N U R S I N G U P D A T ETHE WORK OF THE NURSE AT YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL

2010–2011

1 Letter from Sue Fitzsimons

2 Letter from the Staff Nurse Council Co-Chairs

3 Transformational Leadership

6 Magnet!

8 Structural Empowerment

11 Exemplary Professional Practice

19 New Knowledge, Innovations and Improvements

22 Recognition

32 Presentations and Publications

NURSING UPDATE 2010–2011

Marna P. Borgstrom, CEO, Yale-New Haven Hospital: For many years, we have been proud of the high-quality, compassionate care our nurses provide to our patients. I am delighted that this excellence in care was recognized with the prestigious Magnet designation last May. I applaud our nurses and their significant contributions to the hospital’s excellent environment of care.

Richard D’Aquila, President and COO, Yale-New Haven Hospital:Earning Magnet is truly a team sport that involves each and every member of a hospital’s staff. Fortunately, Yale-New Haven Hospital has a very deep and committed bench of employees who carried the day last May. While surveyors focused on our nurses, they also examined the engagement of all staff to see how well they worked together to deliver the highest quality care to patients. This collaboration is a hallmark of care at YNHH and helped earn us this prestigious designation.

Peter N. Herbert, MD, Chief of Staff, Yale-New Haven Hospital:Magnet designation is an important reflection of how well our physicians and nurses work together to improve the outcomes of our patients. Achieving Magnet designation, however, is not the end of our work to improve patient care. We remain focused on reducing falls, pressure ulcers and blood stream infections and achieving other national patient safety goals – improving outcomes is at the core of what we do for our patients.

Joseph R. Crespo, Chair, Yale-New Haven Hospital Board of Trustees:The members of the hospital’s Board of Trustees are extremely proud of the work of our nurses and absolutely delighted that the hospital has earned the prestigious Magnet designation. The dedication of our highly trained and professional nursing staff will ensure that Yale-New Haven Hospital continues to be one of America’s finest

academic medical center hospitals.

YNHH celebrates its successful journey to Magnet

Dear Colleagues and Friends of Nurses:

This issue of Nursing Update compiles 18 months of your achievements – not just one year. We took this approach because the past 18 months reflect the enormous work you did to keep us successfully focused on our journey to Magnet – the designation we achieved on May 24, 2011!

Throughout the journey, you – our nurses – dealt effectively and safely with record-breaking numbers of patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. All the while, you worked to improve practice and advance research that the American Nurses Credentialing Center examines carefully when it evaluates a hospital’s Magnet application. You prepared brilliantly for the site visit in late March, engaging the interdisciplinary team so they would know the importance of Magnet and how vital their collaboration was to receiving this important designation.

This issue captures the achievements of one of the finest nursing staffs in the United States. During our five-year journey to Magnet, I have seen you grow and mature as professionals. You have become adept at searching out and adapting best practices. The remarkable efforts of our Staff Nurse Council have harnessed the enormous energy, passion and experience of our bedside nurses. Collaborative governance is now the way we work and communicate. It is staff and management joined together to achieve excellent patient outcomes that is ingrained in the fabric of nursing life at Yale-New Haven.

As a result of this rigorous journey, you are a more confident group of nurses. You have more to say about practice and more to write, and you are doing both. Take a look at the list of presentations and publications in this issue. Sharing your findings locally and nationally are yet another indicator of the quality of your practice and your increasing willingness to share it with appreciative audiences.

Earning Magnet has created pride and energy among our nurses and staff that I still feel today. After reading this Nursing Update, you will have no doubt that the exceptional nurses of this institution have the training, creativity and expertise to take on any challenge and opportunity that the healthcare profession has in store for us in 2012 and beyond.

How you defined yourselves early in our journey is now official – Yale-New Haven Nursing: Simply the Best. This Nursing Update captures what you do extremely well – so, enjoy your story and celebrate your well-deserved designation as Magnet nurses.

Sincerely,

Sue Fitzsimons, RN, PhD Chief Nursing Officer Senior Vice President Patient Services

Ynhh celebrates its successful journey to Magnet

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Dear Colleagues:

The Staff Nurse Council of Yale-New Haven Hospital celebrated its fifth – and another very productive – year in 2011. And that is before we even include the fact that we earned Magnet designation in May! What a year for YNHH nurses!

When we began our journey to Magnet, our Chief Nursing Officer Sue Fitzsimons knew the hospital needed to have a mechanism that would understand and promote the important concept of collaborative governance – a foundation of Magnet excellence. With Sue’s and nursing leadership’s support, that mechanism became the Staff Nurse Council.

Over the years, we have taken root, grown and blossomed. We now serve as the very effective conduit for harnessing the excellent work of the nurse at the bedside. We use the structure of collaborative governance to achieve excellence through continuous improvement and innovation. When the Magnet surveyors came to audit us in late March, we demonstrated:

• theinnovativewaysweimprovecaretoourpatients

• howwesubmitideaselectronicallythroughthenursingwebsite

• howweuseevidencetosupporttheideassubmittedbystaffnurses

• howweformalizedtheprocessofcompletingpracticechange.

Clearly, they were impressed with our work because on May 24, we heard the fabulous news that we had been chosen to be among the 6 percent of U.S. hospitals recognized for its exceptional nursing care.

Even as we continued our journey to Magnet, the SNC worked on important projects to:

• streamlinecommunicationthroughoutthedivisionofnursing

• developweight-basedmedicationdistributionwithPharmacy

• improveoutcomeswithpreemiesbyofferingunwaveringsupportofbreastfeeding

• standardizenursingpracticeacrossallinpatientandoutpatientunits

• adopttheNationalInstitutesofHealthstrokescalewhichhelpedYNHHachieveits credential as a stroke center.

We also developed what will become an annual event – Collaborative Governance Week. Over the course of 24 hours, we conducted two road shows during which we visited every unit in the hospital, as well as satellite campuses on all shifts, so we could personally talk to staff members. In addition, posters highlighting the work of our 14 clusters were on display in the Atrium for all to admire. And, Staff Nurse Council presented Nursing Grand Rounds and reviewed where SNC started, where it is currently and our vision for the future. An off-site collaborative governance retreat crowned the week.

These were just the highlights of a spectacular year of achievement. To all the nurses at YNHH, we celebrate you and all you do! Nurses chose the theme song for our Magnet journey well –Tina Turner’s hit, “Simply the Best.” We are proud to agree: you truly are “simply the best.”

Sincerely,

Rhonda Pattberg, RN

Deborah Gallagher, RN

Rhonda Pattberg, RN Deborah Gallagher, RNLabor and Delivery Pediatric Emergency DepartmentStaff Nurse Council Staff Nurse CouncilCo-Chair Co-Chair

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Transformational Leadership

and nursing then made process changes within their own departments.

Nurses evaluated the time they spend at the bedside taking care of patients, workflow interruptions and duplication of work. As a result, nurses now start each shift with a safety huddle, give uninter-rupted nurse-to-nurse paperless reports, and at change of shift, hand off patients at the bedside. Nurses help patients establish their goal for the day, while the PCAs round during change of shift and they have created a medication quiet safety zone.

These changes have dramatically

improved the focus on patient safety and satisfaction. In Press Ganey, patients say they value creating the day’s goal and like that staff introduce themselves as they change shifts.

“TPC is no longer an initiative,” says Lisa Rioux, RN, Transforming Patient Care team. “It is the way we care for pa-tients at YNHH.”

Ynhh – a 24/7 city – provides more support for nurses at nightAs Yale-New Haven’s reputation as a destination hospital has grown, it became

Transforming Patient Care increases patient safety and satisfactionAt YNHH, Transforming Patient Care (TPC) is the success story of departments working together to improve patient care.

The initiative began with the TPC team spending more than 3,500 hours to dis-sect the delivery of patient care across the spectrum of nursing and support depart-ments. Team members from pharmacy, food and nutrition, clinical and plant engineering, environmental services, materials management, information technology, laboratory and blood bank

Under the leadership of Sue Fitzsimons, chief nursing officer, and Diane Vorio, associate chief nursing officer, members of the hospital’s Nursing Cabinet and Staff Nurse Council meet regularly to set goals, measure success and ensure consistency of communication.

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increasingly apparent to nursing leader-ship that the off-shift nurses needed as much support, guidance and resources as day shift nurses receive.

In the past year, YNHH has greatly strengthened its presence during the off-shift with the introduction of a new role: the off-shift nurse leader (OSNL). The OSNL focuses on clinical matters and mentors new nurses, supports those advancing on the clinical ladder, fa-cilitates care in emergent or challenging situations, and advocates for patients and families in clinical issues.

Nursing activities that take place on days are regularly conducted on the off-shift and include nursing grand rounds, unit-based research initiatives, real-time clinical practice and unit council meet-ings. With the support of OSNLs and off-shift executives, a group of night-owls has even developed an indoor walk that they take – just like their day counter-parts – during their middle-of-the-night “lunch” hour.

“Off-shift nurse leaders provide a consistent presence that is crucial when questions of practice come up,” says Jasper Tolarba, RN, one of five off-shift nurse leaders. “This role provides our night staff with the same level of support and resources our day staff enjoy.”

YNHH’s call center increases referrals 30 percentAs increasing numbers of patients and physicians choose Yale-New Haven Hos-pital for their care or their patients’ care, the hospital is fulfilling its goal to become a top-10 “destination” hospital.

In 2010, to make it easier for doctors to transfer patients to YNHH, the hospital implemented Y-Access, a call center ex-clusively for physicians who can call a toll-free number 24/7 and speak directly with a person who will expedite their request to transfer a patient to YNHH. Paramed-ics, nurses and bed management associ-ates facilitate the safe transfer and flow of patients to and within YNHH.

“The patients we receive are high-acuity patients who need the level of care that

Staff Nurse Council enters its sixth year at YNHH

The respected work and accomplishments of the YNHH Staff Nurse Council continue to attract outstanding staff nurses to provide two years of service. Shown in the first row (l-r) are: Kathy Cavanaugh, RN, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; co-chairs Rhonda Pattberg, RN, and Debbie Gallagher, RN; Heidi Rillstone, RN, Temple Surgical Center PACU; and Jillian Orlando, RN, Pediatric Specialty Center. In the second row are (l-r): Maria Jorge, RN, Surgical Trauma Step-Down Unit; Michele Flowers, RN, Ambulatory Operating Room; Donna Andruskiwec, RN, Pediatric Oncology; Laurel Jonason, RN, Newborn Special Care Unit; and Cory Kroon, RN, Surgical Intensive Care Unit. In the third row are (l-r): Joshua Knickerbocker, RN, Pediatric ED; Tina Capstick, RN, Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU); Gary Bouley, RN, Centralized Staffing and Scheduling; Katrien Derycke-Chapman, RN, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit; and Natalie Komoroski, RN, SICU.

Adult Emergency Department

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only a hospital like Yale-New Haven can give,” explained Jeanette Bogdan, RN, senior manager, Bed Management, PFAS. “Because of our expertise, we have always been a referral center but now that doctors can call a dedicated number and speak with a clinician, transfers here have grown by more than 30 percent in the first year.”

Bogdan points out that Y-Access also admits pediatric patients – some of whom are brought to YNHCH with the help of the hospital’s pediatric transport team using a specially equipped ambulance to transport the children.

Five years ago, Yale-New Haven Hospital instituted a nurse residency program to reduce the nurse terminations and increase the employee satisfaction of the recent nurse BSN graduates it was hiring. The 12-month program, in which nurses are assigned a preceptor and meet monthly with other nurse residents, has been a success. Nurse retention rates at YNHH are at or above the national average when compared to hospitals that do not offer the program to their new graduate nurses.

YNHH Nurse Residency Program helps new nurses succeed

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OUT

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MAGNET!With a phone call from the director of the American Nurses Credentialing Center on May 24, 2011, Yale-New Haven Hospital proudly took its place among only 6 percent of American hospitals that have earned this prestigious honor.

