AORN of Contra Costa County 1999 Delegates

Valerie DiDomenico Grist
Diane Graham
Lynn Busfield
Carmel T. Engel
Cathy Nisen

>CONGRESS 1999 REPORTS<

Six Secrets of People Empowerment
Presented by Brian C. Lee

This educational lecture discussed how to motivate, recruit, train and empower employees for peak performance. His vision is to position you as your customers’ partner. His mission is to create a customer-driven culture through people empowerment and continuos improvement.

The strategy to create a long-term sustainable competitive advantage is:
Exceptional product value
World-class customer satisfaction
Competitive pricing

Ways to make this happen are:
Empower people- to motivate employees you need to delegate power to satisfy the patients. The key questions are:
How do you value people?
Who needs to be motivated?
Who can be motivated?

Mr. Lee states,” people either have it or they don’t”. Managers can not motivate employees. Three primary motivators are:
Fear-does not work.
Reward-usually money which managers have no control.
Choice- “choosing what you want to do, not which others want for you “

Managers need to choose good employees with positive attitudes and inform them well. Ultimately people go into health care to help people to have a better life. The genius is letting people do their job. Other factors that impact human motivations are: money, job security and promotion opportunities; none of which managers have control. Employees said they want appreciation, empathy for staff and being treated like an insider. Managers do have control over these motivators and if used will keep their nurses and ultimately keep patients satisfied with their care.

The six critical tactics of high performance are:
choose well
train well
give people the tools to do their job
get out of the way and let people do their job
be a coach, counselor, champion, resource mentor and cheerleader.
recognize, celebrate and continually educate.

The six deadly sins are:
choose poorly
orient poorly
equip poorly
meddle, control, irritate and disorganize
What’s coaching?
ignore

The Six Secrets of Empowerment are:
Consistency: courtesy, value, empathy, product knowledge, smiling, making patients feel cared for- all equal satisfaction.
Appreciation: implement dynamic creative awards and recognition programs that continuously celebrate a lot of winners.
Communication: listening to your employees, asking them for input and advice-make them feel like an insider.
Attitude: have a positive attitude at work. It can be contagious and patients can feel the energy.
Make yourself dispensable: empower your employees to replace you using trust, training, knowledge and transition. Know that some people do not want to be empowered.
Example is Leadership: become the changes you want to see in others. Have a dynamic new hire orientation. Keep your employees informed, product knowledgeable, quarterly skills and attitude check-ups. Treat your people as your greatest assets.

I have been an O.R. nurse for 30 years and have worked with many managers. Some have been inspiring,ignoring, controlling, discouraging, very knowledgeable, hard working, but none have used all six secrets of people empowerment until Diane Lautz came to Kaiser Martinez. Diane is such an inspirational manager and she does it all by example. She is ver organized and works very hard but always has time for her employees. Her attitude is always positive even during the darkest of times, e.g. JACHO review. When you walk into her office she stops what she is doing and “listens” to you. She appreciates all that you do and treats “us” as her greatest assets. She keeps us informed of changes within our organization and trusts us to do our jobs. It has been by pleasure working for her and yes the six secrets of people empowerment can motivate and empower you!!

Submitted by Carmel T. Engel RNFA

An action filled week has come to its inevitable end- the 46th AORN Congress in San Francisco is now a great memory. Many thanks to the Contra Costa chapter for giving me the opportunity to serve as a delegate and participate in the choice of AORN leadership for the 21st century. I attended numerous presentations but one in particular will have a definite influence on my practice. It was entitled: “Flash Sterilization: Making it Safe and Proving It”, by Dr. Victoria Steelman. Like many of the East Bay area hospitals, Mt. Diablo Medical Center underwent a JCAHO review in spring of 1998. One of the Joint Commissions areas of focus in recent years is flash sterilization. Our particular reviewer came down hard on our then current practices of flash sterilization. We were force to write and rewrite our policy until it met with her satisfaction. The Joint Commission views flash sterilization, or the “sterilization at the point of use, for immediate use” as a less than reliable, and hence, less of a patient safe practice than closed, wrapped sterilization done in CSPD. I attended this Congress lecture with the expectation that Dr. Steelman would give me information on how to fight the narrow minded Joint Commission and prove that flash sterilization was as safe as closed, wrapped sterilization. I learned that there are several inherent risks to doing flash sterilization. The first of these is mechanical failures, the second is human error and the third is systems problems. The process of flash sterilization is a less controlled one than is done in CSPD. Steam quality, blocked steam traps, clogged drain traps and use of the wrong container can affect the sterility of the item being processed. The flash cycle is a shorter one and involves multiple people for the same item. Frequently the person who cleans and runs the item is not the same person who checks the parameters of the flash run and brings the item into the room. More people=and increased risk for error. If the proper cleaning agent is not used on the instrument, a residual amount remains to coat it and could affect the sterility of the flash cycle. Systems problems occur when there are inadequate facilities for cleaning the instrument prior to the flash run and certainly, we all have competing priorities when we attempt to do several tasks at the same time. Both of these circumstances compromise the safe processing of items being flash sterilized. We have taken many steps at MDMC over the last year to make our flash sterilization process safer. I now see that there is more work to be done in this area and education of the staff is a key component. Dr. Steelman’s lecture has given me valuable information that I plan to take back to my workplace. We must all be willing to challenge our current practices in the face of new knowledge-inevitably, safer patient care will be the result.

