Caregivers Corner � July/August 2003
If I Had a Hammer...

If I Had a Hammer...
     "I'd Knock Down this Institutional Nurses Station!"

A Pioneering Texan and Director of Nurses for the Floydada Rehabilitation and Care Center, Marsha Harmon, RN knew she had to take action and level her nurses� station. After attending a Culture Change conference, Marsha felt that the first way to move from a medical model of care to a social model would be to tackle what she calls the �big, old, honkin� nurses station� that represents a physical, mental and emotional barrier between residents and staff.

In a recent interview, Marsha stated that the nurses� station represented control. �This is our area. Don�t come in here.� In an attempt to make nursing facilities more homelike, staff often starts with physical changes. In some cases, physical changes can take place that deeply affect social change in a home. The Floydada institutional nursing home deconstruction represented just such an opportunity.

The entire process of tearing down the old station and replacing it with homelike furniture including a study-type desk, wardrobe and rug took about a week. When asked what it felt like to use a sledgehammer, Saws-all and crowbar to tear apart the structure, Marsha replies, �It was the best stress reliever in the world!�

The team of individuals that really helped Marsha through the transformation were Sandra, the administrator; Jen, the business office manager; and Cindy, the ADON. With the help of their previous maintenance director, the four women could claim being one of the first homes in Texas to follow a growing culture change initiative. Today, almost a year later, many more of the Texas homes that the Institute works with have followed suit.

�Yes, there was some opposition from some staff members to the idea in the beginning,� Marsha replies when asked about the reaction from her co-workers, �typical issues about HIPAA, privacy, control, risk, etc.� To those that told her, �You�re crazy!� Marsha was quick to point out that her new nurses station follows state and federal guidelines for privacy and clinical management to a �T.� 

To those of you out there considering this project, Marsha advises, �Let loose! This is a multi-faceted accomplishment from beginning to end.� The responses from residents and family members have been astounding. After all, the change is more homelike, comfortable, approachable and inviting. Just think about it--we don�t have �big old honkin� nurses� stations� in the middle of our living rooms at home, do we?

For more information on this project, please contact Floydada DON Marsha Harmon, RN, at 806-983-3704.