Emiko Graham
August 2024
Emiko
Graham
,
BSN, RN
Pre/Post Op
Good Samaritan Hospital (CO)
Lafayette
,
CO
United States
I was met with such caring staff. The caregivers smiled, educated, managed my pain, introduced themselves to both me and my husband… I felt so protected and cared for.
Being a patient (not a secret shopper) is not a role I wanted, but it was an opportunity to assess how well we do things. I did a word cloud from the 2 perspectives that I had.. One as the patient/nurse and the second from the quality/nurse perspective. Always the nurse. From the patient/nurse perspective, I was scared, nervous and quite anxious. I was too aware of what could go wrong. Some patients may worry about what might go wrong; I know what can and has gone wrong…It really does add to the level of anxiety experienced. I was met with such caring staff. The caregivers smiled, educated, managed my pain, introduced themselves to both me and my husband… I felt so protected and cared for and I honestly believe it wasn’t because of what/who I am, I watched care being provided to everyone there the same.
However, what I saw and experienced from the quality side was impressive. Everyone followed the process and standards. It was familiar, and work flowed smoothly. They knew the expectations and did it. My husband is still sharing with people how impressed he was by the pre-op nurse. She came charging into the room, arms crossed, saying to the anesthesiologist who was setting up for my regional block. “stop, the surgeon has yet to mark the site. You can not start yet”… OF course, the doctor said he was just getting ready and would wait. My husband “loved” that the nurse stopped a doctor. I of course, knew that this is exactly how the process/ structure of our work supports. - Handoffs were shared, standard work was followed all to ensure that a seamless, safe surgery becomes the outcome.
I witnessed and experienced other patients receiving the same high standard of care in both organizations. I know it is because of the effort and the work that we all do that we are focused on delivering high, reliable, quality care. While we aren’t perfect, we have a lot to be proud of at Intermountain. We provide our caregivers with the tools they need to provide quality care, which is what it is all about. I am really proud of what we all do for our patients and families. What amazing care we give!
However, what I saw and experienced from the quality side was impressive. Everyone followed the process and standards. It was familiar, and work flowed smoothly. They knew the expectations and did it. My husband is still sharing with people how impressed he was by the pre-op nurse. She came charging into the room, arms crossed, saying to the anesthesiologist who was setting up for my regional block. “stop, the surgeon has yet to mark the site. You can not start yet”… OF course, the doctor said he was just getting ready and would wait. My husband “loved” that the nurse stopped a doctor. I of course, knew that this is exactly how the process/ structure of our work supports. - Handoffs were shared, standard work was followed all to ensure that a seamless, safe surgery becomes the outcome.
I witnessed and experienced other patients receiving the same high standard of care in both organizations. I know it is because of the effort and the work that we all do that we are focused on delivering high, reliable, quality care. While we aren’t perfect, we have a lot to be proud of at Intermountain. We provide our caregivers with the tools they need to provide quality care, which is what it is all about. I am really proud of what we all do for our patients and families. What amazing care we give!