Clinical Open House - April 29, 2010

NRH is hosting a Clinical Open House on Thursday, April 29, from 4:00-8:00pm for those interested in working as a Registered Nurse (RN), Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), or Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA). If you are a current student in one of these programs or already a licensed clinician, please stop by to meet our team.

Many team members will be on hand, including our Recruitment Team as well as managers from Nursing and Therapy. This is a great, informal way to meet current Team Members, tour the hospital, and get any of your questions answered. We will have brief presentations at 6:30pm from two of our newest Team Members who will discuss their time at NRH, as well as thoughts from our clinical managers. If you have questions or would like to RSVP, please email Aaron Moorman at aaron.d.moorman@medstar.net.

The Open House will be held at the NRH Main Campus, 102 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20010. Please check in with Security and let them know you are attending the Clinical Open House. Parking is available in both the Yellow and Blue parking garages on campus. NRH also has shuttle service to and from the Brookland/CUA Metro and the Columbia Heights Metro. Please review the shuttle schedule for details.

NRH President Discusses Being an NRH Team Member

Our recruitment team invited John Rockwood, President of National Rehabilitation Hospital and The NRH Medical Rehabilitation Network, to a meeting recently. Little did he know, we were going to put a Flip video camera in front of him and ask him a few questions about what makes the ideal Team Member here at NRH. Included in this video are some of his candid thoughts about Team Members supporting our mission and philosophy, and the great opportunities we have at NRH. Also in the video, you will see that his name-tag says "John." There is no "Mr. Rockwood" at NRH!

John recently succeeded NRH Founder Ed Eckenhoff as President of NRH. To read the full story of Ed's retirement and John's appointment, click here to be directed to the press release.

Monthly Recruitment Luncheon

The NRH Medical Rehabilitation Network welcomes any Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Nurse, or student to join us for our monthly recruitment luncheon. This is a great opportunity to meet our clinical staff and recruitment team during an informal setting and learn more about the network and benefits package. Team members will be present to answer any questions you may have and to take you on a tour of the facility.

The luncheon is typically held on the second Monday of each month at the main campus at 102 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010. For more information, or to RSVP, please email Ashlee Johnson at ashlee.r.johnson@medstar.net.

Lecture: "Orthopedic Conditions of the First Ray"

Please join us for dinner and special lecture given by Paul Cooper, MD, Orthopaedic/ Foot and Ankle Surgeon and Chief of Foot & Ankle Service at Georgetown University Hospital and The Center for Foot and Hand Services. We welcome any clinicians, case managers, or students who want to attend.

The lecture will be held at NRH Regional Rehab at Friendship Heights on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Dinner will start at 5:30 p.m. and is free to all participants. Please RSVP to Christina McCarthy at 202.877.1977 or christina.j.mccarthy@medstar.net. This is a great opportunity to meet NRH clinical team members and members from our recruitment team.

Our Friendship Heights clinic is located at 5530 Wisconsin Avenue - Suite 960, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, and is accessible via Red Line Metro at the Friendship Heights stop. We are located approximately two blocks north of the Metro stop on Wisconsin Avenue. Garage parking will also be available so please remember to bring your parking ticket for validation.

NRH Conquers Blizzard(s) of 2010

New Value Spirit Helps Team Members Work Together During Big Storm

While we all hope there are no more snowstorms quite like the ones we had in early February, one thing we hope we never lose here at NRH is the spirit of teamwork.

We recently welcomed a new group of New Value Ambassadors aboard here at NRH and in the process we saw the ‘old’ New Value spirit come alive in numerous ways with Team Members spending the night, offering more than their fair share of time, across weekends and at night, helping each other and assisting our patients.

John Rockwood, NRH President, expressed extreme gratitude for the great job done by all. “I can’t thank everyone enough for the effort and the hard work put in by all Team Members. I’m very proud of the great group of people we have here, who gave everything they had to be here during these snowstorms and sacrificed their time and time away from their families, for our patients and for NRH.”

Team Members found numerous ways to make sure they arrived at work to help meet the needs of patients even if they were stuck in snow, their drivers were stuck in snow, or if they tried to walk to work.

People were picking one another up or helping to pitch in where they usually didn’t or work extra shifts, which many of our nurses did. Medical residents and full-time medical staff also logged extra time and made sure they were here.

Jon Moncton, NRH Rehab Engineer, even skied here in the first round aftermath of storms! “I don’t live too far away, over by Providence Hospital,” said Moncton, who works part-time on Saturdays with patients and wanted to make sure he was at the hospital to work with them and fulfill his commitment. “I started to try and dig my car out first, but I realized I was running late, so I got my skis on.”

The hospital grounds lost some trees due to the storm, but such is the way of Mother Nature. But not even Mother Nature could prevent NRH Team Members from working together to make sure patients and each other were safe during the winter blasts of 2010.

