The Code Alert Tags from Ekahau have generated a lot of passionate discussion, most of it concerning the delay of implementation.
Well the wait is over!
Three in-patient units; Youth, Intensive Assessment, and Schizophrenia have been provided with Code Alert Tags since Fall 2008. The project hit the 'pause' button in mid-November to insist that Ekahau fix some technical glitches. We're rolling into February and the Tags are rolling out to the rest of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.
In my opinion, I think these Code Alert Tags finally give us license to brag about a truly innovative wireless application. And it's very appropriate that it address the safety of our greatest resource - our staff.
I realize these Code Alert Tags are not perfect. I've heard various concerns, and they are sincere and legitamate. I still believe the Code Alert Tags provide a new layer of security. I will be insistent that our team members wear a tag in situations where getting to a phone to activate a Code White is difficult.
The Code Alert Tag Implementation team led by Sheldon Box is commited to supporting the roll-out and continuously improving the Code Alert Tag and process.
This blog is a great way to continue to listen to your opinions on the Code Alert Tag and talk about making it even better. I welcome your feedback.
As per our blog policy - the opinions and comments in this article represent those of the author and should not be considered representative of the ROHCG.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Corporate Welcome: If It Ain't Broke - Break It Anyway
It’s only been about 18 months since we began working on the re-building of our Corporate Orientation day, which we call the Corporate Welcome. We had just reached a point where the planning and process of the day was running smoothly; and based on evaluations, much to the satisfaction of the participants.
Then one day in November Margaret Tansey, our VP of Professional Practice and Chief of Nursing asked if we could make half of the day available for a grant-funded educational pilot program on Inter-professional Practice. This obviously threw our program into chaos – but I believe that if the right opportunity presents itself, even the best made plans can be adjusted to seize the chance. It was quickly apparent to me that this was a chance to make a profound cultural impact on teamwork at the ROHCG moving into the future.
As many of you know, I have worked at the Royal for a long time – and team-based practice and collaboration (or the lack of it) has been described to me as an obstacle for most of my Royal career. I liked the idea of introducing new recruits to the values of inter-professional teamwork. The 10 competencies or capabilities model also made perfect sense.
My job was to compress a full day of content into the morning agenda. That wasn’t easy. I also wanted to do what I could to ensure that our Orientation participants accepted this new and experimental workshop. Clocking in at about two-and-a-half hours, this didn’t look like your average orientation session.
The preparation was tough. The meetings weren’t always fun. The final practice and materials were ready just hours before show time. It reminded me of the early Corporate Welcome days; nervous, risky and exciting. As with most new educational interventions, I think you must take a “ready-fire-aim” philosophy. It seemed to go well. Of course we had a list of things we want to improve for the next workshop. The evaluations will pave the way for the future of this inter-professional education session, both within the Corporate Welcome and along side other ROHCG education formats.
The message of this experience is that “when the right thing comes along, there’s always room for it.”
As per our blog policy - the opinions and comments in this article represent those of the author and should not be considered representative of the ROHCG.
Then one day in November Margaret Tansey, our VP of Professional Practice and Chief of Nursing asked if we could make half of the day available for a grant-funded educational pilot program on Inter-professional Practice. This obviously threw our program into chaos – but I believe that if the right opportunity presents itself, even the best made plans can be adjusted to seize the chance. It was quickly apparent to me that this was a chance to make a profound cultural impact on teamwork at the ROHCG moving into the future.
As many of you know, I have worked at the Royal for a long time – and team-based practice and collaboration (or the lack of it) has been described to me as an obstacle for most of my Royal career. I liked the idea of introducing new recruits to the values of inter-professional teamwork. The 10 competencies or capabilities model also made perfect sense.
My job was to compress a full day of content into the morning agenda. That wasn’t easy. I also wanted to do what I could to ensure that our Orientation participants accepted this new and experimental workshop. Clocking in at about two-and-a-half hours, this didn’t look like your average orientation session.
