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Teamwork key to success in Virginia
key to success in Virginia Prince William Hospital is located in the town of Manassas in Prince William County, Virginia, 40 miles from the nation’s capital. The hospital is a small private facility with 160 beds, four operating rooms and one cystoscopy room. Until recently, it was the only hospital in the county, which has a population of about 50,000. Constance T Mercier, room supervisor, leads 16 room nurses and nine workers in handling about a month.
operating operating auxiliary 360 cases
Connie’s recipe for making Prince William Hospital’s operating room a good place to work goes something like this. Combine an administrator whose interest in the operating room suite and its staff is made manifest over and over again with a director of nurses and an assistant director of nurses who furnish needed support and guidance; add a staff of progressive understanding surgeons who enjoy teaching and are tolerant of neophytes, and an anesthesiology department whose goals mirror those of the rest of the surgical team. Mix these with a young professional staff of nurses dedicated to the highest ideals and principles of operating room nursing, headed by a happy, enthusiastic operating room supervisor who is respected, thoroughly acquainted with her staff and knowledgeable in the fields of operating room nursing and human relations. The result is a good place to work.
At Prince William, the OR supervisor has the final say in the selection of OR personnel, an advantage that cannot be overemphasized. Eking thoroughly acquainted with the staff, the supervisor is in the best position to determine how a newcomer will fit in. New staff members have a short, but thorough, orientation to the OR, and then are a member of a team. They are made to feel useful and productive in a relatively short period of time. The staff nurses are primarily concerned with patient care, while auxiliary personnel transport patients, care for instruments, and do housekeeping chores as well as daily terminal cleaning of rooms. When the schedule is exceptionally busy, everyone pitches in to help. Connie believes that policies and procedures which are clearly outlined and defined are the backbone of any solid organization. Therefore, when a revision, updating, or institution of any new procedure is necessary, a round table approach is used with all personnel taking part. Morale is high. Prince Williams’ OR supervisor also has input in purchasing equipment and supplies. She confers with both the purchasing agent and the surgical committee and solicits the opinions of staff members. Equipment and supplies are requisitioned through the nursing office by the OR supervisor who makes the final recommendations. Prince William Hospital is a small hospital with few problems in the operating room. A team approach has been the key to success.
AORN Journal, October 1973, Vol 18, N o 4
Joyce White,
RN
721
operating operating auxiliary 360 cases
Connie’s recipe for making Prince William Hospital’s operating room a good place to work goes something like this. Combine an administrator whose interest in the operating room suite and its staff is made manifest over and over again with a director of nurses and an assistant director of nurses who furnish needed support and guidance; add a staff of progressive understanding surgeons who enjoy teaching and are tolerant of neophytes, and an anesthesiology department whose goals mirror those of the rest of the surgical team. Mix these with a young professional staff of nurses dedicated to the highest ideals and principles of operating room nursing, headed by a happy, enthusiastic operating room supervisor who is respected, thoroughly acquainted with her staff and knowledgeable in the fields of operating room nursing and human relations. The result is a good place to work.
At Prince William, the OR supervisor has the final say in the selection of OR personnel, an advantage that cannot be overemphasized. Eking thoroughly acquainted with the staff, the supervisor is in the best position to determine how a newcomer will fit in. New staff members have a short, but thorough, orientation to the OR, and then are a member of a team. They are made to feel useful and productive in a relatively short period of time. The staff nurses are primarily concerned with patient care, while auxiliary personnel transport patients, care for instruments, and do housekeeping chores as well as daily terminal cleaning of rooms. When the schedule is exceptionally busy, everyone pitches in to help. Connie believes that policies and procedures which are clearly outlined and defined are the backbone of any solid organization. Therefore, when a revision, updating, or institution of any new procedure is necessary, a round table approach is used with all personnel taking part. Morale is high. Prince Williams’ OR supervisor also has input in purchasing equipment and supplies. She confers with both the purchasing agent and the surgical committee and solicits the opinions of staff members. Equipment and supplies are requisitioned through the nursing office by the OR supervisor who makes the final recommendations. Prince William Hospital is a small hospital with few problems in the operating room. A team approach has been the key to success.
AORN Journal, October 1973, Vol 18, N o 4
Joyce White,
RN
721