This month, we’re focusing on the concept of workplace culture and how to create a healthy work environment for everyone. Why such a focus on culture? The Zulu concept of ‘Ubuntu’ helps explain the importance of culture. Desmond Tutu described it as “I am a human being because I belong. I participate. I share.” Audrey Tang explains that Ubuntu “implies that everyone has different education and skills and strengths; people are not isolated, and through mutual support they can help each other to complete themselves.” Basically, the idea that each of us as authentic individuals bring our whole selves to work, and are part of a larger, more significant, relational, communal environment.
Ubuntu means that our basic humanity and happiness at work impact how we are all functioning as a team. Shawn Achor, in "The Happiness Advantage", describes the three primary needs that shape satisfaction in the workplace, which are almost identical to the needs that predict happiness in our personal lives:
- Being able to easily recover from setbacks
- Having close, supportive social connections
- Possessing a sense of purpose and meaning
Achor believes there are three concrete ways to help meet these happiness prerequisites:
- Make forgiveness a part of your daily philosophy
- Encourage employees to connect with their teammates
- Find a higher mission and build your workplace culture around it
The Communications and Culture working group has now been operating for over a year, working to help us move toward a healthy and happy workplace. We’re excited to share our progress! Please see the featured story and annual survey results below. We are committed to continuing this important work. Please reach out if you need support. We’re here to help.
This Memorial Day, join us in remembering and honoring the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
With gratitude,
Jim, Liz, Karin, Billy, Ann, Jennifer, Leigh & Jef
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Children’s Hospital Culture: Why it’s a Top Priority
by Dr. William C. Petersen Jr, Associate Chief Medical Officer
Learn more about why culture is so important to Children's Hospital leadership and what to expect next.
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Communications and Culture Initiative: One Year Later
By Dr. Ann Kellams, Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, Professor of Pediatrics
Learn more about what the last year looked liked for the Communications and Cultures working group.
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Virtual Observership in Pediatrics (VOP) Program
by Dr. Debbie-Ann Shirley and Dr. Sarah Boggs, VOP organizers
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Learn more about the Virtual Observership in Pediatrics (VOP) program, created to provide educational opportunities to undergraduate students interested in learning more about a career in medicine.
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COVID Corner
by Dr. Debbie-Ann Shirley, Division Head of Pediatric Infectious Disease
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Learn more about the latest updates on COVID-19.
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Together We Make a Difference |
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Theme of the Month:
Culture
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Quotes of the Week
May 3: "Culture is what enables teams of people to defy the odds and achieve the remarkable." ~ Unknown
May 10: "Celebrate what is working, address what is not." ~ Unknown
May 17: “Our secret weapon for building the best culture is open and honest feedback.” ~ Gina Lau
May 24: "Culture happens. Whether planned or not, all companies have a culture. So why not create one we love?" ~ Unknown
May 31: "A hallmark of a healthy, creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticisms." ~ Ed Catmull
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Mark Your Calendar
Professional Recognition & Health Awareness Days
- American Stroke Awareness Month
- Arthritis Awareness Month
- Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
- National Nurses Week (May 6 –12)
- National Women’s Health Week (May 10–16)
- World Asthma Day (May 4)
- World Hand Hygiene Day (May 5)
- Speech Pathologist Day (May 18)
- World Preeclampsia Day (May 22)
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Check out the May calendar from Action for Happiness and spend time reflecting on what gives our life meaning.
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How We're Beating Burnout |
From Felisha Tyree, Nurse Manager, Labor and Delivery
Burnout is real. I have found that humor among the team sparks new levels of positive energy and healthy communication. To help, we have implemented an emoji competition. Team members select an emoji and recreate it using themselves as the “emoji”. We are having a lot of fun with it and have titled it "Emoji War". This has been an inexpensive way to add humor during a stressful time. We will continue to be creative in developing a culture of compassion.