The preparation was tough. The meetings weren’t always fun. The final practice and materials were ready just hours before show time. It reminded me of the early Corporate Welcome days; nervous, risky and exciting. As with most new educational interventions, I think you must take a “ready-fire-aim” philosophy. It seemed to go well. Of course we had a list of things we want to improve for the next workshop. The evaluations will pave the way for the future of this inter-professional education session, both within the Corporate Welcome and along side other ROHCG education formats.
The message of this experience is that “when the right thing comes along, there’s always room for it.”
As per our blog policy - the opinions and comments in this article represent those of the author and should not be considered representative of the ROHCG.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Fall Conference Marathon
As per our Blog Policy - the comments and opinions in this article are those of the author and do not represent the organization.
We’ve just finished a fall education term where we’ve coordinated four conferences in five weeks in Ottawa, and the first off-site conference for Brockville staff in two years. We feel like we’ve completed a 26K marathon.
I use the wedding metaphor to try and help people visualize the work and emotion involved in creating a successful conference. There are hundreds of details requiring attention. We’ve never attempted so many major events over such a short timeframe and my colleague Marie-Constance Morley deserves enormous credit for the success of these events.
o The 3rd Annual Community Day for Care and Treatment of Schizophrenia reached its 100 registrant ceiling again, as it has every year. The multi-systems panel was a huge success. And the event placed over $2,000 in the pockets of the Schizophrenia Program to reinvest in other education needs.
o The IMHR Free Public Lecture “Breaking the Barriers: Out of the Shadows Through Science” celebrating Mental Illness Awareness Week filled all 170 seats in the auditorium within a 18 day registration period.
o The 5th Annual Ivy Dunn Clinical Nursing Research Day “Keeping Our Clinical Space Safe” was another successful event and for the first time in the past two years, generated revenue for the Ivy Dunn Bursary.
o The Building Healthier Workplaces Conference “Inspiring Leadership”, a partnership initiative that included our lead Human Resource service partners Manulife, Shepell-fgi, and Mercer, raised $10,000 for the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.
As we debrief these events there are areas for improvement. But these conferences were successful during a period where we are seeing a downturn in the conference industry, obviously connected to the economic fallout that is impacting all public and private sectors.
I also want to take pride in our first conference success in over two years in Brockville where we recently administered the “BMHC Self-Determination Workshop” which received outstanding feedback. We want to encourage and support more of these events in Brockville. Whitnee Denard-Paul, Debra Rice and Candace Whitley have set a terrific example for all BMHC programs.
We live in an age where education is being squeezed onto the web, channeled through the wires of videoconference equipment, and compromised in several other ways. A successful conference that provides great content and takes the learner away from the noise and conflict of their normal workday still has a profound impact on education; and we’ll continue to work diligently to support this traditional mode of learning.
We’ve just finished a fall education term where we’ve coordinated four conferences in five weeks in Ottawa, and the first off-site conference for Brockville staff in two years. We feel like we’ve completed a 26K marathon.
I use the wedding metaphor to try and help people visualize the work and emotion involved in creating a successful conference. There are hundreds of details requiring attention. We’ve never attempted so many major events over such a short timeframe and my colleague Marie-Constance Morley deserves enormous credit for the success of these events.
o The 3rd Annual Community Day for Care and Treatment of Schizophrenia reached its 100 registrant ceiling again, as it has every year. The multi-systems panel was a huge success. And the event placed over $2,000 in the pockets of the Schizophrenia Program to reinvest in other education needs.
o The IMHR Free Public Lecture “Breaking the Barriers: Out of the Shadows Through Science” celebrating Mental Illness Awareness Week filled all 170 seats in the auditorium within a 18 day registration period.
o The 5th Annual Ivy Dunn Clinical Nursing Research Day “Keeping Our Clinical Space Safe” was another successful event and for the first time in the past two years, generated revenue for the Ivy Dunn Bursary.
o The Building Healthier Workplaces Conference “Inspiring Leadership”, a partnership initiative that included our lead Human Resource service partners Manulife, Shepell-fgi, and Mercer, raised $10,000 for the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.
