Since I started on 6 West over a year ago Ondrea and her staff welcomed me and made me feel like a part of their team. Ondrea has mentored me and helped give me tools necessary to be a successful leader. Ondrea has pushed me over the past year past my comfort zone and I'm glad she did as I have grown in many different areas thanks to her. Ondrea and I think a lot alike and throughout the year have learned a lot about each other. Now I don't have to say anything and Ondrea knows how I feel and visaversa.
On a daily basis, I see how much the staff respect and trust Ondrea's leadership. Ondrea takes ownership of her unit and is proud of her staff. Ondrea has been able to retain a large number of her team over the years and that alone says a lot about the type of leader she is. Prior to management Ondrea was a bedside nurse for many years and to this day has no problem helping staff when needed and on most days comes prepared in her scrubs to help with whatever tasks are needed. Ondrea is a team player and it shows.
Ondrea communicates with her staff about her vision for the unit and her passion and enthusiasm for nursing. She is committed to patient satisfaction and positive patient outcomes. She huddles with the staff daily to update them on important information and she has an open door policy for anyone to bring concerns forward in order to make the unit the best that it can be. Ondrea completes pain and patient satisfaction rounds on a daily basis. She is passionate about ensuring that the patients and their family members are having a great experience while at Mercy and if there are any issues she takes care of them right away to ensure a positive experience from that point forward. Ondrea's passion and drive for patient experience shows in how well the units NRC scores were for 2017. 6 West was awarded most improved patient satisfaction for one quarter in 2017 and for 2 quarters in 2017 was awarded highest patient satisfaction for all of Mercy Hospital. Not only that, but 6 West will be awarded most improved as well as highest patient satisfaction for all of 2017! This is quite an accomplishment for Ondrea and her whole team. She motivates her staff to be the best that they can be and it shows.
Ondrea's compassion for nursing and enhancing patient experience has been shown many times but specifically this year when 6 West completed a pilot of white noise machines on the unit. Based on the positive comments the unit received, white noise machines were installed in each of the patient rooms in March. Since March the units quiet at night scores increased by 50% and the overall patient satisfaction also increased dramatically. Due to this success, white noise machines were installed hospital-wide on med-surg units and the team completed an abstract and poster for the PNA of WNY. Out of 34 abstracts and posters throughout the region, Ondrea's team won and it was well deserved with all of the hard work that she put into this project.
Throughout this past year, I have enjoyed learning different aspects of the management role from Ondrea and she is a mentor to me preparing me for the next step in my career. Ondrea trusts me and gives me a lot of responsibility on the unit but is there to guide me along the way. Ondrea is always there to help pick me up if I'm having a bad day and keeps motivating me to be a better leader. Ondrea is a passionate leader who only strives for the best for herself and for her team. She follows the organization's mission, vision and values. I appreciate everything that Ondrea has done for me and for her team and I hope you see the difference she has made for her unit and for Mercy Hospital.