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Reflections & Expressions |
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Restoring Lost Connections
by Eliza Holland, MD Pediatric Hospital Medicine
The tears started rolling down her face after I gave her the shot. Crying children are a given in pediatrics but these were not the tears of an angry toddler; these were tears of relief and joy in an older woman after receiving her Covid vaccine. Sometimes the tears come after the shot, sometimes they come when I ask, “Who have you been waiting to see?” or tell them that they will be able to hug a loved one in 2 weeks. I have witnessed this reaction multiple times in men and women, both old and young, over the past 4 months of the vaccination drive. Many people just want the shot and go but others linger at my station to discuss their concerns about the vaccine, the losses they have suffered, and the dreams of their post-pandemic lives. I have counseled, comforted, and cheered with folks from across our health district.
I have literally given shots all over town - UVA, Monticello High School, Seminole Square, the Kmart parking lot, JCPenney. However, the most memorable day so far was when I got to vaccinate homebound community members. I was accompanied by a local firefighter and we visited 3 homes to deliver shots and perform safety checks. This was a throwback to my days as one of the resident coordinators for the Pediatric Home Visit program and I loved it! We had the cooler for the vaccine and a backpack full of supplies in the Charlottesville Fire Department pickup truck. The first woman got her shot on the front porch and was giddy while we chatted during her 15 minute observation period. At the second house, the occupant was a little less talkative and we passed the time watching “Let’s Make a Deal” after vaccinating her in her TV room. The final stop was a family of 3 that included a man who had undergone a renal transplant, his wife, and their adult son. We were met at the door with enthusiastic cries of “You are here, you are here! They told me you weren’t coming.” I vaccinated the father in the den, the mother and the son in the kitchen. As we left, the father was on the phone with his daughter talking about his happy surprise visit. The excitement that this man felt stayed with me for days afterwards.
Each shift at a vaccine clinic leaves me physically exhausted but emotionally recharged. It is a privilege and an honor to hear people’s stories and help restore some of the lost human connections after this brutal year.
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The goal of Expressions & Reflections is to help us reconnect with our purpose in medicine. We want to provide a space for sharing lessons learned within our Children's Hospital. Topics could include, but are not limited to: wellness, racism, violence, bias, resiliency, advocacy, burnout, equality, LGBTTQQIAAP, kindness, mistreatment, mentorship, peer support, or any fascinating, sad, happy, brave, complex, or inspiring experiences. This feature can be prose (with a limit of 500 words), poetry or art. Please submit to Dr. Joanne Mendoza jm7zg@virginia.edu
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CHRC Speaker Series
Friday May 7, 12:00 - 1:00pm
“Behavioral interventions to address childhood obesity disparities: Lessons learned from two hybrid effectiveness implementation trials in medically underserved regions across Virginia” by Jamie Zoellner, PhD, RD Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences Associate Director, Cancer Center without Walls
Meeting ID: 945 5421 5934
Passcode: 879269
Friday May 21, 12:00 - 1:00pm
“Role of MicroRNAs and RISC in TGF-β1 mediated inhibition of CFTR gene: relevance to human disease” by Agnieszka Swiatecka-Urban, MD Professor of Pediatrics Chief of Pediatric Nephrology UVA Pediatric Children’s Hospital
Meeting ID: 967 2368 6252
Passcode: 293278
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The 33rd Annual University of Virginia Children’s Hospital Research Symposium and 9th Research Trainee Competition
Ninth Annual Research Trainee Competition
Trainee Competition date: Friday, May 14, 11:00am - 1:00pm
The Research Trainee Competition features Platform Presentations by Residents, Medical Fellows, Medical Students, Graduate Students, and Undergraduates.
All presentations are virtual, on Zoom.
Children’s Hospital Research Symposium
Symposium date: Thursday, May 27, 8:00am - 2:30pm
This year, we will be celebrating the 33rd Annual Research Symposium with research presentations, awards ceremony, and featured speaker.
All presentations are virtual, on Zoom
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The 1st Annual Children's Hospital Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Project Showcase!
Tuesday, May 11, 11:30am - 1:30pm
This year, we will hold the first annual showcase highlighting the impactful work our residents, fellows and faculty are doing to provide effective, coordinated, collaborative, evidence-based, and patient- and family-centered care. This is an opportunity for teams to present completed projects or discuss works in progress. This year it will be presented concurrently in person and virtually. Please contact Drs. Joanne Mendoza, Elisa Hampton, or Jon Swanson with any questions.