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The Pedi ED uses simulation technology to prepare for trauma treatmentYale-New Haven Hospital Children’s Hos-pital is one of only two Level 1 pediatric trauma centers in Connecticut. Last year, more than 13,000 children suffering a serious trauma or illness were brought to YNHCH by parent, ambulance, or even helicopter for urgent treatment.

Training is crucial to helping the staff be constantly prepared to handle any trau-ma that comes through the door. To con-tinually advance the training of all staff in the PED, doctors and nurses routinely

Structural Empowerment

use the hospital’s simulation center’s state-of-the-art computerized manikins to hone and maintain their skills – including faster endotracheal tube taping, assembly of the rapid infuser machine, blood trans-fusion, time to defibrillation, and chest tube assembly and improved intraosseous needle insertion.

While the PED has called mock codes for a long time, the advanced simulation technology has raised training to a new and higher level. “Simulation provides practice in a safe place, where participants can test their knowledge and skill without risk to the patient,” says Denine Baxter,

RN, patient service manager, Pediatric Emergency Department.

“It allows us to reduce the time it takes to provide life-saving treatment so we are ready for any child who needs expert trauma care,” says Kristen Clark, assistant patient service manager, PED.

YNHH runs cardiopulmonary resuscitation marathons for nursesIn 1960, the American Heart Association (AHA) started a program to introduce physicians to closed-chest cardiac resus-

Pediatric Emergency Department

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citation which became the forerunner of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training for other healthcare profession-als and the general public.

More than 30 years ago, YNHH de-veloped a program that trained hospital nurses in effective CPR techniques, developed by the American Heart Associa-tion. In 2006, the hospital’s Center for Professional Practice Excellence devel-oped a new format using online resources to provide training in CPR in what has become known as the CPR Marathon, now held three times a year. In addition to nurses, the marathons train PCAs, EDTAs, milieu counselors and constant companions.

After completing an online CPR course, nurses may attend the marathon where they complete the psychomotor practice and competency validation for adult, infant and child CPR skills. At the CPR Marathon, participants also learn to properly use the life-saving automated external defibrillators that are available throughout the campus.

“This innovative strategy of training provides the staff with a convenient and efficient method to learn potentially life-saving techniques,” said Bonnie Sanders-Newton, RN, MS, education specialist, Center for Professional Practice Excel-lence and YNHH American Heart Associa-

tion Training Center Administrator. “It is training that may save a life in the hospi-tal, at home or in the supermarket.”

nurses establish Advanced Practice nurse CouncilDuring Yale-New Haven’s successful journey toward Magnet designation, nurse leaders recognized an opportunity to more fully incorporate and engage its approxi-mately 250 advanced practice nurses.

In February 2010, the Advanced Practice Nurse Council was established to develop a peer review process and to strategically align the group with frontline nurses and nursing leaders. Katherine Tucker, APRN, associate director, Heart and Vascular Center, was named chair in 2010 and Marianne Davies, APRN, Oncology, was named co-chair in 2011.

Council members include nurse practi-tioners, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists and representatives from each of the hospital’s 13 clusters. The council began by conducting a survey of its APNs to identify ways it could impact the practice for the APN’s throughout YNHH. Overwhelmingly they replied that they wanted the council to focus on advocacy.

YNHH introduces popular 10-session boot camp for new nurses

To better prepare graduate nurses, new registered nurses, student nurses, experienced but-new-to-YNHH nurses and nurse technicians, the hospital’s Center for Professional Practice Excellence introduced a popular program – called the Med/Surg Boot camp – in June. New orients now attend 10 intensive classes that include simulation and classroom training. This graph indicates the popularity of the boot camp classes in preparing new orients for their work on medical, surgical, oncology and Heart and Vascular Center units and in Centralized Staffing and Scheduling (resource pool).

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Plans are already under way to develop the peer review process for APN practice and pilot the process in several areas of the hospital in 2013.

“Our advanced practice nurses repre-sent a very rich resource and considerable expertise which is spread throughout the hospital,” said Tucker. “With the council, we can tap into this resource while giving advanced nurses a unified voice.”

Perioperative nurses ramp up internal training, competenciesThis year, Perioperative Services recog-nized the need to improve internal train-ing and education and established the Perioperative Education Advisory Council to facilitate the effort. The council’s mission is to increase competencies and excellence in practice standards among all staff, but with a focus on nurses. The council also worked with a consultant from the Association of Perioperative Nurses who evaluated the staff education-al infrastructure and made suggestions for improving it.

To engage all staff in the process, the nurse-led council and unit representatives developed an online questionnaire for each perioperative unit to capture their specific learning needs.

T H R E S H O L d

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So far, the council has purchased and is using “Periop 101,” a national online program to orient and educate nurses who are new to the OR. Periop 101 includes modules and a final exam; the program also provides material that prepares preceptors. The council’s goal is to standardize delivery of the most current best-practice tools.

“In the OR, the entire team is respon-sible for the success of the procedure and the safety of the patient,” says Ena Wil-liams, RN, director, Perioperative Nursing Services. “Everyone has to be well trained so as a team, we can ensure the high-est standards of safety and care for our patients.”

oncology nursing has good year for professional advancementProfessional advancement was a focus this year for oncology nurses at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven and it was a successful year. Nurses increased certification through the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), advanced on the hospital’s internal nursing ladder (RCAP), and successfully submitted abstracts to local and national conferences.

This year, 12 nurses from throughout Smilow successfully passed the oncology certified nursing (OCN) exam and the In-fusion Center on the 7th floor of Smilow was recognized because more than half its staff is OCN-certified.

With significant support from man-agers who recognize how advancing improves nurse practice, 30 oncology nurses continued their climb on RCAP. Twenty-four achieved CN II and six nurses advanced to CN III.

At the ONS National Congress, YNHH oncology nurses submitted seven abstracts for review; four were chosen for poster presentations and one was accepted as a podium presentation. Locally, oncology nurses presented four additional abstracts at the Joseph Zaccagnino Safety and Qual-ity Conference in 2011. Their varied topics included: the detailed preparation for the move to Smilow; the role of the resource nurse; and implementing chemotherapy

home infusion pumps. “Professional advancement is the

way of life for nurses who work in the oncology setting,” said Monica Fradkin, RN, MPH, oncology nursing education coordinator. “Increasingly, we are seeking opportunities that will allow nurses to improve practice and develop presenta-tion skills.”

sacred heart university makes “house calls” for nurses seeking Bsn degreesResearch shows that the number of BSN-prepared nurses in the workforce of an acute care hospital correlates to decreased patient mortality rates. As a Magnet-designated hospital, Yale-New Haven takes these data very seriously and this year made getting the BSN degree easier for its nurses.

YNHH expanded a relationship it has with nursing educators at Sacred Heart University (SHU) who now offer on-site classes at YNHH, providing a convenient alternative to traveling to Sacred Heart’s Fairfield campus. The Accelerated Cohort Program began in September with a group of 19 nurses, who will earn their degrees in August 2013. In addition, the hospital’s tuition reimbursement program helps nurses defray the cost of tuition.

The program allows registered nurses who have completed general prerequisite courses to earn a total of 63 credits within two calendar years. Eight three-hour classes are scheduled for the first semes-ter in 2012. Many courses combine web-based distance learning with traditional classroom courses; others are offered totally online.

“Magnet sets high standards for hospi-tals that earn this designation and advanc-ing the education of nurses is a Magnet standard,” says Mary Ellen Kachuba, RN, MSN, who coordinates the program. “This partnership is going to make it easier for more of our nurses to attain that important BSN degree.”

Surgical Oncology unit

Radiation Therapy, Shoreline Medical Center

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Exemplary Professional Practice

Earthquake brings Haiti and YNHH together, both in Haiti and at YNHHAfter a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, Cynthia Mann, MD, an at-tending YNHH pediatrician, volunteered in Haiti where she met the president of a small hospital in Port-au-Prince. They discussed the enormous needs of the Hai-tian medical community. Upon returning, Dr. Mann began to coordinate a shadow experience at YNHH for Rigan Louis, the newly appointed nurse manager/educator

of a 34-bed hospital with a small emer-gency department that treats as many as 200 patients a day.

“My goal is to fill my brain with every-thing I can to raise the level of nursing at my hospital,” Louis told the nurses he worked with in YNHH’s adult and pedi-atric emergency departments, Newborn Special Care, obstetrics and gynecology, and neurology during his two-week visit in March 2011. “I also need help standard-izing nursing practice.”

Robyn V. Hewitt RN, MSN, service line

educator, Adult Emergency Department, introduced him to the hospital’s Clinical Practice Manual (CPM), the foundation of clinical practice and a vital resource for the nursing staff.

“Rigan immediately embraced the value of having a CPM for his staff,” said Hewitt. “Developing one would be a daunting task for one person, but ours provided a good beginning for this small hospital wishing to elevate the standards of care it provides to its patients – one practice standard at a time.”Radiation Therapy, Shoreline Medical Center

Cardiac Medicine Unit

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Psychiatric admission nurse role streamlines process, reduces stressPatients are presented for admission to Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital from three main sources: the hospital’s Crisis Intervention Unit located in the Emergency Department, the general hos-pital and the community.

Being admitted could be time-consum-ing and confusing and for many patients – who are acutely ill and agitated – very stressful. Nurses and members of the psychiatric interdisciplinary team worked to improve the process and piloted a new role: the admission nurse.

YNHPH successfully introduced the role on its Dual Diagnosis Unit – the patient care unit that cares for patients with substance abuse disorders and psychiatric illness. Previously, the nurse who admitted the patient would also be involved in patient care and discharging, and could then be asked to assess and ad-

mit a patient. Patients and families were frequently frustrated with the process.

The admission nurse role has also been implemented on the Adult Inpatient Unit and is contributing to improved patient satisfaction on both units.

“From the start, the admission nurse takes the lead in coordinating the care for each new patient and that is reassuring for them,” explains Pam Mathews, RN, service line educator, YNHPH. “Patients are now better informed and less anxious, and that is crucial to their recovery.”

Nurses lead effort to create tool to manage inpatients’ glucoseControl of blood glucose levels in the inpatient setting is a challenge in any hospital because proper management re-quires vigilance on the part of many team members. At YNHH, decision support nurse analysts matched data from blood

glucose meters with hospital data and worked with a multidisciplinary team to develop a scoring system called the Qual-ity Hyperglycemia Score (QHS).

The QHS provides accurate and timely feedback on unit-level performance. It represents a single value from 0-100, in-dicating the quality of inpatient blood-gas management and uses a color code that visually highlights a unit’s performance.

Internally, the QHS has raised addi-tional questions that both research and quality improvement projects are now studying. Diabetes nurse specialist Annie Kaisen, RN, is currently working with nursing leaders and clinicians to use the QHS to improve practice. Externally, the Connecticut Hospital Association has recognized Yale-New Haven’s QHS devel-opment team with its John D. Thompson Award for Excellence that recognizes the delivery of health care that effectively uses data. In addition, nurses were the lead authors of a recently published article on the development of the QHS in Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics (13:7).

On Transplant Unit, all staff “own” the patientsYale-New Haven Transplantation Center provides hope for high-risk patients who are in need of a transplant. Innovations in surgery at YNHTC include living donor, split, reduced and mono-segment liver transplantation.

The Transplant and Liver Unit of the Yale-New Haven Transplantation Center cares for patients who are both pre- and post-liver and kidney transplant patients. This allows staff to follow patients from their initial evaluations through their surgery and beyond.

Working to keep a patient in physical, mental and emotional condition for a successful transplant takes a multidisci-plinary team. Physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, nutritionists, social workers and pharmacists together offer an unparalleled level of expertise to meet the needs of patients and their families.

Nurses participate in all aspects of YNHTC and provide a professional voice

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Shoreline Medical Center

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in clinical care, education, committee work and quality improvement initiatives.

