At Bingham Memorial Hospital, Chief Nursing Officer Holly Davis, MBA, BSA, RN, is leading efforts to support and retain its valued nursing staff while combating the industry-wide challenges of burnout and staffing shortages. Davis recently joined MEDITECH Marketing Director Rachel Wilkes on a Becker’s Healthcare podcast to discuss some of the initiatives she has led to foster a supportive culture where nurses feel seen, heard, and equipped to thrive.
“My goal as a leader is to have our nurse staff have a long and sustainable career and really be mindful of how we do that,” Davis said. “I don’t believe a nurse should be a workhorse. I believe that they should be appreciated and supported for their minds and for their ability to be an advocate for the patient and help the whole care team be successful. I work very hard at making sure the nurses have the tools they need, and we solicit their feedback a lot.”
Davis ensures a collaborative environment and empowers the nursing staff by conducting regular feedback sessions to identify improvement areas – ranging from technology upgrades to workflow enhancements. One such advancement includes the implementation of handheld iPhones for medication scanning at the bedside through Expanse Point of Care. Piloted by a nurse-led committee, this approach significantly streamlined administration and documentation while offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional barcode scanners.
“It’s a huge time savings and our nurses, especially newer ones, have really embraced the iPhones for added flexibility and efficiency,” Davis said.
Davis also highlighted the improvements made to the hospital’s discharge process through its transition to MEDITECH Expanse, “In our previous EHR it took our nurses over 30 minutes to do the discharge process from the time the doctors put the discharge orders in until the time the nurse was able to print the documentation and review that with the patient. Now, with MEDITECH Expanse, that is less than a five-minute process.”
Improving the nurse experience is an ongoing focus for Davis. In the future, she would like to introduce a new model – virtual connected care – that integrates telehealth technologies into patient rooms. This would enable families and care providers to be involved, regardless of their location, and further improve continuity of care.
Listen to the full podcast and learn more about Bingham Memorial’s nursing strategies for success and sustainability.