Two-week visit filled with educational experiences
|
| Eunice Tole, left, and Diana Kassaman, center, nurses from Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa, present an African plate to Keith Noll, senior vice president, WellSpan, and president of York Hospital, as a token of their appreciation. |
Near the end of her two-week visit to WellSpan, Diana Kassaman, a nurse from Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa, posted this message on her Facebook page: “Dreams do come true. In my wildest imagination, I never thought I would see things I had only read about.”
Kassaman and co-worker Eunice Tole made the 18-hour flight to York to learn more about the roles of a Magnet project director and a patient safety officer.
Their trip, which was their first to the United States, was filled with talking to administrative leaders and staff members, attending committee meetings, visiting various departments and nursing units and asking questions.
“Diana and Eunice had a true WellSpan experience,” said Valerie Hardy-Sprenkle, vice president of acute care nursing practice. “They interacted with staff members at York Hospital, Gettysburg Hospital and the WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital.”
Besides experiencing York and Adams counties, Kassaman and Tole traveled to Washington, D.C., Lancaster and Baltimore. They visited the Smithsonian and other landmarks; toured Amish country and ate Amish food; and received a tour of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“The visit to WellSpan exceeded our expectations,” said Tole. “Everyone was so warm, friendly and extremely helpful. We developed many great resources and friends while we were here.”
Tole visited the Emergency Department, Operating Rooms and various nursing units to observe patient safety processes. She also attended committee meetings. She witnessed Da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery and termed it “out of this world.”
Kassaman talked to Magnet ambassadors and was impressed by their “enthusiasm and passion.” She also was impressed by the electronic health record and the IV team.
Different cultures, similar issues
Barb Buchko, director of evidence-based practice and nursing research, and Linda Pugh, Ph.D., a York College nursing professor, visited Aga Khan University Hospital in August 2010 to help teach other nurses about evidence-based practice, which involves using the best practices and research evidence to make decisions about the care of patients.
Aga Khan University Hospital, a 250-bed, private facility, offers open heart surgery, performs organ transplants and is in the middle of a building campaign to expand to 600 beds. It is seeking Joint Commission International accreditation and Magnet designation (only five international hospitals are Magnet designated).
Kassaman presented three evidence-based practice projects Aga Khan University Hospital had undertaken to the Nursing Research Council. She also made a presentation about ISO 9001 certification to the WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital staff.
Despite differences in cultures, Tole said Aga Khan University Hospital and WellSpan share many similar issues.
Some of those issues include preventing falls, improving nurse-physician relationship and decreasing interruptions and distractions in the Operating Room.
“I was pleased with how excited all of our staff members were to meet Diana and Eunice and share information with them. It reaffirmed to me that WellSpan is an amazing organization,” said Buchko. “I think our staff members also gained knowledge from talking to Diana and Eunice.”
Before leaving for Nairobi, the two nurses presented many WellSpan leaders with gifts from their native country, as a token of their appreciation.
“We learned so much during our visit,” said Tole. “Now, we are going to take it back and apply it at our hospital.”