Last year, the YNHTC performed 50 liver and more than 120 renal transplant procedures. Outcomes are excellent: liver recipients have one-year survival rates at 98 percent and kidney recipients at 99 per-cent. Transplant Unit team members are dedicated to “owning” each patient. This ownership contributes directly to excellent care, remarkable survival rates and patient satisfaction scores at the 99th percentile.

YnhCh’s eCMo program recognized Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a potentially life-saving heart and lung bypass system that takes over the functions of these organs, allowing time to diagnose and treat critically ill or injured children and enabling the organs to heal.

Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital is the only facility in Connecticut that provides this service to newborns and

children. The ECMO program involves a multi-disciplinary team including pedi-atric surgeons, neonatologists, pediatric intensivists, perfusionists, nurse practi-tioners, physician assistants, intensive care nurses and respiratory therapists. At YNHCH, approximately 50 neonatal/pedi-atric registered nurses are trained to care for patients requiring ECMO.

Established in 1992, YNHCH’s ECMO program treats up to 10 patients a year and has a survival rate of 75 percent. In 2010, the Neonatal/Pediatric ECMO Program at YNHCH received the “Excel-lence in Life Support” award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, an international consortium of healthcare professionals and scientists dedicated to the development and evaluation of novel therapies for support of failing organ systems. This award demonstrates Yale-New Haven’s commitment to exceptional patient care, its investment in specialized equipment and supplies, defined patient protocols, advanced education of all staff and high quality standards.

Care coordinators lead pilots that reduce readmissions

(CMS) has determined that hospitals need to reduce the rate of readmissions for patients in three categories: acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia and congestive heart failure (CHF). CMS will decrease reimbursement for hospitals which do not attain acceptable goals.

At YNHH, nurses, doctors, physician assistants, pharmacists and nutritionists are working with care coordinators to identify methods to decrease readmis-sions in the CHF population. An inter-disciplinary team developed an approach that has already dramatically decreased readmissions for patients with primary CHF on two units and a pilot is under way on another two units.

Discharge planning starts on admis-sion and involves the patient and family. Patients participate in recording daily weights, learning about their medica-tions and self care, and nurses are skilled in educating patients and their families

Electroconvulsive Therapy unit, Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital Emergency department, Shoreline Medical Center

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid

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about successful after-discharge care. They carefully cover medication reconciliation at time of discharge and discuss how the pa-tient can obtain needed medication. Care coordinators call patients within 48 hours of discharge and again in two weeks.

In one month, this attention to detail resulted in a 50 percent decrease in read-mission for patients on these units and gives momentum to the pilots that are in the works for other units.

Ynhh nurses and PCAs now in uniformOver the past year, nurses and patient care associates have switched to color-coded uniforms that clearly identify staff by their role. The Yale-New Haven Hospital logo is embroidered in white thread on the scrub tops of each uniform and beneath it, RN or PCA is embroidered in large, readable type. Nurses and PCAs chose the colors of their uniforms and wanted them to be complimentary: nurses wear royal blue and PCAs wear a lighter shade.

“I will make a great first impression” is the first line of the hospital’s Service Excellence pledge and the new uniforms help employees do just that. Even more importantly, uniforms contribute to patient safety because patients and their families can now easily identify nurses and PCAs.

“Since we introduced uniforms, we have heard consistent positive feedback

about how professional our nurses and PCAs look. Our uniforms allow patients, families and doctors to identify caregiv-ers and it reminds them of our commit-ment to safety and quality,” said Francine LoRusso, RN, director of patient services, Heart and Vascular Center, who notes that YNHH joins other major academic hos-pitals which have also adopted uniforms. “Choosing uniforms is a major invest-ment that reinforces our commitment to patient- and family-centered care.”

nurses respond enthusiastically to off-shift nursing Grand rounds With 8,500 employees – 2,300 of whom are nurses – Yale-New Haven Hospital is a dynamic institution that pulses 24/7 as it serves more than 57,000 inpatients per year. It is a destination hospital, well-known for its care of transplant, cancer, cardiac, stroke and pediatric patients.

In the past 18 months, Yale-New Haven has implemented significant changes to better involve and train its off-shift nurs-ing staff, providing them with the same support and resources that day-shift staff enjoy. Attending day-time Nursing Grand Rounds is so difficult for night-shift nurses that the hospital has instituted Nursing Grand Rounds for the evening and night shifts.

Patient Services presents the same topics during Nursing Grand Rounds at night –

including the NIH stroke scale, understand-ing sickle cell patients, and current legal issues – that it presents during the day.

Nurses have responded enthusiastically to the nighttime Nursing Grand Rounds and appreciate that they are receiving the same educational opportunities as their day-shift colleagues.

“As a nationally recognized destination hospital, we have to ensure that our night-time nurses and staff receive the same re-sources that our day staff receives so that we provide an absolutely seamless continuum of safe, high-quality care for our patients throughout the day and night,” said Jasper Tolarba, RN, off-shift nurse leader.

smilow yields opportunity for advanced practice providersShortly after the 168-bed Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven opened in October 2009, Catherine Lyons, RN, MS, joined Smilow as its clinical program director. With many years of oncology nursing leadership experience in major cancer centers, Lyons quickly assessed her resources and saw an opportunity to align the hospital’s advanced practice providers (APPs) with the Smilow model of patient-centered, multidisciplinary care.

Working collaboratively, Thomas J. Lynch, Jr., MD, Smilow’s physician-in-chief, Ruth McCorkle, RN, PhD, a professor at Yale School of Nursing and an expert in advanced oncology practice, Connie Engelking, RN, MS, a consultant to Smilow, and Lyons developed a two-year plan to study the issue of develop-ing the best model of advanced practice providers in an oncology setting.

In the first phase of the study, advanced practice providers and physicians – some of whom were unaware of the full capabilities of APPs – conducted focus groups and col-lected data on practice patterns and percep-tions of the role internally and from major cancer and academic medical centers.

To standardize practice and better utilize APPs, the group developed recom-mendations for a leadership structure for APPs as well as a council structure that will engage them and others. This fall,

Cardiac Medicine unit

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Smilow expects to begin the search for a manager who will oversee the practice of advanced practice providers in Smilow Cancer Hospital. The position will be integral to taking the practice of these providers to the next level, in addition to developing metrics for measuring their contributions to patient safety, productiv-ity and quality.

Ingenuity + nighttime brainstorming = bed alarms that light and ring!Most of the patients on the Medical/On-cology Unit in Smilow Cancer Hospital are at high risk for falling. Concerned staff – seeking a way to decrease falls – spent part of a night brainstorming ideas.

Bed and chair alarms rang in the room but not in the hallways and staff felt this contributed to fall rates. So, two nurses and a patient care associate analyzed exit alarms, the centralized call bell system and response time. The team also inves-tigated the beds and chairs and noticed both had electronic ports.

Excited, they searched for a cord with an end compatible with the beds, chairs and the centralized call bell system. They tested a cord they thought might work and as dawn approached – found one that did!

Now when a patient gets out of an alarmed bed or chair, a light goes on in the hallway and the call bell rings, alerting staff. Integrating the bed and chair alarms with the centralized call bell system has

already improved the fall rate on the unit. In addition, the staff who developed

this low-cost, ingenious solution have shared their technology with units which have patient populations at risk for falls.

“For our patients, it’s a balance between being safe and being independent,” says Thomas Fedora, RN, Med/Onc Unit. “We work closely with our patients to prevent falls and this new system provides another set of eyes and ears to keep them safe.”

nurses lead program for treating newborns with neonatal Abstinence syndromeFor nearly a year, the nursing staff in Ma-ternity and the Newborn Special Care Unit (NBSCU) have collaborated on a novel approach to caring for newborns who were exposed to addictive drugs while in the mother’s womb, thus subjecting them to withdrawal symptoms upon delivery. Treating the malady, known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, used to require separating the babies, who were cared for in the NBSCU, from their mothers, who went to Maternity.

Now the babies accompany their moth-ers to Maternity, where they can breastfeed and benefit from skin-to-skin bonding. “Literature showed that if you don’t sepa-rate mother and baby, the newborns were less likely to withdraw,” says Liz O’Mara, RN, patient service manager, Maternity Services, and the program’s director. “And that if they did withdraw, it could be less

severe because of the bonding with mom. That’s what drove us to make the change.” Helena Azzollini, RN, NBSCU, and Maria Delucia, RN, Maternity, were responsible for implementing the program.

While data-supported results of the program’s first year are currently being compiled, O’Mara offers one strong piece of anecdotal evidence. “Some babies can now be discharged right from Maternity with their mothers,” she says, “and that wouldn’t have happened before.”

sofAB is key to safe patient flow At Yale-New Haven, safe patient flow means putting the right patient, in the right bed at the right time with the right information to ensure a safe discharge.

In the past, meetings surrounding discharge were less frequent and focused more on discharge than on an effective plan of care that would assure the pa-tient’s safe and efficient discharge.

To improve discharges, Medicine services met with the hospitalist team to reframe the process that all members of the team could follow. Meetings were named SOFAB, an acronym for:

> Summary of patient’s history and present status

> Overnight events such as abnormal lab values

> Functional status of the patient

> Awaiting or pending tests, labs

> Barriers to discharge

The charge nurse leads the daily SOFAB meeting—starting and stopping the meeting on time. She/he leads the team to follow the format and discuss each pa-tient for only 1–2 minutes. The business associate supports SOFAB by assuring paperwork readiness, entering the antici-pated discharge time and documenting variances.

As a result, Medicine has been able to achieve a 20 percent discharge by 11 a.m. rate, increased physician and nursing staff satisfaction, improved communica-tion and achieved patient perception that the care team works together.

8 pm interdisciplinary huddle

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new observation unit supports safe patient flowPrior to the opening of the hospital’s first observation unit this spring, patients on observation status were located on multiple patient care units. Localizing this patient population on a single unit increases the efficiency of medical, nursing, ancillary and consulting services. Since it opened, the unit has implemented order sets in SCM for eight specific diagnoses. In addition, staff members have developed collaborative relationships that lead to expedited consults and testing results, ultimately providing patients with safer care and improving safe patient flow – especially as the hospital regularly operates near capacity.

Observation care includes short-term treatment, assessment and re-assessment

Nurse-Sensitive Outcomes

YNHH nurses meet Magnet requirements for outcomes with greater than 50% units scoring higher than national benchmarks for eight quarters.

Inpatient units metrics Magnet requirements: All metrics must exceed 50% unit compliance

Q1 fY2010 – Q4 fY2011Number of

UnitsNumber of

Units > 50%% of Units

> 50%

Falls per 1000 patient days 25 16 64%

Hospital acquired pressure ulcers - HaPu 32 18 56%

11 8 73%

Restraint prevalence (adult & pedi) 32 22 69%

Labor and birth antibiotic prophylaxis non-emergent C-section 1 1 100%

Labor and birth VTE prophylaxis non-emergent C-section 1 1 100%

Pediatric IV infiltrates 7 7 100%

adult Emergency department

of patients by a dedicated staff of nurses, hospitalists, cardiology attendings, physi-cian assistants and nurse practitioners. Emergency Department physicians deter-mine which patients should be placed on observation based on severity of illness and the intensity of services ordered to treat the illness. The typical 24- to 48-hour stay in the observation unit allows the medical staff to properly gauge the pa-tient’s response to treatment. The degree to which a patient responds guides the clinical decision to either admit the patient or release him/her from observation.

“This 14-bed unit enhances our ability to diagnose and care for patients and positively impacts the patient experience here,” said Felicia Lober, RN, MBA, care coordinator.

Ynhh honored for its work with refugeesApproximately 200 men, women and children settle in the city of New Haven each year – refugees from their home countries.

IRIS is a federally funded program designed to provide new refugee arrivals with the tools they need to improve their health and wellness in their new home. In 2007, IRIS contacted the YNHH Primary Care Center (PCC) to partner in a program to meet the specialized health-care needs of this population. IRIS and YNHH staff including staff nurses and physicians collaborated and developed the Adult Refugee Clinic which got its start in October 2008.

