Prep, Recovery, and PACU Team

I have long wished to recognize the remarkable dedication of the Prep, Recovery, and PACU team. The passage of time has only reinforced my belief in how truly deserving they are of a DAISY Team Award. The Prep, Recovery, and PACU team has weathered several turnovers in leadership, with 62% of the members remaining steadfast through the changes. This resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty is truly admirable. The camaraderie among the team is also noteworthy, extending beyond the workplace. They support each other during personal milestones and challenging times and dedicate their free time to serving the community. For instance, they regularly participate in volunteer activities such as preparing meals at the Ronald McDonald House and participating in blood donation. Their continuous encouragement of one another to be better individuals is commendable. Their acts of generosity during the holidays, especially towards a Veteran family in the Giving Tree program, were genuinely heartwarming. The team's culture of giving is evident in the friendly competition to outdo one another in acts of kindness. 
 
The Prep, Recovery, and PACU team is constantly seeking ways to improve Veteran care. The team consistently goes above and beyond to introduce the latest innovations to the unit. A team of nurses from PACU submitted an innovation project, which was approved for funding and support. They will be introducing aromatherapy to the perioperative area to reduce anxiety, pain, and nausea. Additionally, the Prep and Recovery team has partnered with the Whole Health Department to provide nutrition classes for Veterans before surgery. They have also begun using virtual reality in the Preop area to reduce anxiety. These new innovations are simple measures that can be provided at a nurse's discretion but significantly reinforce the stellar care provided to our Veterans in Preop, Recovery, and PACU.
 
A few months back, the Prep, Recovery, and PACU team demonstrated their commitment to the organization by presenting four major cost-saving proposals. These proposals, a proactive approach to address the budget cuts that included streamlining processes and reducing waste, were truly commendable during this challenging period and demonstrated their commitment to the organization's financial health. Their response to the budget cuts was a testament to their dedication and understanding of the organization's needs.
 
Throughout the challenges posed by COVID-19, the team displayed exceptional resilience, adapting to new roles and processes with unwavering dedication. Despite being reassigned to inpatient units, they quickly acquired new skills and adapted to unfamiliar processes, extending their expertise beyond their usual roles. At the beginning of the pandemic, Prep, Recovery, and PACU were repurposed as an inpatient unit, requiring many team members to transition to inpatient nursing in a new and improvised environment. Additionally, the Preop unit has become the go-to location for overflow patients, prompting the Preop nurses to selflessly relocate to other bays to ensure seamless patient care. Even when the ED experienced a flood, four Preop bays were repurposed for overflow; the Preop nurses displayed remarkable flexibility and commitment to their patients despite being displaced from their usual work environment.
 
It is evident that the Prep, Recovery, & PACU team exemplifies the OVAHCS ICARE values and mission. They are role models of collaboration and teamwork that make a significant difference in the lives of Veterans, Veterans' families, fellow employees, and the community.

The Prep, Recovery, and PACU team's exceptional selflessness, resilience, and adaptability in the face of change warrant the highest recognition, making them most deserving of the DAISY Team Award.