure that our patients needs are accessed and met to the best of our ability. Sondatre: What problems do you see in the group you work with, and what solutions have you developed? Margie: Most of the problems that I have encountered have allot to do with nurse's responsibilities and pay. Behind close doors some nurses have complained about being overworked and underpaid. As a nurse, I understand how pay sometimes has a big influence on the work performance of an employee. I do my best as a boss to keep my nurses encouraged and do what I can to motivate them into remaining professional despite the money issues. There are many people that feel as if they should get paid what they are worth and I do agree, but at the same time I am one of the few that came into this profession because of the nature of the job. Pay does have allot to do with my career choice, but it is not all that has kept me here for the duration of time that I have been employed as a nurse. I tell everyone that things could be worse! Sondatre: What is your opinion of the clients you work with? Margie: I love my patients! I understand that everyday is not going to be perfect because as humans we tend to act out our aggressions when we are in need or in pain. I try to grin and bear it..it is my job! Sondatre: What measure does your organization take to encourage healthy development? Margie: This hospital goes above and beyond the call of duty to keep its employees abreast of current events and the latest medical procedures while interacting with the medical community and continuing education for the nurses as well as all of the other employees. Most of the continuing education is free of charge for all allied healthcare professionals; nevertheless, the hospital goes as far as giving the nurses paid time off for seminars and classes that keeps them on top of their game. The hospital has now added a library with Internet connection where the staff can find resourceful information about preventive medicine and read upon the latest medical news. Sondatre: How effective are those measure? Margie: I believe that they are very effective especially since allot of the seminars and classes are held at the hospital for the nurses convenience so they can participate as a group. These refresher courses keep the nurse's skills fresh. There are times that the nurses are rotated within the facility so they can learn different areas of the hospital as well. Sondatre: What changes would you like to see in the institution? Margie: I believe that there should be a department that allows the educating of family members of patients that are in need of care beyond the hospital. Many of the patients that we see in ICU are elderly and have suffered from some type of chronic disease. The other patients are those who have recovered, but go home and do not follow up with their care or has no one to reinforce the instructions of the doctors. We can only do so much educating when the patients are here, but I believe if the family members understood how impo...