PCC staff meet with IRIS to develop ways that the new clinic could best serve the refugees. For example, the Refugee Clinic now orders all lab work prior to their visits and IRIS provides interpreters who come to the clinic with the refugees. The flow of the clinic has improved; staff feel competent in caring for the refugee patients and patients feel welcome and have a positive experience.

In 2010, the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition honored the physi-cians and nurses in Yale-New Haven’s adult and pediatric Primary Care Centers for their work with adult and child refu-gees and immigrants.

Central line associated blood stream infections - CLaBSI (includes 5 BSI metrics by birth weight for NBSCu)

Y A L e - n e w h A V e n h o s P I T A L 1 7

Total falls per 1,000 patient days

Since 2008, YNHH nurses have taken the lead in reducing the number of falls that patients have while in the hospital. Nurses have influenced the purchase of new products, including chair alarms and SOMa beds, and have introduced signage on patient care units that indicate patients who are at high risk for falls. Their efforts have contributed to decreasing falls, which in 2011 numbered less than 2.5 falls per 1,000 patient days. Nurses continue to work aggressively to drive the number of patient falls to zero.

2008 2009 2010 2011

nursing support successfully sends patients home with VADsIn February 2011, The Joint Commission certified Yale-New Haven Hospital to implant ventricular assist devices (VAD) in patients diagnosed with end-stage heart failure – whether or not they are candidates for heart transplant. YNHH, one of fewer than 100 hospitals nationwide certified for the procedure, is uniquely qualified with the arrival in the past year of two surgical directors, Abeel Mangi, MD, and Pramod Bonde, MD, who specialize in implanting these mechanical cardiac devices.

Because VAD recipients can return home and survive with the devices for extended periods, nursing staff in the hospital’s related cardiac units are now specially trained to educate patients, their families and appropriate community care providers on a range of management issues, from proper medication regimens to dealing with power failures. ambulatory Surgery, third floor, East Pavilion

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1 8 N U R S I N G U P D A T E

A support system is crucial to patients liv-ing with a VAD outside the hospital. Nurses are vital members of the multidisciplinary team that includes physicians, pharmacists, and social workers, who monitor VAD patients when they leave YNHH.

“We’re helping these patients learn how to live with the devices,” says Francine LoRusso, RN, director of patient services, YNHH Heart and Vascular Center. “Thanks to this procedure and the support we give our patients, a growing number are success-ful with their VAD. We can now give them hope and improve their quality of life.”

Ambulatory Services boosts patient satisfaction with Customer Service InitiativeIn 2009, YNHH’s Ambulatory Services Di-vision (ASD) formed an internal, 15-person committee to brainstorm ways to improve ASD’s already-high Press Ganey score, then at 91.4. “Our goal was to go from great to exceptional,” says Bertie Chuong, RN, MS, the division’s nursing director of Procedural and Recovery Services.

Since then, ASD has rolled out a Cus-tomer Service Initiative that has not only boosted patient care and satisfaction but also lifted the staff ’s professionalism and morale. The initiative includes:

> Internet cafés in reception areas, pro-viding family members and visitors space to use their laptop computers, tablets, and smart phones

> Children’s play stations in two recep-tion areas, highlighted by kid-sized desks stocked with crayons, coloring books and other diversions

> Bright green, reusable, patient garment bags, made from recycled materials and featuring YNHH and ASD logos

> A comprehensive resource guide to YNHH physicians, updated twice a year

> “Thank you” note cards, signed by the patient’s entire care team, and presented at discharge

> Beepers for paging family members

> Staff recognition for acts of Service Excellence

“Our fabulous staff really stepped it up with great ideas,” says Chuong, adding that ASD’s most recent Press Ganey score rose to an impressive 94.1.

Electromagnetic technology quickly replacing inserting feeding tubes blindlyNurses regularly use feeding tubes to provide nutrition, fluids and medications to hos-pitalized patients. While feeding tube placement is a frequent intervention, it comes with risks that can cause patient harm, such as aspiration, pneumothorax or improper placement of the tube in the GI tract.

To maximize safety during feeding tube insertion, YNHH has embraced the use of electromagnetic technology that allows nurses and medical staff to visualize the tip of the feeding tube during insertion. A receiver is placed on the patient’s chest that receives a signal from the feeding tube stylet as a real-time display shows the progression of the tube’s tip during placement.

“Since we implemented this technol-ogy last February, we have not placed one feeding tube into a lung,” said Dawn Cooper, RN, service line educator in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). “Placing jejunal tubes is also easier when we use this technology. This is important for our patients because when they are critically ill, they tolerate jejunal feeding better than gastric feeding.”

Cooper notes that at the same time, using the electromagnetic transmitter has greatly reduced the risk of aspiration during enteral feedings.

“Inserting feeding tubes blindly has become a thing of the past at Yale-New Haven,” Cooper said.

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Ambulatory Services Division

Evening rounds

Y A L e - n e w h A V e n h o s P I T A L 1 9

new knowledge, Innovations and Improvements

epic demonstrations offer nurses a glimpse into their near futureNurses at YNHH, as well as at Greenwich and Bridgeport hospitals, have been vital members of the “build team” dedicated to Epic, the electronic medical record system that will begin to be implemented across the entire Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS). The first “go-live” was at Greenwich in April; YNHH is sched-uled for early 2013, and demonstrations of Epic have begun in units throughout YNHH and will continue until the go-live date.

“We’re going to bring the system to every unit so nurses can see exactly how it works, and will be better prepared for the go-live,” says Ellen Makar, RN, MSN, director, Nursing and Clinical Trans-formation. Makar’s informatics team manages nursing data that factor largely in designing the unique Epic software for YNHHS. “Demonstrations prior to implementations will help nurses under-stand the efficiencies that Epic and the new clinical practice model will offer even before they fully experience its benefits when implemented.”

Just as nurses have been highly involved in the Epic build, they’ll also be instru-mental in helping to improve the system over time, as will Makar’s team. “We’re going to rely on nurses to find the best ways to work with Epic in order to provide a better patient experience,” she says, “and then spread best practices through-out the hospital.”

nursing Data Management office and epic: data streams for safety and qualityDuring Yale-New Haven’s successful five-year journey to attaining Magnet designa-tion, it became clear that nurses needed a mechanism for gathering and disseminat-ing data in a practical and understandable

way so they could make the best use of it.Out of this need was born the vir-

tual Nursing Data Management Office (NDMO), which provides the infrastruc-ture for gathering, sharing and using data effectively.

“The NDMO now puts data monthly rather than quarterly into the hands of nurses,” says Ellen Makar, RN, MSN, director, Nursing and Clinical Transfor-mation. “Updating data regularly makes a significant difference in how our nurses think about and use data to advance safe and quality practice.”

Currently, YNHH is working toward implementing Epic – part of which in-cludes a comprehensive electronic health record that will connect hospital patients and participating community practices, in 2012. Epic’s EMR will provide an impor-tant trove of data that nurses will be able to dissect to get at issues like reducing falls on their units.

“As a Magnet institution, we must use data to improve performance and exceed national benchmarks,” says Makar. “We are preparing to use the data Epic will

begin to generate this year to create the tools that allow nurses to advance safety and quality for patients.”

Active committee raises awareness about organ and tissue donationNationally, almost 120,000 people are waiting for transplants; 1,220 of them live in Connecticut and 898 are on the Yale-New Haven waiting list.

Transplantation provides hope to thousands of people with organ failure, and tissue transplantation can restore mobility after debilitating injury, heal severe burns, restore sight and prevent amputation.

At YNHH, nurses, doctors, and repre-sentatives from pharmacy, social work, religious ministries and the New England Organ Bank serve on the hospital’s Organ Donation Committee. The commit-tee works to implement best practices, provide education to hospital staff and increase the donation rate by raising awareness of the importance of donation.

Evening rounds

Pediatric Emergency department

2 0 n u r s I n G u P D A T e

To raise awareness within the hospital, the committee raises a special “Donate Life” flag each time a family makes the deci-sion to “give the gift of life.” On the streets around YNHH, the committee attached spe-cial signage to the hospital’s shuttle buses reminding passersby that April is Organ Donation Awareness month.

In Connecticut, only 38 percent of licensed drivers are registered as organ, tissue and eye donors. As the need for organ donations keeps pace with medical and pharmacological advances, the Organ Donation Committee will keep organ and tissue donation in front of Connecticut resi-dents and urge them to register as donors.

YnhCh awarded prestigious Picker grant for end-of-life programIn 2011, the Newborn Special Care Unit (NBSCU) of Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital received a prestigious grant from the Picker Institute, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to ad-vancing the principles of patient-centered care. The hospital will use the grant to implement an end-of-life (EOL) care program for infants and their families by creating educational materials, skills training through simulation and debrief-ing sessions for staff as well as funds for photography and memory boxes for parents experiencing the death of their infant.

The program developed by YNHCH staff is called Premature Life Transitions and is designed to improve compassion-ate family-centered communications be-tween members of the neonatal interdis-ciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and chaplains, and grieving parents who are facing the death of their newborn. Transitions developed out of the special needs in the NBSCU where in 2010, 90 babies died – 60 per-cent in their first seven days of life.

“We developed Transitions to help parents be decision-makers who are ac-tively involved in caring for their critically ill infant,” said Janet Parkosewich, RN, DNSc, nurse researcher, Patient Services.

“We also want to help staff develop the communications skills they need to pro-vide information and comfort to parents who are about to deal with an unspeak-able loss.”

oncology Cluster creates user-friendly web pages web pagesNurses on the Oncology Cluster this year took on the challenge of developing a user-friendly website for oncology nurses in Smilow Cancer Hospital. The result is a dynamic, user-friendly tool that nurses can access from clinical workstations and at the bedside.

To create interest and improve com-munication, the cluster created a yearlong program that celebrates each of the inpa-tient and outpatient units in Smilow. Each month, a writer highlights the unit of the month and creates a slide show with mu-sic that focuses on staff and their accom-plishments. Before the page makes its online debut, cluster staff host a breakfast or evening pizza party on the unit. The slideshows are then posted on the website so nurses can get to know each other and learn about safety and quality initiatives on sister units.

The website also supports nurses with information they need to advance their careers, anticipate patient problems, and educate themselves and their patients. The website provides printable, search-able teaching tools, nurse-generated innovations, best practices, management/educator-generated changes in practice, and links to policies, procedures, journal articles and websites, and a central online forum. Nurses can access this informa-tion using the wireless on wheels, in real time, at the bedside.

Clinic improves quality of care for women living with hIVWomen with HIV hesitate to be regularly screened for cervical cancer – the leading cancer among women who are infected.

To help their patients, the Quality Improvement Committee of the Nathan Smith Clinic (NSC) – the hospital’s clinic dedicated to helping patients with HIV – initiated a project called Women Be Well Week. During three days of Na-tional Women’s Health Week, doctors, nurses and educators held the clinic’s first screening during which they performed Pap smears, pelvic exams, STD screening

Newborn Special Care unit

Y A L E - N E W H A V E N H O S P I T A L 2 1

tests, mammograms, immunizations and a HIV risk reduction workshop, and pro-vided information on breast self exams and nutrition.

“We could not have hoped for a more successful event,” said Wynnett Stewart, RN, clinical services manager, Nathan Smith Clinic. “Our patients were over-whelmingly pleased with the additional services we provided. Doctors were also thrilled that we were able to provide some services that their patients had resisted until our special health week.”

With support from the hospital’s Auxiliary, Yale Medical School and nurse leaders, NSC staff are already planning to make the health week a semi-annual event. Stewart notes that prior to Women Be Well, the clinic’s pap smear rate was 15 percent; today it is 69.3 percent.

