Throughout his healthcare career, Greg Wood has spent time walking the hospital floors, sitting in employee lounges and talking with staff. However, he recently got an even closer look at the front lines when he shadowed charge nurse Misty Freeman, RN, for eight hours at Laurinburg, N.C.-based Scotland Health Care System.
“I read an article about Suits in Scrubs Day, where hospital administration staff scrub up and spend time with the front-line staff,” Ms. Freeman said in a news release about the day from Richmond Community College. “So I presented the challenge to our CEO and he quickly agreed.”
“I had some really strong relationships with a lot of those folks, and I think they look forward to sharing some of their concerns and opportunities with me,” said Mr. Wood, who retired Dec. 1 after more than three decades as CEO of Scotland Health. David Pope currently helms Scotland Health, part of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health.
Mr. Wood agreed to shadow Ms. Freeman as part of “Suits in Scrubs” day in November. It so happened on that same day, nursing students were shadowing nurses as part of Richmond Community College’s associate degree in nursing program.
“I got to watch how they [the students] were taught and the other things that were going on,” Mr. Wood told Becker’s. “It was the second day that we had started linking our IV pumps up with our computer system. So the nurses were learning how to do that. I got to see how that interface went from using technology to make nurses’ lives a little easier.”
He said he also was able to report for Ms. Freeman during a daily safety call with nursing leaders and other key clinical leaders. Mr. Wood specifically reported on the total census for the intensive care and the progressive care units.
“The biggest takeaway for me, which was a little bit unexpected, was how decisive a charge nurse has to be with decisions being made all day long,” Mr. Wood said. “… Throughout the day, the charge nurse gets phone calls and one after another, she has to make decisions from a clinical perspective or from a staffing perspective.”
Although not new to him, the experience also reinforced for him how well the team works together, he said.
“Most of our nurses there are community college graduates,” said Mr. Wood. “They’re locally trained folks. They’re committed to the area. A lot of times they know each other personally. They go to church with each other. So it’s amazing how well that team comes together and does whatever is necessary.”
Overall, he stressed the importance for all hospital and health system CEOs to prioritize engaging with the front lines.
“When you have a trusting relationship, there is their willingness to share issues and challenges and barriers that may be very easy for you to address or give them permission to resolve,” said Mr. Wood.
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