Submitted by Diane Graham, RN, MSN, CNOR

Closing Session for 1999 Congress

Les Brown was our closing speaker at congress this year. Mr. Brown is a self made man. Adopted as a baby with his twin brother; he was raised by a poor but loving woman. Mr. Brown overcame a lot of obstacles while growing up such as poverty and being labeled mentally retarded in grade school. “All I am and all I hope to be I owe to my mother”. He said, “We all have something special in us.” Nurses help people every day and are almost never recognized for all they contribute to mankind.

You must never forget the power of positive thinking. You need to work to cultivate this power. You must believe it is possible! Believing is everrything.Opportunities are everywhere and we must seize them. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You must keep telling yourself it is possible.

He told us to make discipline important in your life! Stop talking yourself out of your passions. Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death. Possibility blindness keeps us prisoners and prevents us from greatness and achievement. “In order to do something you’ve never done, you need to be someone you’ve never been.” What are you willing to give up? You need to challenge yourself. What do you really want? You need to have a plan! Write the plan down, make it concrete or (9 times out of 10) you will never do it! Take care of yourself and remember health is wealth. Ask for help not because you are weak but because you want to stay strong! Keep asking till you get it!

People who will succeed and bridge the century will have the four “P’s”!

1.purpose in their lives
2.passion (regardless of condition)
3.plan of action(discipline)
4.performance (challenge yourself)

Life is not about coasting. It is about adventure and exploring! Develop relationships from only quality people. Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality! Look for nurturing relationships not toxic ones. Stay away from negative people; they drain you of energy.

Be HUNGRY! Be willing to put time and effort into your performance. Be passionate and be a change driver. You’ll need persistence and accountability to make a difference. Visualize yourself where you want to be and prepare for opportunity. Faith without work is dead. Be a good communicator, a good model,and socially responsible. This is your life so make the most of it and enjoy the journey.

Submitted by Lynn Busfield RN

"A common theme"

Valerie DiDomenico Grist
Delegate Chair

A common theme was heard throughout the 46th annual AORN Conference in San Francisco. Many of the speakers I heard said the same thing. It’s time for us to get involved in our professional and personal lives.

Joan Rivers humorously started the opening session with ways to deal with life‘s difficulties. She suggested that we feel sorry for ourselves, grieve our own way, go to a therapist, write down our problems, concentrate on what is good in our life and live in the present. She said you shouldn’t have regrets at the end of your life and that people should be able to say “at least I tried” instead of “ I shoulda”. It’s time to take responsibility for your own life.

Leland R. Kaiser, PhD a health futurist spoke on changing obsolete mindsets and welcomed new opportunities to design a healthier society. He said our limitations are within us and that we our in charge of our future.

Sheila Murray Bethal - Jerry G. Peers Lectureship - talked about qualities that make a person a leader. A leader should be a change master (go with the flow), be a hope giver, be a opportunity seeker, be a life long learner, be a cheerleader- make people feel important and appreciated, and have a sense of humor. She believes that to make progress in our personal lives, we need to have courage to lead and follow, and to assume responsibility.

For the past 2 years I’ve challenged myself with the office of the presidency and I’ve learned so much about our members and organization. I encourage you all to become more involved and committed to AORN at the local level. Plan on coming to our meetings next year and feel the energy, discuss the issues, and share with your colleagues.

A very proud moment for me was the presidential promenade at the Moscone Center this year. All the presidents gathered in a room below the Esplanade room and waited for the opening ceremonies to begin. As we walked I felt so proud to be representing our chapter. The march down the center aisle was exhilarating with all the lights, clapping from the membership and cameras projecting our waving hands and smiling faces onto the enormous screen center stage. What a great feeling!! :>)

I hope you all are making plans right now to attend the 47th Annual AORN Congress in New Orleans. See you there!

POLITICS: THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE
David E, Hebert, JD and Candace L. Romig, MA

This informative class opened my eyes, as I am sure it did many others in the room, to the importance of involvement in our state’s legislative process. Three things are needed to have a strong voice in government:

1. PAC
2. Lobbyist
3. Grassroots

A big issue discussed during the The House of Delegates was the possibility of forming a PAC- which created much discussion and a lot of controversy. This class explained what a PAC could do for us-as members of AORN. A PAC is a political action committee. It is a way to blend political contributions (money). A PAC can make contributions to and expenditures on behalf of federal candidates and other committees. A PAC’s purpose is to help groups elect candidates who are supportive of their political issues. Becoming an active player provides access to the candidates, which will help our lobbying efforts by building solid, trusting relationships with lawmakers. PACs collectively represent the support of many individuals. Without PACs only the wealthy could afford to contribute to campaigns. Lobbying funds are different from PAC funds but together they give us a strong base on which to stand.

The class also made a strong statement that nurses have most of what is needed to have a strong voice: credibility collaboration-AORN and the nurse anesthetist
cash-though we always need more

Lobbying activities are the second effective means of providing legislators and the general public with information and opinions on issues. AORN participates in lobbying on behalf of it’s members at the federal, state and local levels. They have a data base that matches each member with their state legislators. The data is used to contact each of us when issues arise that need us to respond at the individual level.

The grassroots level is very important. If not YOU ? WHO? A major goal at the grassroots level is to identify one active member in each district who will meet with legislators. We need a person who is coordinated, reliable and effective. One with a good informed message. The message needs to be repeated often. This is where we each can become involved , by writing to our legislators, being involved in our community, explaining our position. It requires an informed public to work effectively to get what we want and need in health care!.. It is a right, if not an obligation to participate in the process; by voting, monitoring public policies and being a voice for ourselves and our patients.

Submitted by Cathy M. Nisen

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