Performance Improvement Research

Joe Gulker, RN

EPIC Programmer/System Analyst, IT Clinical Applications, Premier Health Support Services

Joe is very supportive of bedside nursing and uses his nursing background and knowledge to assess the information technology requests that are made, to make plans to remediate the documentation issues, and to reassess the outcomes based on changes made. He reaches out to fully understand the request of the customer and has the interest of the patient in mind as he builds EPIC functionality to support the bedside nurse leader to provide the safest and most efficient care possible. He uses respect and integrity throughout his work. He makes recommendations to frontline staff for improving EPIC to assist staff in caring for patients safely and efficiently. He embraces the requests made of him, and ensures that he understands department workflows, provider, nursing, and patient needs. The end product is time saved for staff, and safety or flow improvements for patients. Joe also is very patient and nursing focused. He uses AIDET during interactions with customers, and is a solutions-oriented problem solver.

Sarah Joann Gustin, RN

Clinical Order Set Analyst, System Operations – Resources Content, Premier Health Support Services

Sarah is deserving of the Quality Innovator award because she continually strives for excellence. Her job requires knowing or researching evidence-based practices, communicating with many disciplines to gain consensus, providing members of her team with detailed follow-up, maintaining forward momentum, and offering options to content experts who might not fully understand the informational technology available. She is driven to meet the needs of the customer, particularly the patient. She keeps safety at the forefront of decisions. This quality innovator also is very in tune with systemization to decrease variation, increase safety, and decrease costs. She is very savvy with particular members of the team who can show a lot of resistance to proposed changes. Sarah is very knowledgeable, respectful, and enjoyable to work with. She walks the talk and puts patients first, ensuring their safety while improving efficiency with streamlined care.

Sandy Holland, BSN, RN

Clinical Nurse, Jamestown Emergency Center, Miami Valley Hospital

Sandy is a fantastic leader for our team. She has been in a leadership role for a long time, but it takes more than a title to make a leader. When she is faced with a challenging situation, such as bedbug decontamination, she works with key stakeholders to develop a consistent process to manage the problem and prevent spreading. Once, a nurse facing change in the department said, “I’m so stupid; I’m never going to get this.” Sandy kindly smiled and said we were all getting used to change, and that, because we’re human, it doesn’t mean we’re stupid; it just means that getting used to change takes practice and time. The nurse was so thankful for an encouraging word of kindness, with less highlight on the one miss and more on the overall process. Managing difficult messages and constantly putting out fires is a difficult feat – but not too much for Sandy, though. She recently stepped in to provide interim leadership for a satellite team, and has been so engaged with them that they are embracing new processes that previously had no staff buy-in. Sandy’s maturity, poise, and leadership style set a great example for how to lead. She is a transformational leader, and incredibly deserving of this award.

Shannon Ohl, BSN, RN, CEN

Associate Nurse Manager, Emergency Trauma Center, Miami Valley Hospital

Shannon started as a staff nurse, became a clinical nurse manager, and is now our associate. She has completely blossomed and goes above and beyond for staff and the hospital each day. She has been a huge part of the new chart flagging process we recently rolled out. She also recently started a respite room for Emergency Department staff. It is a wonderful area where we can go to clear our minds. We see and deal with a lot, and it’s wonderful to know our associate nurse manager cares enough to set up such a nice room. Additionally, she has implemented name tags with photos of nurses, doctors, and residents that we use on department boards. Ancillary staff and new residents have commented on how nice it is to know who they are looking for. Shannon is an extremely valuable resource for nearly everything, and her communication and follow-up is always timely. If someone is having problems with their schedule or home life, she will do anything in her power to make it easier on them. She is not just a co-worker, but a friend to most of the staff. Shannon is a beautiful person inside and out, and a huge asset to our department.