Fall 2015
A publication for nurses by nurses
Life-changing education Tackling
the BSN
Many nurses wrestle with the decision to return
to school for their BSN. Sharon Iannece was
an assistant nurse manager at Virtua Marlton
when she decided to pursue her BSN, mostly
because she felt it was an expectation.
Surveys also show that nurses who have completed a
BSN program earn higher average incomes, and gain
access to new and exciting career opportunities.
Now, working as a clinical documentation specialist
at Virtua Voorhees, she looks back at her education
not as a burden, but a transformational experience.
“Once you do it, you will look at everything about
being a nurse differently. It will change your practice.”
Returning to school can be costly and timeconsuming. Jillian Whitehurst, a full-time nurse
in Marlton’s PCU and mother of two busy schoolaged boys, knows this well. Her advice? “You just
keep moving forward, one class at a time.”
Why a BSN?
Virtua is committed to supporting our nurses by
offering resources like tuition reimbursement,
nursing scholarships and onsite programs.
Experts at the Center for Learning can help with
program selection and clinical placement.
One of Virtua Nursing's Strategic Goals is that 80% of
our nurses will hold a bachelor’s of science degree in
nursing (BSN) by the year 2020. Evidence demonstrates
the benefits of baccalaureate preparation for both
patients and nurses. The BSN degree is linked to
improved patient outcomes, such as lower incidence
of pressure ulcers, post-operative DVTs, hospital
acquired infections, and post-surgical mortality.
Left to right:
Aisa Reyes, Ariel Parungao, Laurie Crisp-Wyeth
Making it work
Start your journey by calling: Dawn McCall at
(856) 761-3816 about undergraduate courses and Amy
Glasofer at (856) 761-3806 about graduate courses.
Get-to-know
Carly Richman
BSN, RN
of Virtua
Marlton,
3 North
Carly is the safety
representative on 3 North
at Virtua Marlton. She’s
on the S.W.A.T. Team,
the Behavioral Health
Council, and is co-chair
of 3 North’s unit based
council. Her shared
governance team won
a high-performing team
Super Star Award in 2015.
“Nursing, for me, will
never be just a job,”
says Carly. “I have a
huge passion for it, and
each day is a learning
experience. I have been
incredibly lucky to work
with colleagues who help
and inspire one another.”
Carly is currently enrolled
in a dual degree program
at Benedictine University,
and is a candidate for two
masters--one in public
health, and another in
organizational behavior.
“My nursing journey
started with Virtua,” she
says. “Virtua has helped
me grow into both a
nurse and a leader.”
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Q &A
How were you first
drawn to nursing?
I have always been
a very nurturing
person, and I
care a lot about
people. Nursing
just seemed like a
perfect fit for me.
What’s the most
rewarding part
of your job?
The trust that
patients have in
me; it gives me an
opportunity to make
a real difference in
their lives. I love
seeing a smile on a
patient’s face when
I am helping them.
What’s the best
piece of advice
you ever got?
If you feel satisfied
at the end of the
day, it means you
did a good job.
What profession
might you have
pursued, if not
nursing?
I probably would
have become a
teacher or educator.
What characteristic
do you most admire
in a co-worker?
Honesty and respect.
What do you
appreciate the most
in your friends?
Their loyalty. They are
always there for me;
that means a lot.
What natural talent
would you most like
to be gifted with?
I’d love to be able to
play an instrument.
As a child, I took
nine years of piano,
but it did not stick.
Who are your
heroes in real life?
My parents.
What is something
about you that
most people
don’t know?
I love scuba diving.
Just this summer
I went on vacation
by myself to dive
every day in Turks
and Caicos. Being
underwater is so
peaceful. It makes
you look at the
world differently.
What’s your favorite
way to relax?
Going to the beach,
gardening, or
reading a book that
is not for school.
What is your
present state
of mind?
I’m content that I’m
healthy, working in
a profession that I
love, and that I have
a great family.
What’s your
personal motto?
Hakuna Matata!
(No worries)
Fall 2015
Leveraging Technology
Better information means safer, higher quality patient care,
better communication and less duplication.