As we debrief these events there are areas for improvement. But these conferences were successful during a period where we are seeing a downturn in the conference industry, obviously connected to the economic fallout that is impacting all public and private sectors.
I also want to take pride in our first conference success in over two years in Brockville where we recently administered the “BMHC Self-Determination Workshop” which received outstanding feedback. We want to encourage and support more of these events in Brockville. Whitnee Denard-Paul, Debra Rice and Candace Whitley have set a terrific example for all BMHC programs.
We live in an age where education is being squeezed onto the web, channeled through the wires of videoconference equipment, and compromised in several other ways. A successful conference that provides great content and takes the learner away from the noise and conflict of their normal workday still has a profound impact on education; and we’ll continue to work diligently to support this traditional mode of learning.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
CBT - Walking the Survey Talk
As per our Blog Policy - the comments and opinions in this article are those of the author and do not represent the organization.
Staff who participated in the 2005 and 2006 ROHCG surveys identified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the most desirable therapeutic learning need. I’m proud to say that much has been done to respond to this need. I also think it is important to say that in the case of CBT, staff asked for it, and they seem poised to act on it!
Let’s briefly turn the page back to May and June of 2006. Our CBT task group composed of Dr. Carlos Miura, Dr. John Telner, Dr. Nicola Wright, Virginia Lafond, Lisa Murata, and my L&D team developed and delivered what could be called CBT month – a series of CBT events that provided education for approximately 800 participants and generated thousands of dollars of revenue that was re-invested in further education and CBT resources. The highlight of the series was a two-day workshop featuring Dr. Douglas Turkington, one of the world’s most renowned experts in CBT and co-author of the book "Cognitive Therapy in Schizophrenia" with Dr. David Kingdon in 2005.
The only tint of grey to this acclaimed event was that registration for the two-day workshop was capped at 60 at the request of Dr. Turkington. This was done to allow a small-group intimacy for the event.
Fortunately, Dr. Turkington has no such apprehension as we prepare for an encore workshop this May. The registration limit has been set at 150 participants. That affords Learning & Development the opportunity to place those who identified CBT as a priority with the opportunity to participate in this great workshop.
We offered 40 sponsored registrations and I must confess that I expected between 20 to 30 applicants. By March 26 we received 46 applications. Of course we must now declare the submission process is over. But it’s exciting to witness the fact that the Needs Assessment results were clear, accurate, and that staff and students acted on the follow-up opportunity. Here comes my favorite saying:
“That’s how a Learning Organization is supposed to work”.
· We will process 46 sponsorships. That means up to 1/3rd of participants will represent the Royal
· That represents $8,500 of conference revenue.
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Social Work community of practice
· 15 participants from the ROHCG Nursing community of practice
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Psychology community of practice (staff and students)
· 5 other allied health participants
When we began this CBT Education journey in 2005 Dr. Carlos Miura explained his vision of the ROHCG inheriting a culture of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and his hope that the ROHCG will become a world leader in CBT. I’m hopeful this initiative will move us much closer to his vision.
Staff who participated in the 2005 and 2006 ROHCG surveys identified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the most desirable therapeutic learning need. I’m proud to say that much has been done to respond to this need. I also think it is important to say that in the case of CBT, staff asked for it, and they seem poised to act on it!
Let’s briefly turn the page back to May and June of 2006. Our CBT task group composed of Dr. Carlos Miura, Dr. John Telner, Dr. Nicola Wright, Virginia Lafond, Lisa Murata, and my L&D team developed and delivered what could be called CBT month – a series of CBT events that provided education for approximately 800 participants and generated thousands of dollars of revenue that was re-invested in further education and CBT resources. The highlight of the series was a two-day workshop featuring Dr. Douglas Turkington, one of the world’s most renowned experts in CBT and co-author of the book "Cognitive Therapy in Schizophrenia" with Dr. David Kingdon in 2005.
