July 27, 2007
Principles to Work By
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful workshop on Quint Studer’s Hardwiring Excellence principles. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the following take home messages:

Establish passion for all you do.
Stay focused.
Don’t be a victim or don’t be defenseless. Take action instead of saying, "I can’t." Find a solution.
Eliminate "us" versus "we/they" thinking; we are all one team at UCH.
If you permit it, you promote it. If we complain or backstab others or permit others to do the same, we are promoting the negative behavior.
Restore pride in what you do every day as healthcare providers.
Don’t settle for complacency or mediocrity. You are great nurses. Now is the time to show it.
Follow the simple concepts: Introduce yourself to the patient, wash your hands, explain things, do the basic things, always!
The 3 Ps of rounding on patients: Pain, Potty, and Position. Rounding every hour decreases falls, decreases call lights, decreases pressure ulcers, and decreases elopements.
Ask patients on admission what they would consider to be excellent care, and if they have individual preferences (showering later in the day as opposed to early morning). These kinds of questions really make the patient feel cared for and add extra value.
Attitude is your mood for life. Do you smile? What are you reflecting to your colleagues and patients?
Now is the time to transform care and make a difference.
Never underestimate the difference you can make. Make a difference in someone’s life today.

These thoughts define why we chose nursing, and I hope they help you to examine your purpose in nursing at UCH. All of you have impacted so many lives and you should be so proud of the work you’ve done. Let’s move forward to innovative practice and creative, compassionate nursing care, value-added care delivery, and patient/family centered care. I know you are the right people with the right attitudes and motivation that we need to transform care at UCH.