Borough Park

Maimonides adopts new approach in nursing

June 23, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The Sondra J. Olendorf Award winner Marcia Hodge, RN (left), and the Peter Johnson Mentorship Award recipient, Christine Buccinna, RN, were recognized for their professional achievements. Photo courtesy Maimonides Medical Center
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In an effort to address the complex needs of patients and their caregivers, the Nursing Department at Maimonides Medical Center has adopted a new approach to delivering care and interacting with patients and families, according to hospital officials.

The philosophy behind the new Relationship-Based Care (RBC) program is simple: reminding nurses to make their own health a priority.

“I often ask who is looking after the nurses,” said Thomas Smith, RN, the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “A successful relationship between a care provider and a patient starts with a healthy clinician, one who can manage daily challenges with the same energy and dedication that brought her or him to the nursing profession in the first place.”

The RBC philosophy is now a part of the education nurses receive at Maimonides Medical Center and contains three primary components: relationships with patients and families, relationship with self, and relationships with colleagues.

“The essence of care is experienced in the moment when one person connects to another, through a gentle touch, expert clinical intervention, kind act, or listening and seeking to understand the other person’s experience,” Smith said, explaining the philosophy behind caring for patients.

RBC is also about knowing and developing one’s distinct talents and finding time to be loving and caring toward oneself, according to hospital officials. A healthy and fully engaged caregiver is vital to the hospital’s mission of providing the finest possible care, officials said.  

But excellence in care also occurs when healthcare team members affirm one another’s unique roles and each colleague’s contribution, officials said.

Maimonides Medical Center recently celebrated its nursing staff in a variety of ways, with recognition for their professional achievements as well as several events meant to support and honor the nurses who devote their careers to the well-being of others. Several nurses were presented with Nurse Excellence Awards during Nurses Week.

Located at 4802 10th Ave. in Borough Park, Maimonides Medical Center is one of the largest independent teaching hospitals in the country. The hospital has 711 beds and over 70 subspecialty programs.

For more information about Nursing Excellence at Maimonides Medical Center, call 718-283-7271.

For additional information on clinical services at Maimonides Medical Center, visit the hospital’s website at www.maimonidesmed.org.

 

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