Virtual Critical Care and Union Critical Care Team
December 2018
Virtual
Care
Critical Care and Union Critical Care
Atrium Health Virtual Critical Care
Mint Hill
,
NC
United States
Shannon Jamison, RN;
Kathy McCray, RN;
Heather Neal, RT;
Jessica Sinclair, RT;
Jennifer Lamb, RN;
Ashley Owens, RT;
Edith Ogeltree, RN
Kathy McCray, RN;
Heather Neal, RT;
Jessica Sinclair, RT;
Jennifer Lamb, RN;
Ashley Owens, RT;
Edith Ogeltree, RN
I would like to recognize Shannon Jamison, Nurse Manager of Union's ICU and her team of nurses and RTs for their team collaboration with the Virtual Critical Care (VCC) nursing and respiratory care team over the past year on multiple projects and initiatives. Shannon and her team at Union have graciously opened their doors and taken the time to host leadership teams from Scotland and Navicent as these groups consider bringing on VCC services. Shannon has taken her time to personally tour these groups in the ICU and give details on experiences working with VCC. Her enthusiasm is palpable as she shares examples of how her team works with the VCC to deliver patient care.
One story includes a stretch of 2 weeks when 9 patients coded. The bedside and VCC teams collaborated over the camera to provide care, resulting in 8 of the 9 patients surviving. In May, Shannon and her team worked with the VCC Program Coordinator and virtual respiratory therapists to host the quarterly VCC Collaborative Group meeting, providing lunch and a venue for both RN and RT groups to gather and discuss ways to improve patient care and communication over the camera.
Most recently, Shannon advocated for a standardized approach for extubating Union's ICU patients and was more than willing to trial a new workflow including VCC RNs and RTs. Shannon, the VCC Nurse Manager, and Program Coordinator presented the SAT/SBT workflows to Union's critical care steering committee in August. She was insistent that this work be done 7-days a week because our patients deserve the same standard of care on the weekends. Her influence and leadership led to Union's critical care provider team getting on board with starting SATs at 0500 with a goal of extubating patients by 0700. The pilot went live on September 9th. Since then, Union's ICU nurses have consistently eLerted the VCC when SATs begin. VCC nurses can closely monitor these patients and communicate changes to the bedside team and the RTs, helping to guide the process toward the end-goal of extubation. Results have led to a positive change in practice at Union and it is expected to reduce the time patients spend on the ventilator.
Through their commitment to collaborate and willingness to pilot innovative practices, the Union and VCC teams deserve to be recognized for their willingness to work together for the benefit of our patients.
One story includes a stretch of 2 weeks when 9 patients coded. The bedside and VCC teams collaborated over the camera to provide care, resulting in 8 of the 9 patients surviving. In May, Shannon and her team worked with the VCC Program Coordinator and virtual respiratory therapists to host the quarterly VCC Collaborative Group meeting, providing lunch and a venue for both RN and RT groups to gather and discuss ways to improve patient care and communication over the camera.
Most recently, Shannon advocated for a standardized approach for extubating Union's ICU patients and was more than willing to trial a new workflow including VCC RNs and RTs. Shannon, the VCC Nurse Manager, and Program Coordinator presented the SAT/SBT workflows to Union's critical care steering committee in August. She was insistent that this work be done 7-days a week because our patients deserve the same standard of care on the weekends. Her influence and leadership led to Union's critical care provider team getting on board with starting SATs at 0500 with a goal of extubating patients by 0700. The pilot went live on September 9th. Since then, Union's ICU nurses have consistently eLerted the VCC when SATs begin. VCC nurses can closely monitor these patients and communicate changes to the bedside team and the RTs, helping to guide the process toward the end-goal of extubation. Results have led to a positive change in practice at Union and it is expected to reduce the time patients spend on the ventilator.
Through their commitment to collaborate and willingness to pilot innovative practices, the Union and VCC teams deserve to be recognized for their willingness to work together for the benefit of our patients.