Pictured: Carminda Pantoja, BSN, RN, Yen Nguyen, BSN, RN, Loan Vo, BSN, RN, PCCN, Milanelle Guiao-Tranchina, BSN, RN, CMSRN, PCCN, Madonna Abria, BSN, RN, CNOR
Each year, South Sacramento nurses create posters that showcase their Unit or Facility councils’ achievements and moments of pride over the year. Members of our Patient and Family Advisory Council join in on the fun and visit each booth and learn about the goals and achievements from the nurses. The council with the best presentation, creative flare, and passion for their work wins the competition. Congratulations to 3 North on winning the 2024 Nurse’s Week Poster Contest.
Coordinating Council
In 2024, the Coordinating Council achieved significant milestones in enhancing transparency and accountability. They fostered greater engagement by collaborating with all councils to achieve many strategic goals throughout the year. Council members established an annual process for evaluating the effectiveness of each council using an evidence-based tool. They also standardized all by-laws and charters across the board by creating an easily adaptable template. Caritas processes were also prioritized and incorporated into each agenda; for example, each meeting starts with a caring moment or HeartMath’s Quick Coherence.
Importantly, they also ensured that nurses were well-represented across all core councils in the hospital. Members of the Coordinating Council were empowered to practice leadership and shared decision making by developing their expertise in reading and trending empirical outcomes, by articulating goals well in public, by collaborating with the interprofessional teams and by aligning council work with SSC’s nursing strategic plan. These efforts culminated in better governance, stronger teamwork, enhanced communication, and innovative solutions that benefited our nurses and our members. South Sacramento’s Shared Governance structure now boasts of 278 nurses across all licensed spaces within the organization.
Chair
Milanelle R. Guiao-Tranchina, BSN, RN, CMSRN, PCCN
Staff Nurse IV
Co-Chair
Rianna Ramos Aglubat, MSN, RN
Staff Nurse IV
Quality & Safety Council 2024 accomplishments
- Held on-unit celebration and recognition for unit(s) 3 West, 3 East, and 4 South for SPI and safety milestones
- Provided Patient Mobilization Education for all Patient Care Services
- Launched the ‘Tis the Season for Quality initiative
- Created SPHM Committee
- Waffle mattress discontinuation
- Created a user-friendly bed algorithm
- Launched the Quality and Safety Newsletter
- Provided a Sepsis Booth for patients and staff members during the weekly farmer’s market designed to increase awareness and prevention of sepsis
Sepsis Booth
The Quality & Safety Council provided education to the community, our patients, and to fellow staff members on the importance of recognizing the signs of sepsis. The booth was set up at KP South Sacramento’s weekly Farmer’s Market and provided games, kids activities, and information on “4 Ways to Get Ahead of Sepsis.” Infection prevention, practicing good hygiene, knowing sepsis symptoms, and acting fast if sepsis is suspected were all teaching points in their effort to decrease sepsis mortality rates and improve recognition and prevention of sepsis in the community.
Pictured: Archivald Zaguirre, BSN, RN, CMSRN, Bhupinder Kaur, BSN, RN, Ayumi Saito , BSN, RN, Rachel Wyatt, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, Emiliano Zazueta, BSN, RN, PCCN, Middle: Cherry Ann Florendo-Garcia, BSN, RN, Bottom Row: Rosette Agustin, BSN, RN, NICN, Loan Vo, BSN, RN, Laura Appleby , BSN, RN
Nursing Practice Council 2024 Accomplishments
- ED/IP collaboration: Admission kits, hospital gowns, and pillowcases are stored in the ED and given to all patients with admission orders.
- Wellness champions subgroup developed connecting representative in multiple departments throughout the hospital in meeting NPC strategic goals, facilitated wellness huddle messages, utilizing wellness board, and collaborated with Wellness University.
- Caritas rooms in progress on 4N; ED TBD due to expansion.
- The People Pulse Culture of Health Index goal is 67 by the end of 2023 and 69 by the end of 2024. Goal met: 71 end of 2023
- Iris feeding tube policy change to eliminate 2nd verifier to expedite treatment. Developed competency for RRT nurses and campus support nurses in the insertion of tube feeding.