Here’s a sampling from those who were here at NRH during the Blizzard(s) of 2010:

“I am very happy for the treatment the Nursing Team Members received here at NRH (during the snowstorm). We’re all very thankful for the treatment and the meals. This was a very nice gesture by Administration to do this and all of the Nurses greatly appreciate it.” – Claudette Campell, NRH Nurse 3-East

“We would like to express our most profound appreciation to the NRH Executive Leadership Team for their heartfelt actions that made this snowstorm bearable. Thank you for the sleeping accommodations, food, transportation assistance, and entertainment. You made our place of work a home away from home. We, simply, want to say thank you.” – Alquietta Brown, NRH Director of Nursing

“This is the story from Lorraine Stewart, RN on 3-East. Lorraine's neighborhood was swamped by the Blizzard of 2010 but she knew she had to somehow make an attempt to find her car buried deep in the depths of a snow mound, to drive to work. She quickly realized that this may not have been the greatest idea as her car became stuck in the snow. She knew she could count on help from her co-workers and called NRH to check on the possibility of being picked by the transport service. This is where her story became more adventurous. Mr. Pillow, the hospital's transport driver, arrived at her home in his van with three other employees already in tow. Just seconds down the road, the van became stuck in the snow on a hill on the road to pick-up yet another employee, Cecelia. Continuing to realize the goodness in others, a lady nearby was shoveling her driveway and, after hearing that the van was full of hospital nurses trying to get to NRH, kindly loaned them her shovel. Mr. Pillow and Lorraine continued shoveling but were in need of yet another shovel! The snow was falling fast... the temperature was frigid...and the van... was still stuck. Lorraine decided to trek up the hill to Cecelia's house, calling her while trotting through the snow, and asked Cecelia to bring a shovel. Lorraine and Cecelia, with a shovel in hand, arrived back at the van to continue their task. Lorraine quickly rejoined Mr. Pillow in the big dig out lasting about an hour before they were able to free the van and continue their trip to NRH.” – Clydette Wilkinson-Roberts, Clinical Nurse Manager, NCCR

“Everybody truly worked together. From Administration on down, we all worked as a team. That’s all part of really being a team. John Rockwood set the tone. He got down in the trenches with us. Everyone takes from his attitude and genuine leadership and works together.” – Renee Butler, NRH Manager, Telecommunications

“They (Administration) made us feel comfortable. The food was good, the movie was good. There were no conflicts. When we had to work together, we did.” – Sandra Smith, Unit Clerk, 2-West

“We all pulled together. There were no problems.” – Dalia Cayetano, Comfort Care Tech, 2-West

“In an effort to cover the nursing needs for 2-West, Team Members put together a slumber party room in Room 241. This room contained five beds and one stretcher for sleeping. Team Members set up the room with bedding supplies and took turns sleeping there. It was the most popular room on the floor. The slumber party was ongoing.” – Cynthia ‘Mac’ McDonald, Director of Nursing, 2nd Floor

“I came away with a better appreciation of the hospital (after the snowstorm). People were all very supportive, helpful. That’s a sign of a good organization when you can take everyone in the building and know where they are. The patients were impressed too, with how seamless everything was. To them, it was business as usual.” – Amanda Schmid, NRH Clinical Food Manager

“From Monday through Thursday, we all worked together through the snowstorm. We didn’t mind covering for each other. The patients were very taken aback by that.” – Barbara McKenzie, Unit Clerk

“Patients expressed appreciation for the fact that we all were there for them and that we did everything we had to do to make sure we cared for them and met their needs.” – Jon Moncton, NRH Rehab Engineer

“I was mentally prepared to stay the night. Everyone was working together. People were not just here for the paycheck. I think the patients felt good we were all there and felt very comforted by our presence.” – Arlethia Webster-Hardy, Unit Clerk, who tried to walk to NRH during the second snowstorm and was helped by a police officer to get to work, who saw her struggling in the blizzard.

“My overall impression is that the NRH Team Members showed a great deal of unselfishness and dedication during the recent blizzards. Many made sure they were able to provide the care needed by staying overnight before the blizzards hit.” – Dr. Kritis Dasgupta, NRH Brain Injury Program

“During the (snow)storm I was scheduled to work the weekend and ended up staying over with four other OT's, 2 SLP's and a PT. As a therapy team we pulled together to provide patient care and to make it through the weekend staying at NRH. I got to know my Team Members better and we had fun playing in the snow. Snow Bocce!! I think the patients were grateful that we were able to provide therapy despite the storm.” – Kristen Ryan, NRH Occupational Therapist

NRH's Dr. Victor Ibrahim hosts Randy Moore, DC

Victor Ibrahim, MD, NRH Physiatrist, Sports & Spine Medicine, hosted Randy Moore, DC, RDMS, last week reviewing protocols for musculoskeletal imaging using ultrasound. Dr. Moore is the author of The Practical Guide to Sonography of the Extremities, which he developed in order to reduce the learning curve required for medical professionals who utilize sonography for musculoskeletal imaging. Dr. Ibrahim trained using these techniques during his residency and employs them today here at NRH. Drs. Ibrahim and Moore are also developing protocols for ultrasound guided injections which will be published later this year as a companion book. For more information on Dr. Moore's book and his work, visit his website. To learn more about Dr. Ibrahim and his practice here at NRH and NRH Regional Rehab at Bethesda, visit his profile. Dr. Moore (left) is pictured with Dr. Ibrahim in the Christoph Ruesch Neuroscience Research Center at the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

Welcome!

Welcome to "Adding life to years" - a blog for National Rehabilitation Hospital and the NRH Medical Rehabilitation Network. Here you will find information of interest to many incuding patients, team members, future team members, physicians, and others in the NRH community. We are just getting started, but please stay tuned for more!