The hospital’s Nathan Smith Clinic, which treats the area’s AIDs patients, offered its women clients a “Women Be Well Week” where nurses and medical staff encouraged them to have a Pap smear, pelvic exams, mammograms, screenings for sexually transmitted diseases and more. In one year, nurses were able to drive the Pap smear rate for clients from a lackluster 15 percent to more than 69 percent – and plan to get it higher at their next event.

2010 2011

Successful “Women Be Well Week” increases Pap smears, tests

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2 2 N U R S I N G U P D A T E

Recognition

Excellence in Nursing awards a significant event during Nurse Week At Yale-New Haven Hospital, a signifi-cant event during the annual Nurse Week reception is the Excellence in Nursing awards presentation. Starting in March, nurses and members of healthcare teams are invited to nominate colleagues in nine areas of excellence. Members of the Nursing Award and Recognition Commit-tee review the nominations and make the final selections.

“Our awards seek to find excellence in nurses who are at all stages of their career and in areas that support our reputation for superb nursing,” said Sue Fitzsimons, RN, PhD, senior vice president, Patient Services. “Each year, we find those nurses who are truly excellent and who cumula-tively have a positive and lasting impact on the practice of nursing here at Yale-New Haven.”

2010

Nine of the 10 winners of Nursing Excellence Awards were photographed after the ceremony. In the front row (l-r) are: Kelly Grimshaw, RN, Transplant Unit, Nursing Education Excellence; Cheryl Raab, RN, Obstetrics, Outstanding Impact on Patient Safety and Quality; Tanaz Mistry, RN, Hematology/Oncology, Professional Practice Excellence; and Nancy Bormet, RN, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Preceptor of the Year. In the second row (l-r) are: Lisa Barbarotta, RN, clinical nurse specialist, Oncology Nursing, Advanced Practice Excellence; Pauline Obura-Wilkes, RN, assistant patient service manager, Adult Short-Stay Unit, Excellence in the Charge Nurse Role; Erin Radocchia, RN, Maternal Special Care, Early Clinical Practice Excellence; Katie Donohue, RN, Labor and Birth; Lynne Sherman, RN, Pediatric Specialty Center, Karen Camp Nursing Management Excellence; and Sue Fitzsimons. Marcie Gawel, RN, Pediatric Emergency Department, Graduate Nurse of the Year, was unavailable for the picture.

2011

Recipients of this year’s Nursing Excellence awards are (l-r, first row): Andi Campbell, RN, Graduate Nurse of the Year; Cindy Morelli, RN, Excellence in the Charge Nurse Role, Adult Short-Stay Unit; Jennifer Savo, RN, Transplant Unit, Preceptor of the Year; Kathy Cavanaugh, RN, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Professional Practice Excellence; and Brooke Spadaccino, RN, Orthopedics Unit, Nursing Management. In the second row (l-r) are: Patricia Kenyon, RN, Orthopedics Unit and Care Coordination, Outstanding Impact on Patient Safety and Clinical Quality; Sue Fitzsimons; Dawn Cooper, RN, MS, Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Advanced Practice Excellence; and Belen Hilario, RN, MICU, Early Clinical Practice. Unavailable for the photo was Lynn MacCubbin, RN, service line educator, Heart and Vascular Center.

Y A L e - n e w h A V e n h o s P I T A L 2 3

Ynhh was the state’s first hospital to make a DAIsY Award Just as spring rewarded New England with its presence, Yale-New Haven be-came the first hospital in Connecticut to participate in the national DAISY Award program.

The DAISY Award program was created by the parents of a man who died at the age of 33 of an auto-immune disease. In the eight weeks J. Patrick Barnes was hospitalized, his parents were so touched by the care that the nurses gave him and his family that they are memorializing the special work all nurses do with this rec-ognition program which is now in almost 900 hospitals nationwide.

YNHH has incorporated DAISY (Dis-

eases Attacking the Immune System) into its nurse recognition program. Each month, the hospital’s Award and Recog-nition Committee chooses from nomina-tions that nurses, doctors, patients, staff or volunteers submit for the nurse whom they feel exemplifies clinical skill, leader-ship and compassionate care for a patient and his or her family.

Lucy Foster, RN, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, was the first YNHH nurse to receive a DAISY Award. Since Foster, the following nurses have been honroed with a DAISY: Theresa Scharn, RN, Cardiac Medicine Unit; Lisa Jones, RN, Medicine Unit (7-5); Kimberly McHenry, Pediat-ric Surgery Center; Jona Wilson, RN, Newborn Special Care Unit; Paul Bruch,

RN, North Pavilion Operating Room; Kim LaPia, RN, Women’s Oncology Services; and Jeffery Baron, RN, Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Ynhh nurses receive nightingale Awards for excellence in nursingThe Nightingale Award honors nurses from greater New Haven area hospitals and healthcare institutions. YNHH, the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut, the Hospital of St. Raphael and the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven sponsor the annual award program that has grown signifi-cantly since it was introduced in 2000.

“Patients who come to Yale- New Haven

Lucy Foster, RN, the recipient of the first DAISY Award at YNHH, came into work for what she thought was a staff meeting. What she found in front of the PICU was a celebration in her honor! Shown are (l-r): Richard D’Aquila, president and COO; Cynthia Sparer, executive director, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital; Sue Fitzsimons, RN, PhD, senior vice president, Patient Services; Thomas Martin, RN, service line educator, PICU; Bonnie and Mark Barnes, who co-founded the DAISY Foundation; Foster; and Diane Vorio, RN, MSN, associate chief nursing officer.

2 4 N U R S I N G U P D A T E

Hospital are cared for by an exceptional team of nurses,” said Sue Fitzsimons, RN, PhD, senior vice president, Patient Services. “The Nightingale Awards give us an important opportunity to showcase some of the dedicated nurses who deliver the world-class care for which we are known.”

Two YNHH nurses named nurse leader fellows in 2011In 2011, the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) chose two Yale-New Haven Hospital nurse leaders to be fellows: Tracy Carafeno, RN, MS, patient service manager, Women’s Services and Surgical Oncology, and Jennifer Ghidini, RN, MSN, patient service manager, Medical Intensive Care Unit and the MICU Step-down Unit.

“Yale-New Haven nominated both of these outstanding nurse managers and AONE chose them for its prestigious fellowships,” said Sue Fitzsimons, RN, PhD, senior vice president, Patient Services. “They join a number of other YNHH nurses who have completed AONE fellowships. The expertise they gain through this fellowship enriches the entire organization and helps us continually raise the bar on how we define excellence for YNHH nursing.” (See photo page 25.)

Seven of 2010’s 14 Nightingales joined Sue Fitzsimons (right), RN, PhD, senior vice president, Patient Services, for a photograph. Shown (l-r) are: Deborah Pantera, RN, Pediatric Oncology Treatment Center; Kim Whelan Riccitelli, RN, Adult Inpatient – YNHPH; Kathryn Munroe, RN, Community Health; Jeff Curran, RN, Transplant Unit; Margaret Pinto, RN, Gamma Knife Center; Donita Anderson-Osga, RN, Surgical Intensive Care Unit; and Helen Conde, RN, Surgery Unit (6-4).

All 12 of the 2011 YNHH Nightingales were able to have their class photo taken at the dinner with Sue Fitzsimons. Shown in the front row (l-r) are: Laura DeVaux, RN, Medical Intensive Care Unit; Lynn Thompson, RN, Women’s Center; Erin Patton, RN, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; Martha Cavalier, RN, Pediatric Surgery; Lucille Alouah, RN, Pediatric Surgery Unit; and Heidi Bill, RN, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Standing in the second row are (l-r): Michael Hayes, RN, Centralized Staffing and Scheduling; Anna Lisa Porter, RN, Surgical Intensive Care Unit; Cory Kroon, RN, Surgical Intensive Care Unit; Fitzsimons; Nancy Dickinson, RN, Maternity; Ann Ryder, RN, Medical Intensive Care Unit; and Yahuza Samu, RN, Trauma Surgery/Step-down Unit.

Y A L E - N E W H A V E N H O S P I T A L 2 5

RCAP Advancements 2010 & 2011

Clinical Nurse IV

Donna Bodden Cardiovascular Laboratories

Gary Bouley Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Christina Capstick Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Roseann DellaVentura Newborn Special Care Unit

Katrien Derycke-Chapman Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Guy Dufresne Cardiac Step-down Unit

Louise Dunphy Newborn Special Care Unit

Susan Hotchkiss Medical Oncology Multispecialty Unit

Katherine Kenney South Pavilion Operating Room

Donna McCormick Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Kathy McKiernan Medical Intensive Care Unit

Mary McNally Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Victoria Murtha Medical Oncology Unit

Lynne Page Medical Intensive Care Unit

Sherilynn Petit Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Dawn Petrucci Surgical Trauma Step-down Unit

Annalisa Porter Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Gina Solomon Hospital Research Unit

Cheryl Thomas Medical Intensive Care Unit

Clinical Nurse III

Pia Allen Children’s Psychiatric Inpatient Service

Lucille Alouah Surgery Unit (7-2)

Andrea Altmannsberger Shoreline Surgery Center

Catherine Alvarez Cardiac Medicine and Surgery

Gwenda Amarante Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Sondra Arbona Maternal Special Care Unit

Azaleah Austin Medical Intensive Care Unit

Annette Avallone Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Patty Averna Ambulatory Services Division - Surgical

Jeffrey Baran Medical Intensive Care Unit

Jennifer Barna Medical Intensive Care Unit

Stephanie Barrett Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Samantha Bean Maternal Special Care Unit

Julie Beck Hematology Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Amy Bennett Medical Intensive Care Unit

Leigh Berrien Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Darin Bershefsky Pediatric Specialty Treatment Center

Kathryn Bodnar Adult Emergency Department

Deborah Bok Temple Endoscopy

Claudia Bonilla Medical Intensive Care Unit

Lisa Cashman Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Elizabeth Cellini-Raleigh Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Leslie Cleary Maternal Fetal Medicine

Rumolo Co Medical Intensive Care Unit

Cathleen Cohen South Pavilion Operating Room

Barbara Consiglio South Pavilion Operating Room

Denise Corso-Greene Newborn Special Care Unit

Darlene Cox Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Corinne Crane Shoreline Surgery Center

Karen Crouse Adult Emergency Department

Lisa Crowther Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Carrie Cuomo Medical Intensive Care Unit

Jeffrey Curran Transplant Center Unit

Elizabeth Dailey Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Erica Daniels Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Richelle Delegiro Adult Emergency Department

Sue Fitzsimons (center) recently congratulated Tracy Carafeno (left) RN, MS, and Jennifer Ghidini, RN, MSN, who were 2011 American Organization of Nurse Executives fellows.

