Happy Nurses’ Week!

As I reflect on the past year, I can recall so many stories that have been shared about the amazing work of our nursing teams at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Each story shows the impact that these amazing nurses make on people’s lives each and every day. Today, I want to share a story that truly highlights the recognition of this entire nursing division….our recent Comprehensive Stroke Center re-accreditation visit that occurred in April. This survey is focused on the care of stroke patients at BMH. As we all know, COVID has had an impact on how we care for stroke patients. With the neurovascular unit transitioning to our primary COVID unit back in 2020, stroke patients were admitted throughout the hospital. Each and every department provided care for this specialized patient population. Teams leaned in to learning new assessments, and cardiology eventually became our cohort unit during the pandemic. While the past few months allowed us to assign patients back in neurovascular and neuro critical care units, there are so many team members who have supported the care of stroke patients.

I am not sure that I have ever experienced a Joint Commission survey that has made me more proud as a Bronson nurse….. The feedback is a direct reflection of the care provided by our neurosciences team, nursing teams, respiratory care, rehab, pharmacy and interventional radiology, and the commitment to process improvement and outcomes for our stroke patients by these teams  and our quality and safety team.  Our surveyors, Kenny and Tina, spoke about the care and the culture that they saw throughout the visit. Kenny had several quotes that I will share:

• “A message that needs repeating….it is world class care from a world class team…just top notch!
• “Bronson, I found your secret sauce……it is your people”.

Tina went on to share the following:

• “You can feel the commitment and dedication to patient care. It is evident that this is a Magnet organization due the meticulous care and commitment to excellent patient outcomes that we saw and the teamwork and compassion we saw from the nursing team….”.

They shared a common statement that Bronson “exceeded” their expectations during the most trying of times and that this was the best visit they have had during the pandemic.

These are more than just words. This is a validation and recognition of the pride and respect our teams have in caring for patients and one another, the incredible impact they have on patients every day, the compassion in which they care for patients,  and the expertise in which they provide care. This is one story that exemplifies how inspirational this nursing division is…..there are so many more and each one of them makes me proud to lead this nursing team!