As you know, I work in the Emergency Department at Allen Hospital. I joined the Unit Council, which is a leadership team made of and elected by rank-and-file staff that are tasked with helping improve conditions for patients and staff on the unit. 

Our ER is in a small community hospital, and we constantly have a patient load that is about three times as high as what we were designed to see. In the wake of the staffing shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we've had a big challenge with burnout, morale, and making sure continuing education is front and center. While the long term solution is increasing staffing and beds, with all of the funding cuts to hospitals, we are focused on what we can do to support the current staff. 

I'm trying to fundraise $5,000 by the end of the year to support continuing education and morale/team-building. I hope to help send 1-2 nurses to a professional conference, which will expose them to cutting edge practices in the field of emergency nursing. They can then bring these lessons back to the unit, which will improve continuing education and patient care across the board. I have already piloted a “Lunch and Learn” model to share back learnings with the staff, which has been a resounding success, and I would like to expand by bringing in other nurses. Studies from professional nursing organizations show that attending professional conferences boosts morale, job satisfaction and retention rates. 

I also hope to help fund team-building activities and celebrations for the staff, including a end-of-year party and team outings like bowling or a group race. Saving lives requires a tight knit team that has high levels of trust and quality communication, and these team-building activities help create that.  And because our work is often thankless, taking dedicated time to celebrate and recognize the hard work of the nurses is critical to team culture and morale.  

I'm starting with a modest fundraising goal, and if we are successful, I hope that this can become an ongoing fundraiser that the entire unit council can undertake to support our nurses year round. Thank you so much for your support!

Important note: this is an independent fundraiser and is not affiliated with NY Presbyterian or NYSNA, but is designed to support its nurses.