Rachelle Williams
December 2024
Rachelle
Williams
,
MSN, RN, CNOR
ASC, GI, Pre-testing
AHN Forbes Hospital
Monroeville
,
PA
United States
She has worked hard to create a just culture and one with transparency so that the staff is vested and willing to open up about any topics of concern. She puts the Customer first by advocating for the safe care of perioperative patients.
Rachelle has been a strong leader since her arrival in 2020, facing quite a few challenges. The month that she started, there was a catastrophic issue with the sterility of our packs from our PDL and we were struggling with supply issues. She jumped in, being very proactive with what supplies we needed to order more of, creating a supply cart that could house what we needed in the OR instead of Central so that patient care was not delayed if something was needed quickly.
COVID was her next challenge at her 3-month mark, and she once again jumped in with both feet, making sure that protocols and policies were in place and being followed for the safety of our patients and staff. Morale, like it did throughout the entire AHN system, dipped for a while, but she worked hard to re-engage staff and made significant changes so that morale increased. She listened to what the staff was saying to make these changes. She embraced the Stoplight report board and uses it efficiently as a communication tool between staff and management. She onboarded 2 new ANMs and brought in agency staff. Burnout decreased and morale rose. The culture changed drastically, and scores have increased.
When the great “Armageddon” of 2022 happened and we lost almost all our sterile supplies when the power failed in the middle of summer and the chillers were shut down, causing all of our instruments to be contaminated as well, she never batted an eye. She helped to quickly organize emergency shipments of supplies so we could get some cases started later in the day and we could still run the OR for emergencies. She helped organize sending out instruments for sterilization so that the burden did not fall completely on our SPD which would have taken weeks to accomplish. She is a master in organization. Things were settled within a matter of days, and the OR remained operational throughout the whole ordeal.
Rachelle truly cares for her OR staff. She believes that the health and well-being of the staff contribute to the health and care of the patient. She believes strongly in work/life balance and advocates for those that she oversees, knowing that if her staff is not taken care of, they cannot care for patients. As a Transformational Leader, her door is always open. She listens with care and concern, encouraging them to help find the best possible ways to solve problems and conflict. She has worked hard to create a just culture and one with transparency so that the staff is vested and willing to open up about any topics of concern. She puts the Customer first by advocating for the safe care of perioperative patients.
As a member of AORN, she engages in using EBP, following the guidelines that are AORN standards for safe practice. She uses these guidelines and the EBP that fuels them to help create policies and maintain practices here at Forbes. She trusts her staff to involve the right people at the right time, whether it be collaboration with a physician to improve the care for the patient or the surgical technologist to review medication administration to the field, she knows that her teams are doing what they should for patient safety and care. She encourages learning and questioning, searching for ways to improve the unit so that it enhances patient care. We are currently in the middle of a huge project that will help us more easily order and find supplies so that the staff can have what they need for cases.
She does so many little things every day that makes a difference. Whether it be holding someone’s hand while they mourn the loss of their loved one or greeting you with cheer when you walk in the door, her staff knows that they can count on her to not only be there for the patients but for them as well.
COVID was her next challenge at her 3-month mark, and she once again jumped in with both feet, making sure that protocols and policies were in place and being followed for the safety of our patients and staff. Morale, like it did throughout the entire AHN system, dipped for a while, but she worked hard to re-engage staff and made significant changes so that morale increased. She listened to what the staff was saying to make these changes. She embraced the Stoplight report board and uses it efficiently as a communication tool between staff and management. She onboarded 2 new ANMs and brought in agency staff. Burnout decreased and morale rose. The culture changed drastically, and scores have increased.
When the great “Armageddon” of 2022 happened and we lost almost all our sterile supplies when the power failed in the middle of summer and the chillers were shut down, causing all of our instruments to be contaminated as well, she never batted an eye. She helped to quickly organize emergency shipments of supplies so we could get some cases started later in the day and we could still run the OR for emergencies. She helped organize sending out instruments for sterilization so that the burden did not fall completely on our SPD which would have taken weeks to accomplish. She is a master in organization. Things were settled within a matter of days, and the OR remained operational throughout the whole ordeal.
Rachelle truly cares for her OR staff. She believes that the health and well-being of the staff contribute to the health and care of the patient. She believes strongly in work/life balance and advocates for those that she oversees, knowing that if her staff is not taken care of, they cannot care for patients. As a Transformational Leader, her door is always open. She listens with care and concern, encouraging them to help find the best possible ways to solve problems and conflict. She has worked hard to create a just culture and one with transparency so that the staff is vested and willing to open up about any topics of concern. She puts the Customer first by advocating for the safe care of perioperative patients.
As a member of AORN, she engages in using EBP, following the guidelines that are AORN standards for safe practice. She uses these guidelines and the EBP that fuels them to help create policies and maintain practices here at Forbes. She trusts her staff to involve the right people at the right time, whether it be collaboration with a physician to improve the care for the patient or the surgical technologist to review medication administration to the field, she knows that her teams are doing what they should for patient safety and care. She encourages learning and questioning, searching for ways to improve the unit so that it enhances patient care. We are currently in the middle of a huge project that will help us more easily order and find supplies so that the staff can have what they need for cases.
She does so many little things every day that makes a difference. Whether it be holding someone’s hand while they mourn the loss of their loved one or greeting you with cheer when you walk in the door, her staff knows that they can count on her to not only be there for the patients but for them as well.