2 6 N U R S I N G U P D A T E

Maria Delucia Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Laura DeStefano Express Admissions Service

Kathryn Dias Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Christine Drew Smilow Infusion Center

Colleen Earley Smilow Infusion Center/Day Hospital

Kimberly Ebel Ambulatory Procedures (GI) Center

Michelle Erba Medicine Unit (9-7)

Joanna Evardone White Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Kathleen Famiglietti Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Pediatrics

Allsion Febbroriello Maternal Special Care Unit

Catherine Finch Temple Recovery Care Center

M. Michele Flowers South Pavilion Operating Room

Christina Forstrom Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Maria Fradiani-Carbone Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Melissa Gambaccini Smilow Infusion Center

Jennifer Gargano Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Jamie Giaquinto Adult Emergency Department

Heather Gilluly Adult Emergency Department

Emily Gonzalez Newborn Special Care Unit

Victoria Harrington Medical Oncology Unit

Andrew Hastings Cardiovascular Laboratories

Stephanie Hedberg General Neurosciences Unit

Belen Hilario Medical Intensive Care Unit

Jennifer Hoy Adult Emergency Department

Leah Imperial Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Nataliya Jatsiv Surgical Oncology Unit

Lorrie Johnson Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Cimberly Jostrand Ambulatory Services Division – Surgical

Rebecca Kadel Surgical Trauma Step-down Unit

Jennifer Kohloff Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Bonnie Landon Medical Intensive Care Unit

Stacey Lane Temple Endoscopy

Liliana Lara Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Rena Kane Laughlin Adult Emergency Department

Carine Laverdiere Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Aleksandra Leighton Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Kristie Lianos Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Melissa Livolsi Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Dierdre Lonergan Orthopedic Surgery Unit

Theda Matarese Shoreline Surgery Center

Kathleen Mazzarella Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Patricia McTague Cardiovascular Laboratories

Rebeka Mitchell General Neurosciences Unit

Christina Monico Smilow Women’s Infusion Center

Cynthia Morelli Medicine Unit (4-7)

Conny Nunes Interventional Radiology Laboratories

Margaret O’Connor Ambulatory Services Division – Surgical

Virginia O’Neill Ambulatory Services Division – Surgical

Melani Pagano-Therrien Pediatric Respiratory Care Unit/Neuroscience Unit

Maria Diana Paterno Ambulatory Operating Room

Melanie Pipping South Pavilion Operating Room

Peggy Podoloff Crisis Intervention Unit

Melanie Ponte Pediatric Short-Stay Unit

Erin Radocchia Maternal Special Care Unit

Karen Rendero Maternal Special Care Unit

Margaret Ricciardi South Pavilion Operating Room

Heidi Rillstone Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Nicole Sanchez Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Desire Sanchis Smilow Infusion Center

Madeline de los Santos Medicine Unit (10-7)

Meaghen Scalley Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Jared Scandiffio Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Cheri Scarpello Hematology Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Jennifer Schmidt Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Linda Secor Ambulatory Services Division – Surgical

Nancy Sirvi Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Amy Smith Transplant Center Unit

Lisa Spears Medical Intensive Care Unit

Melissa Spears Medicine Unit (5-5)

Jamie Sposa Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Ivette Stephenson Maternal Special Care Unit

Eileen St. John Medicine Unit (9-7)

Marc Tangredi Adult Emergency Department

Darce Vedrich Cardiovascular Laboratories

Ann Susan Vitagliano Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Lisa Waterbury Interventional Radiology Laboratories

Cheryl Watts Express Admissions Service

Kimberly Weidman Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Marie Williams Medicine Unit (9-7)

Ebony Wright Pediatric Operating Room

Alyssa Yardis Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Daniel Zweeres Medicine Unit (9-7)

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Clinical Nurse II

Samantha Ackermann Maternity Post-Partum

Agnes Alejandrino Ambulatory Operating Room

Joseph Anastasio Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Terrence Anderson Medicine Unit (10-7)

Marlon Ansaldo Adult Emergency Department

Sherly Antony Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Ernesto Araza Shoreline Medical Center Emergency Department

Christine Arroyo Pediatric Operating Room

Nkechi Asoh Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Cindy Austin Shoreline Medical Center Emergency Department

Helena Azzollini Newborn Special Care Unit

Jonathan Babiarz Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Safisha Baker South Pavilion Operating Room

Myrlande Banica Adolescent and Geriatric Unit: Psychiatric

Elizabeth Beals Medicine Unit (9-7)

Tara Benedetto Medicine Unit (4-7)

Joelle Bent Medicine Unit (9-7)

Jennifer Berardo Surgical Trauma Step-down Unit

Aram Berberian Medical Intensive Care Unit

Maria Biehler Medicine Unit (9-7)

Melissa Birmingham North Pavilion Operating Room

Dawn Boisvert South Pavilion Operating Room

Caitlin Borer Medicine Unit (9-5)

Stephanie Borjas Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Patricia Borrelli Medicine Unit (7-5)

Carla Botticello Transplant Center Unit

Jessica Braveman Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Nurses well represented among Service Excellence HeroesStarting in 2007, Yale-New Haven em-ployees have nominated the employees who best exemplify the standards of the hospital’s Service Excellence pledge.

To date, four classes of 16 employees have been chosen and their pictures grace the walls of Yale-New Haven Hospital. Their large-scale portraits tell each of their stories and how they interact with patients and employees to ensure that patients, families and visitors have a qual-ity experience when they are at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Nurses account for approximately 27 percent of the hospital’s 8,500-em-ployee work force and many of them are nominated each year as Heroes for the exceptional care they give patients and the high standard of care they set for all employees.

In 2010, four nurses were chosen as Service Excellence Heroes and another four were chosen for the fourth class of Heroes for 2011-2012. They represent in-patient and ambulatory practices ranging from the care of neonates to a nurse who specializes in infection prevention.

In 2010, the hospital’s four nurse-Heroes were: Linda Anderson, RN, Care Coordination; Inger Christensen, RN, Photopheresis; Camisha Taylor, RN, as-sistant patient service manager, Pediatric Surgery; and Mary Weir, RN, OR Suites, Perioperative Services. In 2011, nurse-Heroes included: Piper Brien, RN, Clinical Bed Management/PFAS; Louise Dunphy, RN, Newborn Special Care Unit; Shelley Harrigan, RN, Adult Primary Care Center; and George Paci, RN, Infection Preven-tion Specialist, Quality Improvement Support.

Service Excellence Heroes were recently photographed with Sue Fitzsimons, chief nursing officer. They are (l-r) are: Fitzsimons, Camisha Taylor, Mary Weir, Louise Dunphy, Piper Brien, and Ena Williams, RN, director, Perioperative Nursing Services, who serves on the Service Excellence Heroes Nominating Committee.

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Carrie Britton Pediatric Emergency Department

Alissa Broadbent Labor and Birth

Emily Bumbaco Medical Oncology Unit NP 12

Emma Buonaito Medicine Unit (4-7)

Gavin Campbell Adult Emergency Department

Jenna Cannavaro Cardiac Step-down Unit

Charlene Cannon-Heinrich Newborn Special Care Unit

Emily Carlone Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Lily Carnright Surgical Oncology Unit NP 15

Minola Carrano Surgical Oncology Unit NP 15

Tara Carrasquillo Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Nicole Casbarro Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Pediatrics

Carolina Castellano Medicine Unit (7-5)

Sabine Cayo Medicine Unit (9-7)

Erin Cerrito Acute Care for Elderly Unit

Monoj Chacko South Pavilion Operating Room

Audra Charette Surgical Trauma Step-down Unit

Marie Charlevois Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Rebecca Chatfield Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Shannon Childs North Pavilion Operating Room

Jennifer Chiodo Perioperative Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Chris Chmura Adult Emergency Department

Kendra Chmura Pediatric Emergency Department

Bethany Cilberto Adult Emergency Department

Soryorelis Cirino Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Elisabeth Ciszkowski Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Jennifer Claude North Pavilion Operating Room

Caroline Conant Medicine Unit (10-7)

Anna Coppola Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Michelle Coppola Medicine Unit (10-7)

Amy Cosimelli Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Orlaith Cunningham Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Diana DaCruz Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Jennifer Dahlgard Labor and Birth

Katherine Daniels Transplant Center Unit

Stacey Dathyn Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Freddie Dayao North Pavilion Operating Room

Rowena Decker Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Maura Dehm Hematology Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Debra DellaMonica Temple Radiology

Cathy Demers Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Sarah Denny Surgical Oncology Unit NP 14

Marnie Dickens Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Arlene Dolan Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Tami Dondero Pediatric Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Mercedes Donovan Shoreline Medical Center Emergency Department

Tara Donovan Adult Emergency Department

Jamie Dunbar Medicine Observation Unit

Brienna Durante Labor and Birth

Jennifer Durnik-FitzGerald South Pavilion Operating Room

Monica Dwake Pediatric Primary Care Center

Lori Eburg Cardiac Step-down Unit

Nicole Eddy Adult Emergency Department

Amanda Edgerton Surgical Oncology Unit NP 14

Isobo Erekeosima Medicine Unit (7-5)

Odette Espaiollat Medical Intensive Care Unit

Lindsey Esposito Medical Intensive Care Unit

Erin Faalafua Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Kitty Fan Transplant Center Unit

Kirsten Fazzino Medicine Unit (9-7)

Thomas Fedora Medical Intensive Care Unit

Christina Ferrucci Surgical Oncology Unit NP 14

Charlene Fleming Surgical Oncology Unit NP 15

Fabiola Fleury Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Wilma Flores South Pavilion Operating Room

Abigail Flynn Hematology Bone Marrow Transplant Unit

Rica Fonacier Medicine Unit (9-7)

Brenda Fontanez Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Paul Fontanez Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Maria Fraenza Pediatric Emergency Department

Karen Frank Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Megan Frank Surgery Trauma Step-down Unit

Michele Frank Medicine Unit (9-5)

Courtney Frederick Surgical Oncology Unit NP14

Kaitlin Fritz Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Marichelle Fuertes Adolescent and Geriatric Unit: Psychiatric

Julie Gabriel Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Jennifer Gaetano Shoreline Medical Center Emergency Department

Maria Gargamelli Adult Emergency Department

Heidi Gaudio Adult Emergency Department

Marcie Gawel Pediatric Emergency Department

Michele Geist Shoreline Surgery Center

Jennifer Gerstein Labor and Birth

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Holly Gifford Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Sarah Gillespie Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Donna Gilson Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Emma Glennon Medicine Unit (7-5)

Hilda Gneiting Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Elizabeth Gonzalez Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Kellie Graham Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Lisa Grillo-Fitzmaurice Shoreline Medical Center Emergency Department

Carolyn Haight Medicine Unit (9-7)

Maria Hansen Interventional Radiology Laboratories

Jennifer Hatfield Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Jennifer Healey Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department - Intensive Care Unit

Christen Heller Orthopedic Surgery Unit

Lisa Henneberry Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Alethea Henry Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department - Intensive Care Unit

Katlyn Henshaw Medical Oncology Unit

Stacey Herens Medical Oncology Unit

Joanne Heskes Ambulatory Services Division – Pre-op Calls

Meisha Hilliard Medicine Observation Unit

Sara Hirx Pediatric Operating Room

Kathryn Holley Pediatric Emergency Department

Lynne Hojnacki Medicine Unit (4-7)

Mary Lindsey Hopper Adult Emergency Department

Kelli Horvath Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Alexandra Hrvatin Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Sharrie Hutt Medicine Unit (9-7)

Marissa Iaiennaro Medicine Unit (9-5)

Yemi Ikhile Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Stephanie Iovino Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Sarah Israelson Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Ronda Jack Medicine Unit (5-5)

Timiki Jackson Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Ebony Johnson Medicine Unit (9-5)

Jennifer Jorge Medical Intensive Care Unit

Maria Eugenia Jorge Surgical Trauma Step-down Unit

Bridgid Joseph Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Eleanor Juada Ambulatory Operating Room

Kara Kaman Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Blair Kavanagh Medical Intensive Care Unit

Helena Keeney Medicine Unit (9-7)

Erin Kehlenbach Medicine Unit (6-5)

Michelle Keithline Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Nicole Keller Medical Oncology Unit

Eileen Kennedy Surgical Oncology Unit NP 14

Adila Khan Medicine Unit (10-7)

Sarah Khanna Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Rebecca Klein Surgical Oncology Unit

Margaret Koller Newborn Special Care Unit

Peter Konieczka Medicine Unit (9-7)

Patricia Kono Multispecialty Center Infusion/Solid Tumor Infusion

Melissa Koroscil Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Catherine Kranzfelder Medicine Unit (5-3)

Amanda Kut Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Nicole E. Lambert Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Nicole Lambert Medicine Unit (10-7)

Jean Lanuza Adolescent and Geriatric Unit: Psychiatric

Sally Lapadula Shoreline Medical Center Emergency Department

Andrea Lawrence Medicine Unit (10-7/8)

HyunHwa Lee Medicine Unit (9-7)

Megan Lensi Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Jeannie Levesque Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Medical Intensive Care Unit

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Diana Lewellyn Orthopedic Surgery Unit

Elizabeth Ligon Medical Intensive Care Unit

Christine Lion Cardiac Medicine and Surgery

Erica Lucey Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Linda Lynsky Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Tiann Mack Surgical Oncology Unit