That’s why quality health care is guided
by a data-driven “triple aim.” At Virtua,
we leverage technology in order to:
> Achieve high quality care
> Reduce health care costs
> Improve patient outcomes
Tools like myVirtua and the health
information exchange (HIE), spurred on
by Meaningful Use (MU) initiatives, have
granted patients and participating care
providers access to the portions of each
medical record that best promote patient
engagement, quality and cost-effective
care across the continuum. Improving
patient outcomes will take center stage
as we move into MU Stage 3.
Already Virtua has developed data
analytics tools that evaluate patient
outcomes and facilitate quality
improvement. For example, the
Emergency Department now uses a
tool called QlikView, which graphically
analyzes throughput, readmission rates,
and patient satisfaction. Elsewhere in
the Virtua system, a team is developing
specifications for a new nursing
dashboard that will capture rates for falls,
pressure ulcers, and hours per patient day
(HPPD), among other quality indicators.
Moving forward, technological advances
will continue to play an important
role in improving clinical practice at
Virtua, as new hardware and software
allows us to evaluate our interventions
and measure positive impacts on our
patients in new and exciting ways.
Left to right: Rosemarie Martin and Angela Bembery
of Virtua Marlton 3S share bedside report at shift
change, with all patient information at their fingertips.
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Remembering the Rights of Medication
Administration in the Digital Age
While computerized physician ordering and bedside barcoding have improved
medication administration immeasurably, digital tools can’t replace careful human
supervision of these crucial safety measures. Every time a medication is administered,
even when using bedside barcoding, the patient's rights must be verified.
it the right patient? Have you
it the right time to give the
» Isdose?
» Isverified
the two patient identifiers?
Have you checked to see
Prepare medication for one
individual at a time, and administer
as soon as it is prepared.
» Is it the right medication?
Read the medication label
carefully. Compare it directly to
the ORDER AS WRITTEN.
If there is any discrepancy, call the
pharmacist before administering the
medication. (Even if the discrepancy
seems minor, it could have serious
implications for the patient.)
it the right dose? If a weight» Isbased
dose, have you re-calculated
based on the patient's weight?
when it was last administered?
you administering it
» Are
via the right route?
you documented
» Have
the administration?
Double-check your documentation
as soon as you have finished giving
the medication, and be sure it
shows up on the CHARTED LIST.
Remember to always carefully inspect
the ORDER AS WRITTEN before
administering any medication. If
there is any question, always ask.
Nursing Education at Your Fingertips
The Virtua library makes it easy to access
educational resources by offering many of
them electronically on the library’s VINE page.
Databases available for conducting research or
for accessing evidence-based journal articles
include CINAHL, Nursing Full Text Plus, ClinicalKey,
and Pubmed/Medline. These resources may
also be accessed remotely by signing up for a
free Athens account. Finally, by clicking ‘Click
Here for E Journal Access,’ users may search an
A-Z list of journals, databases and textbooks.
4
Please contact David
Kruidenier with any questions
about Virtua’s resources or to
set up a one-on-one tutorial at
[email protected].
Fall 2015
Tips for
Balancing
WORK &
SCHOOL
Thinking about going back to school but
worried how to manage it all while you are
working? The experts emphasize organization.
Here are some of the best tips we’ve found.
Establish a timetable and carve it up in small pieces.
Divide your semester into weeks, topics covered
by week, and all assignments due.
Devote one full day a week to studying, plus an hour
or two per day. Get ahead of your schedule.
Know your assignments and due dates. Live by the calendar.
Make separate piles by topic for all assignments, and keep them
in a study area where you are least likely to be interrupted.
Maintain online versions of your reading so you
can catch up when you have a free moment.
Use a laptop or iPad to jot notes at any time to help develop your
assignment. Maintain a bibliography as you do your reading.
Keep exercising. Think you don’t have the time? Just 20 minutes of
exercise a day clears the mind for studying and helps manage stress.