The only tint of grey to this acclaimed event was that registration for the two-day workshop was capped at 60 at the request of Dr. Turkington. This was done to allow a small-group intimacy for the event.
Fortunately, Dr. Turkington has no such apprehension as we prepare for an encore workshop this May. The registration limit has been set at 150 participants. That affords Learning & Development the opportunity to place those who identified CBT as a priority with the opportunity to participate in this great workshop.
We offered 40 sponsored registrations and I must confess that I expected between 20 to 30 applicants. By March 26 we received 46 applications. Of course we must now declare the submission process is over. But it’s exciting to witness the fact that the Needs Assessment results were clear, accurate, and that staff and students acted on the follow-up opportunity. Here comes my favorite saying:
“That’s how a Learning Organization is supposed to work”.
· We will process 46 sponsorships. That means up to 1/3rd of participants will represent the Royal
· That represents $8,500 of conference revenue.
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Social Work community of practice
· 15 participants from the ROHCG Nursing community of practice
· 13 participants from the ROHCG Psychology community of practice (staff and students)
· 5 other allied health participants
When we began this CBT Education journey in 2005 Dr. Carlos Miura explained his vision of the ROHCG inheriting a culture of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and his hope that the ROHCG will become a world leader in CBT. I’m hopeful this initiative will move us much closer to his vision.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A Breach of Trust?
As per our Blog Policy - the comments and opinions in this article are those of the author and do not represent the organization.
When I was asked to pinch-hit in the Communications Department there were a couple of internal communication practices/policies that I was determined to improve; the most significant was based on comments from staff focus groups and surveys that indicated your frustration with the lack of communication following safety and facility service incidents within our hospital walls.
I swore that would not happen while Communications served you under my watch!
We had the incident where magnetic door locks failed. I communicated (on behalf of Sr. Leadership) our concern and response within 24 hours to all ROMHC staff.
More recently we had a security breach in the change rooms of the ROMHC Gymnasium. Again, we communicated within two days after getting the details and action plan developed.
Let me add that we also present Staff Forum audio in place of written summaries. You may remember that Communications was criticised for softening, often neglecting the comments in their post-forum documents. Now you hear them as they happened.
I have received very kind feedback on this change of communications culture. But on February 24th I saw my internal email comments in the Ottawa Citizen in an article entitled "A Royal Mess". Our internal communication efforts were used by anti-P3 lobbyists as ammunition to serve their cause toward embarrassing the organization.
Maybe it's just me - but I felt betrayed! Can someone tell me how I can continue being responsive to staff's request for open and responsive communication when we can't trust that our expressions of regret and concern won't end up in the public media?
It's a cultural practice I want to maintain. But if you support the position that anything published internally is public domain and can be re-purposed in the public media, there's no way Leadership can risk being open, sincere, and honest through written communication.
If you are like me and upset that our internal communications appear in public newspapers then I urge you to say so to your labour representatives. Trust involves two sides.
I agreed with staff about the lack of communication through the years. It makes me sad if we can't change that because we can't trust that someone will use it for alternative political exploitation.
When I was asked to pinch-hit in the Communications Department there were a couple of internal communication practices/policies that I was determined to improve; the most significant was based on comments from staff focus groups and surveys that indicated your frustration with the lack of communication following safety and facility service incidents within our hospital walls.
I swore that would not happen while Communications served you under my watch!
We had the incident where magnetic door locks failed. I communicated (on behalf of Sr. Leadership) our concern and response within 24 hours to all ROMHC staff.
More recently we had a security breach in the change rooms of the ROMHC Gymnasium. Again, we communicated within two days after getting the details and action plan developed.
Let me add that we also present Staff Forum audio in place of written summaries. You may remember that Communications was criticised for softening, often neglecting the comments in their post-forum documents. Now you hear them as they happened.
I have received very kind feedback on this change of communications culture. But on February 24th I saw my internal email comments in the Ottawa Citizen in an article entitled "A Royal Mess". Our internal communication efforts were used by anti-P3 lobbyists as ammunition to serve their cause toward embarrassing the organization.
