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Currents To Medical Center Employees: On March 22 and 23 our management team including those with direct hiring authority will be taking part in our initial Leadership Development Institute to kick off our “hardwiring excellence” plan. The keynote speakers will include Don Dean and Gail Boylen of the Studer Group. Mr. Dean, our account leader, was with Quint Studer at Holy Cross and Pensacola-based Baptist Health. Ms. Boylen was previously the Chief Nursing Officer at Baptist Health. Among other things they will address the “nine principles of excellence” and will lay out a blue print for future plans.   In the near future we will phase out our tactical plan structure and the various work teams as they are now configured. Our tactical plan teams have done a great job the past few years, and we have made much progress. We will be implementing a new structure to move our plan forward. We will see increased emphasis on leadership development and evaluation and engagement of service teams with a focus on service excellence and employee satisfaction.   On a related matter, this past August we completed an employee satisfaction survey. We had an excellent 60 percent response rate. Managers and directors were asked to present the survey results to their respective departments and prepare department-based action plans focusing on areas needing attention, as indicated by the survey. I received approximately 3,500 evaluations of the “rollout” presentations. More than 600 action plans were prepared. The following highlights the number of action plans by category.                  Action Plan Focus                           Number of Plans     Communication Between and     Within Departments....................................................248             Receive Praise and Recognition...................................141         Performance Recognized/Rewarded..............................93         Valued as a Medical Center Employee...........................42         Opportunities to Advance...............................................41         Receive Patient Satisfaction Results...................................7         Other..............................................................................57 Mangers and directors have been asked for 90-day follow up reports on their action plans by mid-March. Some of the action plans are not as strong or well defined as others, but with the volume of action plans we are sure to make progress. Also, some action plans dealt with matters that could be addressed almost immediately. I will be monitoring progress and want to thank everyone involved for your work.   Also, I asked the administrative team to focus on various satisfaction issues that surfaced in the survey. The administrators have been charged with recommending methods to address satisfaction issues and to prioritize alternatives according to need, feasibility and costs. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Understanding Public Relation’s role Public Relations’ Heather Woolwine provided an overview about MUSC’s Office of Public Relations. The presentation defined the role of public relations and its function and mission supporting activities, responding to public issues and communicating with the hospital and institution’s internal and external publics.   For the medical center, Public Relations staff provides media event support including press releases and related tools, patient condition reports, crisis management, and serves as a key liaison between MUSC, communities and organizations.        Woolwine specifically reviewed Public Relations’ responsibilities regarding patient condition reports. She reminded managers that a Public Relations representative will only ask clinical staff to define a patient’s status as good, fair, serious or critical condition. The release of any additional information without written consent or release is a violation of HIPAA and JCAHO standards. It’s Public Relations' goal to help maintain the privacy of patients while at MUSC Medical Center.   The department also manages other campus-wide communications functions including The Catalyst, Broadcast Messages, MUSC Blue Sheet, Speaker’s Bureau, MUSC Annual Report, MUSC Hotline, University Guest House Management, special events, brochures and publications, community relations, plus emergency and disaster pre-paredness support.   Managers and hospital staff are invited to contribute news and information by contacting Public Relations at 792-3621 or e-mailing The Catalyst at catalyst@musc.edu. R.N. Licensure Competency Verification Department of Therapeutic Services’ June Darby reviewed recent changes in the South Carolina Nurse Practice Act addressing competency options for R.N./LPN. Option 1:  requires the completion of 30 contact hours from a continuing education provider recognized by the board or Option 2: requires maintenance of certification or recertification by a national certifying body recognized by the board or Option 3: completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field recognized by the board or Option 4: verification of competency and the number of hours practiced as evidenced by employer certification on a form approved by the board   Employer verification forms can be found on S.C. Board of Nursing Web  site: http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/nursing.   Nurses applying for state licensure can select one of four competency options: If the RN/LPN selects employer certification (option 4) and is audited by the S.C. Board of Nursing, it is the nurse’s responsibility to obtain the form and bring it to his/her manager so the manager can complete and sign the form. Next, the manager makes a copy and places it in the unit’s personnel file.   MUHA Policy # A-85 states: Employee must have received a rating of meets or above on their most recent performance evaluation and/or successfully completes orientation.   Darby reminded managers that only specific individuals can verify competency including the vice president of Clinical Operations and executive director; administrator, clinical services director, nurse manager/managers, clinical coordinator, medical staff coordinator or supervising physician.   MUHA Human Resources has developed a customized version of the S.C. Board of Nursing’s employer verification form. MUSC’s form provides a RN/LPN’s total number of practiced hours to verify competency. This form can be printed from the Kronos Timekeeping system. UMA nursing staff credentialed under the university can also verify competency and work hours through University Human Resources. Announcements Sharon DeGrace announced that Janet Byrne has accepted the permanent named MICU nurse position. Byrne served as the unit’s interim nurse manager since last October and has been leading the MICU team in an exemplary manner. Emergency Department’s Drs. Laurence Raney and Sam Kini recently received notice that MUSC has been approved for an emergency medicine residency program. The approval is for three years, which further attests to the strength of the application and educational opportunities at MUSC. Brian Fletcher reminded managers about Meducare’s new shuttle bus program, which is expected to begin March 1. The service assists MUSC patients and family transports to/from campus clinics. More details about the service will be made available through Broadcast Messages. Friday, Feb. 24, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.