Interactive
Software Advances
Web-Based Training
for Nurses
The best web-based training
programs for nurses include
interactive and realistic
elements. Recently, Virtua
clinical transformation
specialists employed
Articulate Storyline 2,
popular e-learning software
used by top companies and
universities nationwide, to
create custom interactive
WBTs for Virtua learners.
Each trainee is able to
advance through training
at his or her own pace,
and review the information
as many times as needed
- two features which
accommodate novice to
expert competency levels
in a manner difficult to
match in the traditional
classroom setting.
For more information on how
to access these WBTs, go
to the VINE and click on the
Virtua Learning System link.
Left to right:
Alyse Keppen, Christine Gates
5
New Support for Nurses Treating
Patients with Behavioral Health Issues
Have you ever...
Felt unsure of what to say
to a patient in crisis?
Struggled to develop a plan of
care for a patient experiencing
substance abuse withdrawal?
Questioned the best way to
deal with a difficult family?
Rick Pessagno, DNP, APN, Program Lead for
Behavioral Health, assists nurses with these
issues. Rick provides direct consultation, education
and support to all Virtua nurses throughout the
system in order to better meet patients' and
families' mental and behavioral health needs.
Whether you have a question, are in the
midst of caring for a patient with a challenging
diagnosis, or just need to debrief after a tough
shift, you can contact Rick at extension 72053
or on his cell phone: (609) 760-5283.
Virtua's First Annual SimWars
Medical errors can often be prevented through
effective communication and teamwork. A
surge of recent research on the prevention
of such errors was the inspiration for Virtua’s
First Annual SimWars, held this fall.
SimWars is a double-elimination competition
based on simulated patient scenarios.
Interdisciplinary clinical teams will be given
a description of an emergency situation,
and must care for the fictional patient as
they would a real patient in their unit.
Winners advance as finalists to compete at
the Nursing Congress on October 22, 2015.
6
A panel of judges will evaluate each team
based on the TeamSTEPPS framework and
competencies: leadership, situation monitoring,
mutual support, and communication. The
winners will have bragging rights for a year
and a trophy to display on their unit.
Captain Danielle Glogovsky, Virtua
Voorhees, was responsible for organizing
the team and competition logistics.
This is a great opportunity for healthy competition,
as well an educational experience for all involved.
Fall 2015
CPR Challenges at Virtua
High-quality cardiopulmonary
resuscitation can significantly
improve outcomes for cardiac
arrest patients.
To refine our skills, Virtua recently
asked ZOLL Medical Corporation
to help conduct a “CPR Challenge”
at all three Virtua hospitals. They
brought special equipment to gauge
CPR quality measures: compression
rate, depth and chest recoil.
Virtua nurses, doctors, respiratory
therapists, patient care technicians,
and security officers turned
out in record numbers.
Each staff person first performed
two minutes of CPR as he or she
normally would, and the equipment
displayed the percentage of clinically
effective chest compressions.
He or she was then given critical
feedback aligned with best practices
in CPR technique. The second try
was another two minutes on the
dummy. The results were remarkable,
with many staff reaching 100%.
ZOLL will provide our Critical
Care Practice Council, Code
Blue Committee and Quality
Teams with the data compiled
from these challenges.
Teresa Price, RN, performs
CPR at a Challenge event.
WINNERS
Memorial
Most Participants
1st ICU
2nd Mother Baby Unit
3rd Respiratory Department
Individual Winners
1st
Tom Maxwell, ANM, 4NE
Pre-test score: 93.1%
2nd
April Hook, RN, L&D
Most im proved score
3rd
Fran Heimgartner, RN, L&D
Pre-test score: 84.4%
Marlton
Voorhees
Most Participants
ICU
Best Team
CU
Most improved CPR skills
during the challenge
4 South
Best Individual
Jennifer McGill, ICU
Top three CPR
Compression Champions
1st Lauren Burk,bRN, ICU
2nd Angela Bembury,
PCT, 3 South
3rd Jen Lenzi, RN, ICU
Most Improved
Dr. A. Enriquez &
Dr. S. Kalihil
4th
James Boyd, Security
Pre-test score: 79%
5th
Marichu Palas, RN, ICU
Pre-test score: 79%
6th
Regina Gallager, PCT, 4NW/3NW
Pre-test score: 69.4%
Braveheart Award
Rosalind Highsmith, 5 Stokes
Rosalind Highsmith, of 5 Stokes/
Virtua Memorial, earned the Brave
Heart award for her perseverance
and pursuit of CPR perfection.