Maybe it's just me - but I felt betrayed! Can someone tell me how I can continue being responsive to staff's request for open and responsive communication when we can't trust that our expressions of regret and concern won't end up in the public media?
It's a cultural practice I want to maintain. But if you support the position that anything published internally is public domain and can be re-purposed in the public media, there's no way Leadership can risk being open, sincere, and honest through written communication.
If you are like me and upset that our internal communications appear in public newspapers then I urge you to say so to your labour representatives. Trust involves two sides.
I agreed with staff about the lack of communication through the years. It makes me sad if we can't change that because we can't trust that someone will use it for alternative political exploitation.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Dirty Dance
The opinions and comments in this article represent those of the author and not the ROHCG.
Sitting on the inside of the Communications Department for the past six months has confirmed my worst fear about the dirty dance between Corporate Communications and the Media. It’s a very costly exercise that doesn’t contribute much value to the organization. In fact it drains resources and energy from the core mission of the ROHCG.
My example is a recent rash of stories and phone calls around the controversial P3 model of the ROHCG. We all know how divisive this issue has become. It has put our Communications Department in a continuous position of defense for months.
When asked to assist in Communications I did what I always do when embarking into the unknown; I consulted the works of Peter Drucker. It took just minutes before I agreed that the primary objective of a Communications Department is to serve the staff – to address all communication needs required to enable our employees to be their best. The trap many Communications departments fall into is when they serve the corporate image above and beyond the internal needs of the organization.
It’s not an oversight on our part. Our skeleton team has unfortunately had to relegate our services to our colleagues in IMHR and Foundation out of necessity until it can return to capacity. Instead we are forced into “image protection” by an external media campaign that is relentless in its mission to tattoo P3 hospitals (and we are one big target) as enemies of public healthcare.
Guess who pays – you and me. Here’s an example:
· The communications team is forced to spend more time gathering information and taking counter-positions in dealing with the media each time a reporter calls
· It almost always requires a Leadership Team member to drop their work to be the official spokesperson for the counter-message
· To counteract the negative news, the department is led to believe it needs to amplify other media campaigns to place positive messaging into the community to raise its image profile
These are important actions, no doubt. But our social responsibility to this community, to this region, is to help the people who enter our building with a mental illness leave the building a healthier person, and to support the people who will continue to support the client when they return to the community. In today’s health care system we need every dollar, every person who can help us do that.
When an external group chooses to use the media to point out our shortcomings, or to debate issues like P3 in the media it’s like opening the door in January. Dollars, energy and effort get sucked out the door to deal with the media problem – and the cost to services and programs is significant.
I’ve been a reporter. I can now see this dance from both sides. I hope that someday, someone has the courage to change the rules of engagement with the media to put an end to this nonsense.
Sitting on the inside of the Communications Department for the past six months has confirmed my worst fear about the dirty dance between Corporate Communications and the Media. It’s a very costly exercise that doesn’t contribute much value to the organization. In fact it drains resources and energy from the core mission of the ROHCG.
My example is a recent rash of stories and phone calls around the controversial P3 model of the ROHCG. We all know how divisive this issue has become. It has put our Communications Department in a continuous position of defense for months.
When asked to assist in Communications I did what I always do when embarking into the unknown; I consulted the works of Peter Drucker. It took just minutes before I agreed that the primary objective of a Communications Department is to serve the staff – to address all communication needs required to enable our employees to be their best. The trap many Communications departments fall into is when they serve the corporate image above and beyond the internal needs of the organization.
It’s not an oversight on our part. Our skeleton team has unfortunately had to relegate our services to our colleagues in IMHR and Foundation out of necessity until it can return to capacity. Instead we are forced into “image protection” by an external media campaign that is relentless in its mission to tattoo P3 hospitals (and we are one big target) as enemies of public healthcare.