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School of Medicine Professional Development
P&T Polishing the Portfolio: Panel Discussion
Thursday, May 6
5:00 – 6:00 pm
P&T Polishing the Portfolio: Panel Discussion
Friday, May 7
7:00 – 8:00pm
Certificate Program: Supporting Learner Wellbeing
Wednesday, May 12
12:00 – 1:00pm
Introduction to Climate Change and its Effects on Healthcare: An Evidence-Based Overview
Wednesday, May 19
4:00 – 5:00pm
Journal Club
Thursday, May 20
12:00 – 1:00pm
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UVA Joins the Children's Hospital Association! |
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What is the Children's Hospital Association?
The mission of the Children's Hospital Association (CHA) advances child health through innovation in the quality, cost and delivery of care with our children’s hospitals. The CHA represents more than 220 children’s hospitals, serving as the voice of children’s hospitals nationally. The CHA champions policies that enable children’s hospitals to better serve children; leverages its position as the pediatric leader in data analytics to facilitate national collaborative and research efforts to improve performance; spreads best practices to benefit the nation’s children; and advocates for increased funding to support children’s hospital graduate medical education.
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Why is this great for UVA?
Connectivity is a wonderful benefit of being part of the CHA. Our membership lets us collaborate with other Children's Hospitals nationally. For example, if we have an issue with blood stream infections in central lines, we can partner with others working on the same problem to share best practices and innovative ideas.
We now have access to listservs, are able to share data, and can see how we measure up to our peers. Sharing information, not competing, allows everyone to benefit from working together. We are also able to engage in quality practices for both research and benchmarking. Instead of benchmarking ourselves to a standard adult hospital, we now have information specific to the majority of Children's Hospitals across the nation.
This membership is support that the Medical Center is providing to us as part of a larger investment specifically for the Children's Hopsital and we are excited to have this infrastructure to support the Quality Program moving forward.
How can I learn more?
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Interdisciplinary Collaboration: My Best Consult Visit Ever |
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From Amanda Rosenblatt, Clinician IV, RN, IBCLC
The Breastfeeding Medicine Team was consulted as a tag on to an outpatient visit for a newborn recently diagnosed with PKU. When I arrived, I was greeted by an amazing Pediatric Geneticist (Dr. Peroutka), Registered Dietician (Rachel Murray) and Social Worker (Cierra Patterson). Dr. Peroutka reviewed the basics of PKU, the baby’s history, and the mother’s goals. Rachel (RD) reviewed the feeding plan. We entered the patient room as a collaborative team to address the family’s questions and concerns and identified more community resources for them. Rachel and I finished the visit focusing on ways to meet both baby’s medical goals and the mother’s breastfeeding goals. It was incredible to see such encompassing care brought directly to the family in one place.
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The “Books at Birth - Yes!” Program is Back! |
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From Josette Knapp, PFCC, UVA Children’s Hospital
On Thursday, April 22, six volunteers stuffed over 200 bags of books in two hours for the
“Books at Birth – Yes!” program.
The gift bags of books are given to Mothers that discharge with their newborn babies.
These beautiful hardcover books are donated to UVA Children’s hospital by
the Soho Center.
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers from UVA HR and Volunteer Services: Peggy Williams, Liz Stapleton, Georgia Meyer, Peggy Williams, Sally Jackson, and Shelly Tattersall.
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Kara Quinn Zarella
Born March 26
Lauren Zarella,
NICU Nurse
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Have a story idea? Let us know!
Working on an exciting new project? Want to spread the word about your clinic? Know a team member that should be recognized? We can help!
WCH Communication and Culture Workgroup
The WCH Communication and Culture workgroup focuses on team-building, keeping us all in touch with the meaning of our work, giving us all common language and common goals, and helping to ensure that every member of our team, regardless of role, feels welcomed, included, respected, heard, and valued. We are always seeking new members, new ideas, and feedback!
Please help us spread the word
Know someone who would enjoy our newsletter? Please forward this email. Want to be added to the list to receive monthly updates? Please email us.
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