Silver 8 and Silver 6 East
Evergreen Hospital Medical Center
PROFILE
MedSurg is a 48-bed unit housing post surgical care of the general surgery patient, bariatric surgery patient, gastroenterology patients and medical patients with an emphasis on care of the patient with pneumonia, diabetes and heart failure.
UNIT FOCUS
We are a dynamic, highly specialized and cohesive team working together to provide exceptional care to our post-op patients and our medical population. We specialize in the care of abdominal, bariatric, gastric, vascular, intestinal, breast and head and neck surgery patients, as well as care of medical patients, in particular those who live with diabetes and heart failure, not needing telemetry monitoring while hospitalized.
PATIENT CARE DELIVERY MODEL
Working together in a highly collaborative environment, our patient and family-centered team consists of registered nursing staff providing comprehensive and personalized total care to the patient with the support of certified nursing assistants and health unit coordinators.
Our registered nurses oversee the care planning for each of their patients in a patient and family centered environment. Nurse to patient ratios are designed to optimize effective positive patient outcomes, while reducing nursing turnover and increasing staff and patient satisfaction.
TEAM MEMBERS
Our patients are supported by a highly collaborative team, consisting of Registered Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants and health unit coordinators supported by social workers, care managers, physical and occupational therapists, a nursing management team and a medical director. We pride ourselves on our teamwork in creating an environment that gives interdisciplinary support in order to facilitate the best of care and support provided to the patient and their family. Given that the family is the patient’s support system upon discharge, our care honors and includes the patient’s family to facilitate optimum care planning for the patient’s recovery.
SCHEDULING PRACTICES
Staff schedules rotate every two weeks so that they have a consistent schedule with scheduled days off to help them make plans in their personal life. As requested by the nursing staff, all staff work eight hour shifts on this unit in the hospital. Our nursing management team works with each staff member to achieve the optimal desired working pattern and desired shift.
STAFF ORIENTATION
Staff orientation is individualized to meet the needs of the staff member so that they can begin their work on MedSurg successfully and comfortably. Because of our low staff turnover, we have staff members on the unit who are committed to successful orientation and education of the new team member. Orientation is preceptor based with our most experienced nurses—some with 30 years of nursing on MedSurg at Evergreen Hospital. We hire nursing residents biannually, in conjunction with Evergreen’s new resident program.
EDUCATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Professional advancement is highly encouraged and supported at Evergreen Healthcare and on the MedSurg unit. We are often the foundation of education, training and clinical excellence for staff who want to move into other specialty units, and we philosophically support all staff working where their passion is. Multiple continuing education opportunities abound with an active group of Hospitalists and physician specialists who give inservices several times a month for the nursing staff. Inservices focus on the multitude of disease conditions, as well as on new processes, new equipment and products used for treatment of our patient population.