Guess who pays – you and me. Here’s an example:
· The communications team is forced to spend more time gathering information and taking counter-positions in dealing with the media each time a reporter calls
· It almost always requires a Leadership Team member to drop their work to be the official spokesperson for the counter-message
· To counteract the negative news, the department is led to believe it needs to amplify other media campaigns to place positive messaging into the community to raise its image profile
These are important actions, no doubt. But our social responsibility to this community, to this region, is to help the people who enter our building with a mental illness leave the building a healthier person, and to support the people who will continue to support the client when they return to the community. In today’s health care system we need every dollar, every person who can help us do that.
When an external group chooses to use the media to point out our shortcomings, or to debate issues like P3 in the media it’s like opening the door in January. Dollars, energy and effort get sucked out the door to deal with the media problem – and the cost to services and programs is significant.
I’ve been a reporter. I can now see this dance from both sides. I hope that someday, someone has the courage to change the rules of engagement with the media to put an end to this nonsense.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
ROMHC: Nice place to work, but I wouldn’t want to socialize there!
I had the pleasure of attending a wedding during the summer with an ROHCG retiree who had devoted decades of work to the organization. She was also an icon of the ROHCG social circuit that existed in those days.
“The place isn’t the same anymore. Nobody cares about each other. The place has lost its spirit.” she said.
Still being a member of the home team, I wanted to disagree so badly. “It’s not that bad! There is still a sense of community! Don’t give me that good-ole-days stuff! But unfortunately that was the voice in my head talking. Visually I could only nod my head in agreement. I was part of that social scene in the 80’s and 90’s. The parties were the stuff of legend.
I still hold out the hope that things can change – but every few months that hope takes a hit, and the cancellation of this year’s Christmas Party is just the latest blow. I thought that last year’s party was great fun; awesome band, food, prizes, convenient location, it should have been a momentum builder. It wasn't even close to breaking even.
I don’t have a clue as to why this is the case.
· Are we so burnt out on change we don’t want to spare a single social minute off the corporate clock?
· Has our technical environment so stripped us of person-to-person contact that there simply isn’t enough to bond us for an evening together?
· Is our demographic profile too dominant with old boomers who prefer the comfort of home over most social gatherings?
One thing I do know is that it isn’t from lack of effort in creating social opportunities. The Royal Boosters worked their butts off organizing the event and trying to create the buzz and ticket sales. What a great bunch of people with the unconditional enthusiasm to create a party for us all – only to be denied with such silent pessimism.
I haven’t thrown in the towel. I probably never will. But that’s just me. I just hope when my days are done, I won’t be like my retired friend, bemoaning the good ole days at the ROHCG – but today it seems inevitable.
“The place isn’t the same anymore. Nobody cares about each other. The place has lost its spirit.” she said.
Still being a member of the home team, I wanted to disagree so badly. “It’s not that bad! There is still a sense of community! Don’t give me that good-ole-days stuff! But unfortunately that was the voice in my head talking. Visually I could only nod my head in agreement. I was part of that social scene in the 80’s and 90’s. The parties were the stuff of legend.
I still hold out the hope that things can change – but every few months that hope takes a hit, and the cancellation of this year’s Christmas Party is just the latest blow. I thought that last year’s party was great fun; awesome band, food, prizes, convenient location, it should have been a momentum builder. It wasn't even close to breaking even.
I don’t have a clue as to why this is the case.
· Are we so burnt out on change we don’t want to spare a single social minute off the corporate clock?
· Has our technical environment so stripped us of person-to-person contact that there simply isn’t enough to bond us for an evening together?
· Is our demographic profile too dominant with old boomers who prefer the comfort of home over most social gatherings?
One thing I do know is that it isn’t from lack of effort in creating social opportunities. The Royal Boosters worked their butts off organizing the event and trying to create the buzz and ticket sales. What a great bunch of people with the unconditional enthusiasm to create a party for us all – only to be denied with such silent pessimism.
I haven’t thrown in the towel. I probably never will. But that’s just me. I just hope when my days are done, I won’t be like my retired friend, bemoaning the good ole days at the ROHCG – but today it seems inevitable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