Eunice Maggay Surgical Oncology Unit

Rodelia Magsayo Adolescent and Geriatric Unit: Psychiatric

Janet Makover Adolescent and Geriatric Unit: Psychiatric

Wanessa Makowski Medicine Unit (9-7)

Nicole Maldera Pediatric Short-Stay Unit

Kaitlin Maltese Medicine Unit (9-7)

Nicholas Marrone Medical Intensive Care Unit

Sandra Marshall-Wray Smilow Infusion Center

Paula Martinka Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Sherri Martnick Medical Intensive Care Unit

Lauren Maselli Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Kathleen Massey Pediatric Emergency Department

Nikki Mast Medical Oncology Unit

Jessica Mauro Medicine Observation Unit

Susan McCarthy Surgical Trauma Step-down Unit

Casey McCluskey Pediatric Respiratory Care Unit/Neuroscience Unit

Ashlee McGuire Medicine Short-Stay Unit

Angelina McGurrin Surgical Oncology Unit

Melissa McKay Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Megan McMahon Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Emily Medina Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Jessica Melendez Medicine Unit (5-5)

Megan Melotto South Pavilion Operating Room

Claudia Millan Surgical Oncology Unit NP 14

Martha Minto Pediatric Respiratory Care Unit/Neuroscience Unit

Liezel Mosquito Maternity Post-Partum Unit

April Moss Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Kathleen Mottram Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Laura Murphy Medicine Unit (4-7)

Mary Pat Murphy Adult Emergency Department

Rebecca Murphy Adult Emergency Department

Maria Nantel Acute Care for Elderly

Stephanie Narus Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Bethany Nelson Cardiac Step-down Unit

Kaile Neuschatz Medicine Unit (4-7)

Susan Nichols Medicine Unit (5-5)

Christopher Norman Acute Care for Elderly Unit

Kay Oddie Smilow Radiation Oncology

Bridget O’Reilly Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Jacinta O’Reilly Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Jemima Owusu Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

MaryAnn Paler Medicine Unit (7-5)

Donna Parente Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Treatment Center

Natalie Paris Transplant Center Unit

Myungsook Park South Pavilion Operating Room

Megan Parker Transplant Center Unit

Deugkyoung Pape Acute Care for Elderly Unit

Anthony Pellegrino Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Darcy Perras Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Diane Perrone Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Krista Peterson Medical Oncology Unit

Kerry Petrello Cardiovascular Laboratories

Amy Petrucelli Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Megan Pfau Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Hong Duyen Phan Medicine Unit (7-5)

Nancy Picroski Surgical Oncology Unit

Gayle Pietrogallo Temple Recovery Care Center

Kristi Plano Shoreline Surgery Center – Endoscopy

Smilow Cancer Hospital

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Trina Prisco Surgical Oncology Unit

Catrice Proctor Adult Emergency Department

Kimberlee Provencher Shoreline Surgery Center – Endoscopy

Danielle Provoncha Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Alicia Purzycki Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Kelly Radecki Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Kimberley Ramjattan Newborn Special Care Unit

Alyssa Ramos Medicine Unit (9-5)

Michelle Ransom Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Jacquelyn Rawlings Medicine Unit (9-7)

Meghan Raymond Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Susan Reel Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Liberty Reyes Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Corey Richmond Children’s Psychiatric Inpatient Service

Marybelle Rivera Express Admissions Service

Vallerie Rivera Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Rebecca Roberts Medical Intensive Care Unit

Bernadette Roncallo Surgery Unit (6-3)

Kate Rooney Medicine Unit (9-5)

Jessica Rowe Medical Intensive Care Unit

Nicole Rozanski Medicine Unit (9-7)

Filomena Ruggiero Medical Intensive Care Unit

Marisa Ruggiero Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Deirdre Russo Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department – Intensive Care Unit

Gemma Sabaten Bariatric/General Surgery Unit

Jennifer Saint Clare North Pavilion Operating Room

Christine Salamida Transplant Center Unit

Lorena Salazar Medicine Unit (5-7)

Michele Santoro Temple Recovery Care Center

Dana Savo Crisis Intervention Unit

Kristina Schaefer Smilow Breast Center

Sarah Schifflett Medicine Unit (5-5)

Nonnie Schnaufer Temple Recovery Care Center

Amanda Schultz Medicine Unit (4-7)

Lawrence Sellers Medicine Unit (9-7)

Brittany Senick Transplant Center Unit

Suma Shibu Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Richard Shokite Adult Unit: Psychiatric

Abigail Smith Medical Oncology Unit

Ashley Smith Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Katelyn Solkoske Medicine Unit (10-7)

Yolanda Sousa Surgical Oncology Unit

Rachel Southard Medical Intensive Care Unit

Cheryl Spears Medicine Unit (9-7)

Rebecca Stanley Crisis Intervention Unit

Anne Stevens Pediatric Emergency Department

Cori Stevens Surgical Oncology Unit

Cynthia Stevens Pediatric Short-Stay Unit

Ashlee St. Hilarie Adult Emergency Department

Dannielle Stone Orthopedic Surgery Unit

James Sullivan Adult Emergency Department

Melissa Sumler Transplant Center Unit

Sylvia Tang Neuroscience Unit

Shante Teel Smilow Operating Room

Amy Thompson Transplant Center Unit

Patricia Thompson Medicine Unit (9-5)

Nona Timario Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Renee Tine Medical Intensive Care Unit

Marissa Tkacz Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Pamela Tobin Adult Emergency Department

Kristen Trimboli Surgical Intensive Care Unit

Angela Trinidad Transplant Center Unit

Erica Tuozzoli Medicine Unit (9-5)

Jennifer Tuveson Adult Emergency Department

Adriana Valencia Gynecology Oncology Unit NP 14

Kelly Lynn Veccharelli Medicine Unit (9-7)

Marisol Velazquez Medicine Unit (7-5)

Adam Veneziano Medicine Unit (9-7)

Michelle Verderame South Pavilion Operating Room

Jesse Villanueva General Neurosciences Unit

Bonnie Vossbrinck Maternity Post-Partum Unit

Kathleen Warner Acute Care for Elderly Unit

Maria Wasko Smilow Infusion Center

Sarah Winn Adult Unit: Psychiatric

Chinyere Wright Medicine Unit (9-7)

Fang Yang Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

Hyun Ju Yi Ambulatory Services Division – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Christine Gyoung Youn Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit

Xinghua Yu Medicine Unit (4-7)

Jeenu Zacharias Medical Intensive Care Unit

Taryn Zamary Medicine Unit (5-5)

Elaine Zarro Centralized Staffing & Scheduling Department

Joanna Zischang Medicine Unit (9-7)

Jaclyn Zywien Medical Oncology Unit

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Presentations and Publications

2010 – 2011 Nursing Presentations Two YNHH nurses honored at major national nursing conference

At the annual conference of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in 2011, Marge Funk (left), RN, PhD, and Prasama Sangkachand, RN, MSN, were honored with major awards. Funk, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, and professor of Nursing at Yale School of Nursing, spoke at the conference and was honored as the Distinguished Research Lecturer for a lifetime career in research. Sangkachand, service line educator, Heart and Vascular Center, received the association’s Circle of Excellence Award for her longtime and exceptional care of acutely and critically ill patients and the excellence of her nursing practice.

Applewhaite, M., Hersh, D., Kappus, L., Auerback, M., Brushett, M., Buglione, J., Carbone, R., Ciaburri, R., Colacchio, K., Crerend, S., Donovan, D., Dunphy, L., Hoey, C., Johnston, L., Papa, J., Sudidoff, S., & Zigmont, J. (2011, May). Widespread implementation of simulation-enhanced interdisciplinary team training. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Bacon, S., Fraser, M., Benin, A., Skinner, A., Lederer, J., Hall, W., Russell, K., & Poeppe, J. (2011, May). Improving quality of surgical instruments sterility: “Zero

bio-burden.” The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Balisciano, F., & Hirx, S. (2011, May). Normothermia: Preventing perioperative hypothermia. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Barbarotta, L., & Bush, A. (2011, May). Preventing central line associated blood stream infections: Using evidence to change practice behaviors. Poster presentation at 36th Annual Congress, Oncology Nursing Society, Boston

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Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, MA.

Barbarotta, L., & Bush, A. (2011, May). Preventing central line associated blood stream infections: Using evidence to change practice behaviors. Poster presentation at Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day –Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Barsky, C., Abramczyk, A., D’Atri, S., Bogdan, J., Fritzell, T., Fuller, M., Jenq, G., Ghidini, J., Hartman, D., Oliveria, C., Petersen, J., Schwartz, I., Seigel, M., Siner, J., Smith, C., & Zaniewski, P. (2011, May). Emergency department and medical intensive care unit-multidisciplinary safe patient flow initiative. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Baxter, D., Clark, K., & Santucci, K. (2011, March). Patient safety: Managing the wave in pediatric emergency medicine. National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) Creating Connections Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Baxter, D., Clark, K., & Santucci, K. (2011, May). Patient safety: Managing the wave in pediatric emergency medicine. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Blasiak, E. (2011, May). On the hour! Role modeling video created to improve hourly rounding behaviors. Podium presentation at 36th Annual Congress, Oncology Nursing Society, Boston, MA.

Bradley, C., & Studley, H. (2011, May). Initiative calls to SWAT for intravenous therapy support. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Burke, S., Norman, C., & Thompson, V. (2011, May). Care of the elder in the acute care setting. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Carafeno, T., Landau, M. B., & Eder, S. (2011, May). From charge nurse to research nurse: An evolving leadership role for the staff nurse. Poster presentation at 36th Annual Congress, Oncology Nursing Society, Boston, MA.

Carafeno, T., Landau, M. B., & Eder, S. (2011, March). From charge nurse to

research nurse: An evolving leadership role for the staff nurse. Gynecologic Oncology Nursing Conference, Society of Gynecologic Nurse Oncologists, Las Vegas, NV.

Chatillon, H., Phelan, P., & Zigmont, J. (2011, May). High-fidelity simulation: Its use for competency evaluation in critical care environment. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Collins, D., Gorham, N., McManus, S., Lucibello, A., Turner, A., Byrne, P., Peirson, M., et al. (2011, May). Ventricular assist device (VAD) certification journey at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH). The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Croteau, C., & Phillips, S. (2011, February). Patient safety vs. family-centered care. University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) and American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN Conference), Las Vegas, NV.

Cruz, J., Paredes, C., Just, C., Kenyon, K., Doyle, D., Klein, S., Lourenco, C., & Tommasini, N. (2011, May). Implementing an enclosure bed: Safety and savings. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Curtis, J., Cleman, M., Schwartz, I., Hewitt, R., Collins, D., Van Gelder, C., Safdar, B., Cone, D., Burns, K., Waterbury, L., Rielly, M., Creuger, C., Hastings, A., Cullen, P., Conley, A., Schrillo, G., Rayburn, E., Scalia, M., Fletcher, E., Mousch, C., & LoRusso, F. (2011, May). Improving door to balloon time (D2B) at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH). The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Dahl-Vickers, V., Petersen, J., Riley, R., White, B. A., Balcezak, T., Bacon, S., Collins, N., Lourenco, C., DeVito, C., et al. (2011, May). WorkSmart: Engaging employees and enhancing sustainability. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Donovan, D., Grossman, M., Hersh, D., Miller, J., Applewhaite, M., Ciaburri, R., Carter, K., Piacenza, M., Rubin, A.,

& Anderson, L. (2011, May). Home for brunch: Increasing 11 a.m. discharges. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Donovan, D., & Litty, A. (2011, March). SWAT nurse role: Knowing help is on the way. National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) Creating Connections Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Dunphy, L., Sabo, B., Albis, L., Bonfiglio, M.-P., Hanrahan, C., Cannon-Heinrich, C., Corso-Greene, D., DellaVentura, R., Jonason, L., Karabeinikoff, D., Lacarno, L., Natusch, A., Salerno, C., Saleski, E., Sellers, L., & Wilson, J. (2011, May). A proactive approach: Preventing enteral tubing misconnections. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Fitzsimons, S. (2010, October). Service Excellence and Magnet Updat.; [PowerPoint presentation to YNHH Senior Leadership at Omni Hotel]. New Haven, CT.