7
Funding Your
Education
Inve$tment
Inspiring Nurses:
Stephanie Hummel, RN
As a new nursing school
graduate in 2007, Stephanie
Hummel had two dreams: to
become an ICU nurse, and to
travel. After achieving those
dreams, Stephanie took on
another significant challenge
when she enrolled in a BSN
program at Rowan University.
Prioritizing a healthy work/
life balance, Stephanie
earned her BSN over five
years. “I plugged away, one
class at a time. I was able
to continue traveling and
working full time. I bought a
new home during that time.”
8
Stephanie, a 2014 DAISY
Award winner who
maintained a 4.0 GPA,
explains, “I enjoyed most
of my classes, but the most
exciting opportunity arose
from a “general education”
requirement.” “Geology of
the National Parks,” landed
Stephanie in nine states and
14 national parks over an
unforgettable month of travel.
Stephanie completed her
BSN journey this past
summer, capped with the
Rowan University Award
for Nursing Excellence.
“I can’t thank Virtua enough
for encouraging and
supporting me,” she says.
Virtua’s generous tuition
assistance program for
benefit-eligible employees
makes it easier to offset
your expenses. Benefiteligible employees can
request tuition assistance
through an improved online
process in PeopleSoft. For
your convenience, the selfservice online process will:
» Confirm tuition benefit
eligibility before
making the request
» Provide tuition assistance
history for all electronic
submissions and
annual balance
» Reduce amount of
time required to
prepare a request
» Display request status such as approved, denied
and reason why, and
payment information
Other scholarship support
may be available to nurses
interested in pursuing
additional education. Go
to: collegescholarships.
org/loans/nursingstudent-loans.htm
for helpful information on
scholarships and loans.
Fall 2015
Education Calendar
Center for Learning
FALL 2015
The Center for Learning is committed
to provide ongoing education for
our staff. Several new courses
have been developed as a result
of listening to our customers.
Tubes and Drain Skills day, at the Learning Lab
at Voorhees, monthly on Mondays for four hours.
Wound and Ostomy Skills day, monthly
for four hours on Wednesdays at the
Learning Lab at Voorhees. Come join us to
see the latest in this specialty area.
Virtua and the Association for Nursing
Professional Development will be jointly
providing Nursing Professional Development
Certification Preparation. Seating is limited.
New to Transition Program is a comprehensive
experience for new nurses who have less than
one year of experience, or any nurse who is new
to the acute care setting or new to the motherbaby units. This program runs for 11-days. Nurse
Directors interested in sending their staff should
email [email protected] to register. There
are also separate monthly, half-day offerings
intended to “supplement” and support our new
nurses. A variety of topics are discussed.
PACU Workshop is a five-day course designed
specifically to better meet the needs of our
PACU nurses. This course is four-day classroom
and one day of simulation with written exam.
Preceptor Update is a half-day course highlighting
current events, practice skills, and regulatory
compliance aspects. In addition, the update
enhances nurses’ knowledge for understanding
the values that lay the foundation for precepting.
Behavioral Health Symposium (12/14/15) is a fullday program created to meet the needs of our staff
who work with individuals who have behavioral health
issues. This multidisciplinary approach will help to
address needs of our patients as well as our staff.
2015 Shared Governance and RelationshipBased Care is offered monthly to all staff
(managers and the knowledge workers). This
half-day course includes newer concepts such
as incorporating the Speak-Up Campaign.
Valuable for prior as well as new participants.
Basic Dysrhythmia Course, offered every other
month for nurses. This two-day course provides the
basics of rhythm interpretation. Current version of
book is encouraged: Aehlert (2013). ECGs Made
Easy. (5th edition). St. Lois, MO: Elsevier. ISBN:
978-0-323-17057-4, as well as a pair of calipers.
