The Academy of Medical Surgical Nurses (AMSN) recently awarded Northside Hospital Duluth’s Medical Telemetry Unit a PRISM (Premier Recognition In the Specialty of Medical-Surgical) Award. The AMSN PRISM Award provides special recognition to the exemplary practice of medical-surgical units. Northside Hospital Duluth’s Medical-Telemetry Unit stood out to the AMSN PRISM Award reviewers for, among other things, its healthy and safe practice environment, leadership, staff support and incentives, efforts to reduce restraint utilization, and exemplar of end-of-life care that promotes dignity and considers the patient’s religious and cultural beliefs.

In this spotlight, Northside Hospital Duluth’s Anne Hysong, MSN, APRN, CCNS, ACNS-BC, HEC-C, FCNS, Clinical Nurse Specialist, acute and critical care; Jennifer Legette, BSN, RN, RN-C, clinical manager; Szymon Jankiewicz, BSN, RN, clinical development specialist; and Christie Wehner, BSN, RN, MED-SURG-BC, clinician, explain what makes their unit a special place to practice medical-surgical nursing, how their organization supports lifelong learning among staff, and more.

How does it feel to be the first PRISM Award recipient unit at Northside Hospital Duluth?

Anne Hysong: Being the first unit to receive the PRISM Award within the Northside Hospital System, let alone our facility, is an incredible honor and accomplishment. This recognition reflects the hard work, dedication, and teamwork the Medical Telemetry Unit staff puts in every day to provide exceptional patient care. This award symbolizes excellence in nursing care, and receiving it highlights the positive impact the team has made within this hospital system and the Duluth community.    

Jennifer Legette: It feels wonderful and well deserved because it highlights the wonderful care we provide that I’ve known for the last 18 years.   

Szymon Jankiewicz: Being the first systemwide feels amazing. Our staff nurses provide wonderful work each day, and to showcase this in the award makes us all proud.

Christie Wehner: Being the first unit in the system is an incredible achievement. It really shows our staff’s dedication to our patients and the care they provide.   

What makes this unit a special place to practice medical-surgical nursing? 

Hysong: The Medical-Telemetry Unit is a unique medical-surgical nursing unit that has not only a culturally diverse patient population but is also medically diverse and complex. The staff is dedicated to providing comprehensive care to these complex patients. In addition, they are truly dedicated to each other as a team — both off and on the clock.  

Legette: The relationships that the staff develop with their patients due to the complexity of our patient population is truly inspiring. Not only do we see them get well, but we also are able to partner with our patients as their disease progresses.   

Jankiewicz: This unit is very diverse in not only our cultural backgrounds but also in the disease processes. This diversity fosters excellent patient care and compassion.   

Wehner: This unit is a special place to practice because of its fast pace, the patient population being so broad, the culturally based care the staff provides, and the comradery among the team members.   

What are some ways you foster lifelong learning and growth opportunities in staff?

Hysong: Our unit and organization use several approaches to foster lifelong learning and growth. Certification is promoted and encouraged for all nurses by our facility and unit leaders. We are fortunate our organization has funds allocated for test preparation courses, test fees, and certification maintenance. We utilize the MSNCB FailSafe program, which helps reduce stress when taking or having to retake the exam.

Tuition reimbursement is also available and eases the financial strain for those completing degree programs. We encourage BSN completion for all nurses as well as MSN and doctoral degrees. Many nursing assistants have utilized these funds for specialty certification programs like surgical technicians and phlebotomy. Scholarships are also available through our foundation.

We have many other opportunities for growth and advancement, including the clinical advancement programs for nurses and other technical positions and continuing education (CE) opportunities, such as grand rounds, the online CE program, promotion of attendance at local conferences, and leadership training. Almost all of this unit’s clinical leadership has been internal promotion, including the unit clinical/educator and manager!

Legette: We have a lot of tenure within our team, including our leadership. Many of our unit leaders have grown and taken opportunities to professionally advance. Over half of our patient care technicians have been on our unit for over 10 years and mentor the younger, new staff in providing compassionate care.   

Jankiewicz: There is always something new to learn in healthcare, and our unit works well in learning and adapting to change. All of our leaders enjoy learning and empower staff to learn as well to improve patient outcomes. 

Wehner: Fostering our staff with lifelong learning and growth is a passion of mine. They’re provided with many opportunities for external learning, such as conferences, certification, and new evidence to support their nursing practice. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your unit or experiences with our readers?

Hysong: I am very proud of the professionalism, care, and compassion this team provides each day. Receiving the PRISM Award validates and reflects the outstanding work the medical telemetry staff provides our patients and families, as well as the professional relationships and support they offer others daily!

Legette: While the effort is tremendous, every single hour of writing was well worth it. You are able to review the incredible accomplishments of your entire team. It solidifies that, together, we can do amazing things.  

Jankiewicz: At the beginning, writing the PRISM application seemed like a daunting task. As we moved through the questions, we found it easier than we expected to find examples of our work.

Wehner: Writing the PRISM Award application gave me the opportunity to reflect on the multitude of achievements and initiatives that we have been able to provide our staff and improve our patients’ outcomes. All medical-surgical nurses should consider applying! 

For more information about the PRISM Award and how to apply, visit the AMSN website.