Fradkin, M., Blasiak, E., & Zigmont, J. (2011, May). Saving Sim-Man: Assessing chemotherapy-related competency through innovative use of simulation. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Fraenza, M., Massey, K., & Stevens, A. (2011, May). Collaborative discharge: The benefits of a formal discharge process in a pediatric emergency department. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Funk, M. (2011, May). An interactive online education program improve nurses’ knowledge of ECG monitoring: Early finding of the PULSE trial. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Gagnon, S., & Frank, M. (2011, February). Telemetry: Furthering education and compliance and reducing alarm fatigue. University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC)/American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN Conference) Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

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Galanter, C., Nystrom, K., Traumuller, V., Snow, K., Hedberg, S., Murdock, M., Bautista, C., & Garcia, R. (2011, May). Take 5* Take 5: A S.T.A.R. team approach to stroke education at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH). The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Galla, C., Shaw, F., Genao, I., DeWitt, P., Giles, C., Dixon, V., & Novicio, D. (2011, May). Eliminating barriers and bridging the gap to utilizing screening colonoscopy services in an urban environment. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Gillespie, C., Beaulieu, N., Dean, J., Ferencz, T., Grasso, J., & Moore, J. (2011, May). Improving quality of care for outpatient oncology patients receiving home infusion 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Grimshaw, K., & Just, C. (2011, May). Educating patients on surgical site infections. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Gross, C., Dixon, V., Rodriguez, S., & Bilskis, S., (2011, May). Reducing the NO-SHOW rate for appointments in the ambulatory setting. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Guttman, C., Johnson, C., Kenyon, K., Blasiak, E., Chuong, R., Makar, E., Sanders-Newton, B., Studley, H., Wicker, D., et al. (2011, May). Constellation of shining stars: Reducing fall rates through rapid cycle tests of change year three update. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Hoffer, L., & Funk, M. (2011, May). Inadvertent hypothermia and thermal discomfort in adult patients undergoing interventional radiology procedures with moderate sedation/analgesia. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Jayanetti, C. (2010, September). Nonpharmacologic therapies. Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT.

Jayanetti, C. (2010, October). Comple-mentary and alternative therapies. Pain Resource Nurse Meeting, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Jayanetti, C. (2010, October). Palliative care in nursing. Unit 7WP, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Johnston, M. (2010, November). Cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Unit 5-2, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Johnston, M. (2010, December). Cardiac pacing and the 12-lead ECG. Biotronik Corporation, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA.

Johnston, M. (2011, March). ICY’s and pacemakers and perioperative patient care. Anesthesia Department, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Kalbfeld, K., Orlando, J., Andruskiwec, D., Koroscil, M., & Lano, L. (2011, May). Jump starting competency in chemotherapy administration. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Karsif, B., Thompson, L., Shaw, J., & Busch, N. (2011, May). Early screening for gestational diabetes mellitus. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Keller, N. (2011, May). Engaged night staff focus on fall prevention [abstract]. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Keller, N., Blasiak, E., Castiaglione, R., & Fedora, T. (2011, May). Engaged night staff focus on fall prevention. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Kever, N., Nystrom, K., Schindler, J., Wira, C., Halliday, J., Werdiger, N., & Funk, M. (2011, May). Missed opportunities for recognition of ischemic stroke in the emergency department. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

MacCubbin, L., Arthur, J., Casey, E., Chuong, R., Crede, W., Dabbraccio, C., Fletcher, E., Hapgood, E., Just, C., Insucchi, S., McMahon, M., Odermatt, C., Pauli, M., Pettker, C., Sikes, K., Silverman, D., Baughn, D., Williams, D., & Zimkus, J.

(2011, May). A multidisciplinary hospital initiative to standardize pre-procedural patient care. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

MacCubbin, L., Chandler, R., Ferraro, T., & Johnson, A. (2011, May). Safety in the Heart and Vascular Center. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Maerz, L., Devlin, M., Porter, A., Kias, K., Livolsi, M., Johnson, S., Houghton, N., & O’Connor, P. (2011, May). Initiative to reduce complications in the surgical ICU The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Makar, E. (2011, April). ANI Emerging Leaders Program. Poster presentation at Annual Symposium of the New England Nursing Informatics Consortium, Waltham, MA.

Makar, E., Ryzewski, J., Stanley, F., Scasino, C., & Guttman, C. (2011, May). Improving outcomes: Multidimensional data makes the difference in pressure ulcer prevalence analysis.; The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

McKenzie, H. (2011, May). Effectiveness of patient discharge reinforcement education for postpartum mothers. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

McKiernan, K., Bennick, M., & Nathanson, M. (2011, July). How to insert a blakemore tube to control variceal bleeding [instructional video].

Moore, J., Grasso, J., & Simonette, P. (2011, May). Decision support in a comprehensive nursing assessment improves documenta-tion of symptom management in ambula-tory oncology. Poster presentation at 36th Annual Congress, Oncology Nursing Society, Boston, MA.

Moore, J., Grasso, J., & Simonette, P. (2011, May). Decision support in a comprehensive nursing assessment improves documentation of symptom management in ambulatory oncology. Poster presentation at Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

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software improves nurses’ use of and attitude towards ischemic monitoring and quality of patient care. Society of Critical Care Medicine, Miami, FL.

Sangkachand, P., Sarosario, B., Mercurio, A., Phung, J., Gorero, N., Lorusso, F., & Funk, M. (2010, March). ST segment software improves nurses’ use of and attitude towards ischemic monitoring and quality of patient care. Meeting of the Eastern Nursing Research Society, Providence, RI.

Sangkachand, P., Sarosario, B., Mercurio, A., Phung, J., Gorero, N., Lorusso, F., & Funk, M. (2011, March). ST segment software improves nurses’ use of and attitude towards ischemic monitoring and quality of patient care. 3rd Annual Yale-New Haven Hospital Nursing Research Conference, New Haven, CT.

Sangkachand, P., Sarosario, B., Mercurio, A., Phung, J., Gorero, N., Lorusso, F., & Funk, M. (2011, May). ST segment software improves nurses’ use of and attitude towards ischemic monitoring and quality of patient care. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Sangkachand, P., Sarosario, B., Mercurio, A., Phung, J., Gorero, N., Lorusso, F., & Funk, M. (2011, May). ST segment software improves nurses’ use of and attitude towards ischemic monitoring and quality of patient care. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Sangkachand, P., Tangredi, R., Gorero, N., Maccubbin, L., Devlin, L., Fletcher, E., Lorusso, F., Cooper, D., Hewitt, R., Nystrom, K., & Bautista, C. (2011, May). Therapeutic hypothermia: The Yale-New Haven Hospital experience. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Semlow, M., & Bautista, C. (2011, May). Sound the alarm: Alarm fatigue in a surgical oncology unit. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Truini-Pittman, L. (2011, May). Day in the life: Using military strategy to facilitate transition into a new cancer hospital. Poster presentation at 36th Annual Congress, Oncology Nursing Society, Boston, MA.

Truini-Pittman, L. (2011, May). Day in the life: Using military strategy to facilitate transition into a new cancer hospital. Poster presentation at Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Vorio, D. (2010, October). CT Nursing collaborative. Panel presentation at the Connecticut Nursing Convention, Cromwell, CT.

Vorio, D. (2010, October). Patient safety and quality: An evolving culture of compliance. New Haven, CT.

Morton, D., Sabo, B., & Members of the Newborn Special Care Unit. (2011, May). Urinary tract infections among high-risk neonates. Yale-New Haven Hospital Re-search Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Nucci, D. (2010, November). Health care acquired in ambulatory surgery. Meeting of the Department of Public Health Task Force, Hartford, CT

O’Connor, R. (2011, March). Creating the evidence and translating it into nursing practice. Yale-New Haven Hospital Nursing Research Day, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Pinto, S., Williams, J., Trotta, K., Reynolds, D., & Faustino, E. (2011, May). Prevention of VAP in the Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital PICU. The Joseph A. Zaccagnino Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Conference, Trumbull, CT.

Ryder, L., & Williams, E. (2011, March). New frontiers: Opening the first 3T MR/angio operating rooms. Poster presentation at Annual Congress Association of PeriOperative Nurses.; Philadelphia, PA

Ryzewski, J., Makar, E., Guttman, C., & Stanley, F. (2011, May). Multidimensional data makes a difference in pressure ulcer prevalence analysis. Yale-New Haven Hospital Research Day – Nurse Week, New Haven, CT.

Sangkachand, P., Sarosario, B., Mercurio, A., Phung, J., Gorero, N., Lorusso, F., & Funk, M. (2010, January). ST segment

2010 – 2011 Nursing Publications

Adimando, A., Poncin, Y., & Baum, C. (2010, November). Pharmacological management of the agitated pediatric patient. Pediatric Emergency Care, 26(11), 856-63. PMID: 21057285

Bouley, G. (2011). Role of the RRT Nurse in End of Life Discussions. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 30(6); 321-325.

Gorero, N. (in press). Optimizing of shivering management in therapeutic hypothermia patients. Critical Care Nurse.

Pell, F., Agocs-Holler, E., Schwartz, I., D’Onofrio, G., & Post, L. A. (In review). Improving patient outcomes: The role of care coordination in the emergency department. Advance Nursing.

Pettker, C. M., Thung, S. F., Raab, C. A., et al. (2011). A comprehensive obstetrics patient safety program improves safety climate and culture. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 204, 216.e1–6.

Raab, C., & Palmer-Byfield, R. (2011, July 7). The perinatal safety nurse: Exemplar

of transformational leadership. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing. PMID: 21743356

Slowikowski, G., & Funk, M. (2010). Factors associated with pressure ulcers in patients in a surgical intensive care unit. Journal of Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nursing, 37(6), 619-626.

Williams, E. (2011). The nursing perspective on pain. Chapter 17 in Vadevilu, N. (Ed.), Essentials of Pain Management. (New York: Springer).

3 6 n u r s I n G u P D A T e

W E R E M E M B E R

Since we last published Nursing Update in the summer of 2010, three long-serving Yale-New Haven Hospital nurses have died. As we celebrate our

successes, let us please remember:

Kathryn Hanrahan, RN, Perioperative Services, October 21, 2010

Karen Chapman, RN, Adult Emergency Department, April 29, 2011

Barbara Sabo, RN, Newborn Special Care Unit, January 4, 2012

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DesIGnJeanne Criscola | Criscola design

PhoToGrAPhersLeah ColihanMark d’antonioJerry domianRobert LisakRay Paige

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eDITors

Sue Fitzsimons, RN, Phd Chief Nursing Officer Senior Vice President Patient Services

Lori Hubbard, RNManager Office of Nursing Excellence

Katie Murphy Associate Director Marketing and Communications

Leah Colihan Senior Editor Marketing and Communications

Robert WoodsEditorial Directions, Inc.__________________

ConTrIBuTors Julie Beck, RNJeannette Bogdan, RNBertie Chuong, RNKristen Clark, RNNancy Considine dawn Cooper, RNBev decatoVirgilio dixon, RNMonica Fradkin, RNdeborah gallagher, RNRos HarrisKarrie Hendrickson, RNRobyn Hewitt, RNCarol Just, RNMary Ellen Kachuba, RNKathleen Kenyon, RNSharon Klein, RNFelicia Lober, RNFrancine LoRusso, RNCathy Lyons, RNEllen Makar, RNPam Mathews, RNLiz O’Mara, RNJanet Parkosewich, RNRhonda Pattberg, RNLisa Rioux, RNBonnie Sanders-Newton, RNWynnett Stewart, RNJasper Tolarba, RNKathy Tynan-McKiernan, RNKathy Tucker, RNEna Williams, RN__________________

© Spring 2012

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