- Massimo adult pulse oximetry device switchover for ED and MST. This change has a projected annual cost savings of $250,000.
- 3M CHG impregnated central line dressings to roll out when the current contractual agreement expires.
- Community service:
- Elk Grove Food Bank: June 5, 13, 2023.
- Sacramento Heart/Stroke Walk: Sept 23, 2023
- Elk Grove Food Bank: June 17, 2024
- Sacramento Heart/Stroke Walk: September 14, 2024
- The electrolyte replacement protocol was implemented in the MST setting, not just in the ICU.
- Nursing Grand Rounds:
- Ethics: April 2024
- EBP: 2024
- Burnout and Resiliency: December 2024
Pictured: Christian Chua, RN, Denie Alquisada, BSN, RN, Marcus Colon, RN, Rosette Agustin, BSN, RN, NICN, Michelle Claro, BSN, RN, Hau Ting Panoke, BSN, RN, CCRN, Bhupinder Kaur, BSN, RN, Lisa Kamphuis, Arminder Kaur, BSN, RN, Jaskaran Nijjar, BSN, RN
Professional Development Council 2024 Accomplishments
Recognition of Advanced Nursing Degrees, Certifications, and Clinical Ladder
- Annual national certification and advanced degree recognition event successfully held.
- Members participated in cart rounding, distributing information on how to obtain certification/advanced degrees.
- Pins and treats were distributed to nurses with advanced qualifications.
- Several departments have added a board dedicated to nurses with certifications/adv. degrees.
Training for Code BERT and Broset-Violence Checkist (BVC)
- Worked closely with Nic Troxell, BSN, RN, Brandon Pace (former COO, now Rachel Wyatt), and the Workplace Violence (WPV) team to enhance educational content for Professional Development Day (PDD) and integrated into Patient Care Services Orientation (PCSO) as well.
- Education for staff members was held via roaming carts and during the WPV fair on Oct. 18, 2024. It continues to be socialized during huddles and staff meetings.
Involvement of Clinical Nurses in Technology Use
- Members participated in an immersive Virtual Reality Research Study, which catered to various learning styles and may enhance future simulation experiences.
- Members attended Advanced High-Fidelity Simulation Mannequin Training with Reid Hirsch and representatives from the company.
- Select PDC members attended a 6-part TPMG Simulator Instructor Course that began Sept. 26, 2024, to facilitate the integration of use of mannequins into simulation events.
- Staff were trained as super-users for Vocera and training sessions were incorporated into PCSO. Continued training on functionalities of Vocera such as wound photo uploads, scanning medications, etc., is being held within individual departments and designated super-users.
SSC Tiered Mentorship Program for Clinical Nurses
- This voluntary program aims to foster personal and professional growth, build connections, and enhance the sense of belonging amongst our nursing staff.
- Program launched in July 2024 with successful matching of nurses based on their mentorship interests.
- First cohort is set to conclude by end of December and ongoing promotion of the program continues for the 2nd cohort in 2025.
Evidence Based Practice and Research Council launched in 2024
The Evidence Based Practice and Research Council, chaired by Shavinderpal Sanga, MSN, RN, CNS, ACCNS-AG, GERO-BC, and co-chaired by Kevin Ho, BSN, RN, CCRN, launched in 2024 with the goal of increasing the presence of EBP and research within nursing at South Sacramento. We are excited to see the accomplishments of this important council in the near future.
Pictured: Arianne Danica Garon, BSN, RN, Joseph Zink, BSN, RN, Marie Ceballos, DNP, RN and Chris Grissom, BSN, RN. Not pictured: Timothy Schremser, BSN, RN
The TPMG Procedural Unit Practice Council, launched in July 2024, represents the Cardiac Cath Lab, GI/Endoscopy, and Interventional Radiology. As the inaugural UPC for licensed clinic areas, members conducted a needs assessment to evaluate the needs of the unit(s) and to be sure their goals represented the needs of each area.
Utilizing results from the Nursing Clinical Excellence Survey and the needs assessment, the Procedural UPC identified opportunities to:
- improve procedural documentation, starting with “time out” procedures
- develop an “Education Road Show” for both Peer and self-review and the new Dynamic Health platform (Lippincott replacement),
- develop workplace wellness boards to place in each department