Critical Care Course is a week-long program
intended for nurses working in areas such as ICU’s
and PCU’s. This course is designed as a four-day
classroom with the fifth day spent in the Voorhees
Learning Lab completing simulation and post-test.
Physical Assessment: Enhancing Your Skills as
a Clinician is a full-day program at the Voorhees
Learning Lab. Additional classes have been added
due to demand. The day starts out with a review
of some basic anatomy and physiology followed by
assessment techniques in the systems of respiratory,
cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and neurological.
Participants will have the ability to complete physical
assessments on each other and use the simulator
to produce sounds that are normal and abnormal
to help to differentiate between assessments.
All of the courses above are available now
on VLS. If you are unable to attend after
registering, unregister for the course on
the VLS or contact the point person noted
for the course on VLS. No-calls and/or noshows prohibit others from participating.
Thank you for your cooperation.
9
NURSING
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
NURSING EXCELLENCE
Sharon Andress
BACHELOR IN SCIENCE
DEGREES AWARDED
Patricis Cocuzzi
ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE
IN NURSING
Brandy Kean
Carmen Eberly
Natalie Fleagle
MSN DEGREES
AWARDED
Kerin Griffis
Stephanie Hummel
Kim Bell
Jennifer Hyland
Ann Denton
Annie Itty
Joann Easterday
Maryanne Kuchler
Jill Glass
Barbara McHugh
Jessica Jackson
Jennifer Palma
LaToya E. Myers
Christine Pawliczek
Roslyn Scriber
Mary Williams
Lynn Shinn
Kim Stults
OUTSTANDING
PATIENT EXPERIENCE
Janet Branco
Lori Andrews
Linda Butler
Tracy Blakey
Barbara Curley
Elizabeth Blandy
Maryanne Gallagher
Patricia Cocuzzi
Lois Hawley
Jaclyn Cook
Rebecca Kelly
Patricia DeHart
Donna Silverman
Angela Hoffman
Lisa Welsh
Ragdee Saberon
NURSING SCHOLAR
NURSING LEADER
Maria Allan
Barbara Fernando
Susan Burt
Jackelynn Fish
Dawn Jones
Kathleen Lado
Kristin Pancoast
Tanya Lewis
Susan Politsky
Christine Ligon
Diane Schiller
LaToya Myers
Jennifer Sherlock
Lisa Tedesco
Amanda Wheeler
Susan Burt
Donna Berry
Patricia Quackenbush
Diane Costanzo
Stephanie Hummel
PUBLICATIONS
“Implementation of Transition in
Care and RelationshipBased Care to
Improve Rehospitalization”
Home Healthcare Nurse Journal, July 2015
Dorothy Iannaco
Karen Mansfield
Meryl Penalver
Jennifer Vecere
AWARDS
2015 Rowan University “Wall of Fame”
Award for Teaching Excellence
2015 Rowan University "Excellence in Nursing"
David Dacanay
Wins GEM Award
10
EXCELLENCE IN
ADVANCED PRACTICE
NURSING
The Giving Excellence Meaning (GEM)
Award is presented by Nursing.
com. According to Nursing.com,
David Dacanay’s nomination indicates
his exceptional love of nursing, his
compassion for patients, and his
commitment to achieving the best
possible patient outcomes.
In receiving the award, David recognized
the entire staff and leadership of Virtua
Voorhees 4A: “We are constantly
collaborating on initiatives throughout the
year. This yields positive outcomes that
transcend any one individual's vision.”
Congratulations to David and the 4A team.
