Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1462389
29 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE just from a diversity perspective, but also inclusive in decision-mak- ing and the feeling that you can come to work every day and do your very best for patients. We need to make changes at all levels of the organization, and that's the work we've been doing. We're a Magnet organization. We have been since 2010. We've been redesignated three times now. And the whole basis of that is staff empowerment and staff control of deci- sion-making when it comes to their ability to be able to improve care and take care of their patients. e journey continues to achieve that work environment, whether you're a nurse or you're in a different discipline in the organization. Our current journey has more of the diversity influence, and we're making sure that all members of our team feel valued in the culture. It's been a journey that we've been on for quite a while. I think the basis of it is people who want to come to work and stay at work, as well as feel able to be gratified by the work that they do and to make the needed changes to take care of people in the most effective way. Tony Reed, MD, PhD. CMO at Temple University Health System (Philadelphia): We need improved teamwork within and across all disciplines in all professions. As an industry, we are getting much better at working in collaborative, interprofessional teams. Clusters of infighting and isolationism still exist, however. And we must commit to the elimination of silos, feudalism and random acts of microag- gressions against our peers and colleagues. Michael Sloan. Vice President of Human Resources at Common- Spirit Health (Chicago): A current priority around hiring and retaining staff is expanding our wellness programs that incorporate specific services that address burnout, acknowledges staff 's hard work, creates a healthy work environment and moves toward the mental toll the pandemic has brought on our healthcare workers. In addition, we need to offer flexibility and think about how the work that is currently being done can be done another way. is could include: reducing nonclinical tasks, fostering a better sense of teamwork between front-line caregivers and ancillary service lines, and offering opportunities to staff who want to grow in their current roles or in other roles. Karan Singh, MD. CMO at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital (Banning, Calif.): We need to engage our clinical staff and provide a platform where they cannot only share their experience of being on the front lines, but also provide us with their insight into solving the problems. Sometimes as leaders, we can discuss issues affecting our organization in an insulated vacuum and be disconnected from the challenges faced by our clinical staff every single day. As I continue to have conversations with my clinical colleagues all across the country, it is clear that a lack of autonomy and clinician empowerment is the shared theme resulting in burnout and eventual resignations. As healthcare leaders, we must empathize with our clinical colleagues and allow them to drive important decisions surrounding the practice of medicine at their respective organizations. Vincent Barba. MD. CMO at Matheny Medical and Educational Center (Peapack, N.J.): I think we, as leaders, need to build an open, just culture in our hospitals in which all our colleagues feel safe and confident in speaking up about patient and staff safety issues and events at all times. is will go a long way to restoring joy and meaning to our work in the healing arts. Aaron George, DO. CMO at Meritus Health (Hagerstown, Md.): Certainly, every healthcare organization is working on those tradi- tional workforce practices that we see as impactful to recruitment, retention and culture — money, benefits, bonuses, scheduling flexi- bility and well-being. e reality is that we must do them all, because they demonstrate a level of commitment. But the truth is that these necessary investments really only get you a seat at the table. e key to the future is continually connecting back to the "why." Workers show up for money, and are just as quick to leave for more money. Team members stay because they feel a calling. Each healthcare system uses different words to articulate their mission, but among them all our goals are incredibly similar: to ingrain a purpose for patient care and to elevate above all the primary goal of improving health and life. At Meritus Health, our mission is to improve the health status of our region by providing comprehensive health services to patients and families. us, the fundamental workplace culture is found in ensur- ing that people show up to work because they believe in that mission. at somehow, they tie the sum of all of their actions, encounters and work back to the core of improving lives. Not just any lives, the lives of their neighbors. Every person we care for we must feel a con- nection with. en, we need to relate that connection to our larger reason for existence in our community. is has become challenging, even in the front lines of healthcare among our overcrowded emergency departments and overwhelmed critical care units. It is even harder to inspire such culture in a way that our environmental services teams, finance departments and oth- er integral areas feel that their work truly changes lives. And it does, even if the ripples of their efforts are not so easily felt from behind office doors, through keystrokes on a computer or clearing a sidewalk on a snowy day. But we must make and integrate those connections, reinforcing that we are all in the business of caring for people, caring for each other. At the organizational level, instilling this culture comes from recognition of our workforce and from celebration of patient and community health outcomes. Juli Johnson, MSN, RN. Chief Nursing Executive at Parkview Health (Fort Wayne, Ind.): I think a workplace culture of ownership is key. Several years ago, we established a shared governance model that put nurses at the table on discussions from bedside to boardroom. While the past two years have presented challenges, our belief in our front-line team has only grown stronger. It's more important than ever to listen to them, hear what's meaningful to them and make the neces- sary changes to continue providing high-quality care for our patients no matter what the circumstances. Being valued for their contributions to, and ownership in, our care environment can be a powerful satisfac- tion for nurses who have had to dig deep during the pandemic. Paula Pritzl. Director of Employee Relations at Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System: I believe the key to recruit workers to join and/or stay in healthcare is their "why" — their onboarding experience and engagement. People gravitate toward healthcare for a variety of reasons, but primarily to care for others, to make a differ- ence in their healthcare throughout their cycle of life, and to make a difference in the delivery room, the surgical suite, a hospital stay, traumatic events and end-of-life care. As leaders in the organization, it is imperative that we develop and implement tools to incorporate and sustain engagement, feed their why, and onboard to foster a sense of belonging and collaboration. is is a journey, not a race. Engagement needs to be incorporated into our everyday workflow and not viewed as just another added task. Engagement tools do not have to cost a significant amount of money, but rather begin with core elements of gratitude, belonging and kindness. Beyond the execution of tasks and projects, we need to ensure leaders have time to dedicate to fostering relationships, addressing staffing challenges, actually listening and responding to the needs of their teams. We encourage managers to look at quick wins.