Fall 2015
PRESENTER(S)
PRESENTATION TITLE
ORGANIZATION / EVENT
Donna Barto
ECG interpretation
Lippincott Clinical Nursing Conference
Donna Berry
Mary Alice Lynch
Empowering Staff Nurses to Lead in an Evidence
Based Culture: A 3-Prong Approach to Reducing
Hospitalizations
Home Care Annual Conference
Nicole Carroll
Dr Nicole Lamborne
Keeping Normal Normal : Virtua's best practice efforts
resulting in reduction in overal c/s rate, as well as
primary c/s rate. NJ Perinatal Collaborative Webinar
Dolores Buonacuore
Marianne Crane
Karen Mansfield
“Perianesthesia / Perioperative Handoff
American Society of PeriAnestheisa
Nurses National Conference
Christine Catts
Andrea Mottershead
Reduction in NICU CLABSI through shared governance
ANA Quality Conference
Marianne Crane Karen Mansfield
David Meyer
Perioperative Handoff
Association of PeriOperative Registered
Nurses National Conference
Nate Collins
Quality Reporting in AMKAI Charts - Webinar Panelist
AMKAI Webinar
Rhonda Coyle
Jaclyn Cook
Promoting a safe pain management regimen
The implementation of pressure ulcer prevention
Debora Horn
bundle on an orthopedic unit in hip fracture patient
Janet Medley-Gbassa population
Meridian Health’s Evidence-Based Care
Conference
Jessica Plum
Amanda Mazaleski
Anthony Papeika
Using a post-fall debriefing process to structure
education needs to decrease adult inpatient fall rates
Tammy Huster
Kate Gillespie
Joint Replacement Institute: Strategies for Sustaining
Excellent Patient Satisfaction and Quality Outcomes
National Association of Orthopaedice
Nurses Conference
Karen Mansfield
Donna Fahey
Integrative Nursing in the Virtua Health System
1st Integrative Nursing Symposium,
Reykjavik Iceland
Jackie Miller
Camp Oasis: Implementing a day of support for children National Oncology Nursing Society
who have a parent diagnosed with cancer
Conference
Christine Moraca
Wendy Rosen
Lauren Hodges
Shirley Donato
Virtua's Nursing Education to promote exclusive
breastfeeding to over 500 RNs across the systen
California Breastfeeding Collaborative
Susan Politsky
Relationships Among Self-Care Behaviors and
Professional Quality of Life in Oncology Nurses
International Conference of Cancer
Nursing
Toni Schmidt
Meeting the needs of AMKAI Customers
AMKAI conference
Lisa Smith
Dr. Susanne
Adamson
Barbara Hansen
Virtua system wide effort to comply with Baby
Friendly Steps 3 and 10, in effort to support exclusive
Breastfeeding
June NJ Mother Baby Summit
Christina Stone
EriKa Stahl
Victoria McClain
Skin to Skin: Making an Evidence-Based Practice
Routine Through Six Sigma
UCLA Evidence Based Care Conference
Awarded 3rd Place
Patricia Quackenbush
Medication Management in Home Care – Practical
Solutions to Drive Better Results
Home Care Annual Conference in Florida
Sharice Thayer
Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy in the Hormone Receptor
Positive Breast Cancer Patient
Best of ONS Congress 2015
11
C on tr ib ut or s
Amy Glasofer
Carly Richman
Leslie Foran-Lee
Karen Ruffin
Maryanne Kuchler
Maria Benemerito
Sharon Camperchioli
David Kruidenier
Stephanie Hummel
Susan Politsky
Richard Pessagno
Jeannette Conrad
Dorothy Boresky
401 Route 73 North
Lake Center Bldg. 50, Suite 404
Marlton, NJ 08053
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PAID
Permit No. 1775
Bellmawr, NJ 08031
E di to ri a l B oa rd
Dorothy Boresky
Cheryl Carr
Karen Kemmerer
Mary McCormick
VirtuaNurse welcomes contributors
and editorial review board members.
Contact Dorothy Boresky at
[email protected].
You’re a VirtuaNurse
– share it with
pride. Write to
NursingNews@
virtua.org if you need
a magnet to display.
All things Nursing are now in
one place for easy access on
the VINE. SharePoint? Check.
Policies? Check. And much
more. Just go to the VINE
and click on Virtua Nurse.
Presenters from Virtua Marlton at Meridian Health Conference, left to right: Rhonda Coyle, Jaclyn Cook, Debora Horn,
Janet Medley-Gbassa, Jessica Plum, Amanda Mazaleski, Anthony Papeika View All Nursing Accomplisments on pages 10 - 11.