SVHC Celebrates Strong Nurse Satisfaction Survey Results
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SVHC Celebrates Strong Nurse Satisfaction Survey Results

Caption: Nurses and other staff from the Renal Dialysis Unit took a moment to celebrate strong nurse satisfaction survey results with nurse and organizational leaders. The department logged a 100 percent response rate. Shown, from left to right, are Pamela Duchene, PhD, APRN, chief nursing officer and vice president for Patient Care Services; Whitney Bull, CCHT; Connie A. Jastremski, RN, MS, MBA, ANP-C, FCCM, chair of the SVHC Board of Trustees Board Quality Committee; Marylou Rivera, HT; and Donna Gunther, RN, BSN, CNN

BENNINGTON, VT—November 23, 2022—Throughout the month of August, the nurses of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), participated in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) RN Survey, which measures nurse job satisfaction. The results are in. SVMC’s nurses scored SVMC higher than the national average in all categories. Studies link high nurse satisfaction with improved patient outcomes.

“We have so many nurses and leaders from all areas working together to make SVMC the best place to build a satisfying nursing career, and those efforts are paying off,” said Connie A. Jastremski, RN, MS, MBA, ANP-C, FCCM, chair of the SVHC Board of Trustees Board Quality Committee. “When nurses are happy and empowered, patients get the highest quality care. That’s why these measures are so important.”

Nurses from all departments rated the practice environment, staff participation in policy decisions, accessibility of chief nursing officer, job enjoyment, administration’s demonstrated response to employee concerns, recognition for a job well done, adequate staffing and resources, nurse-physician working relationships, autonomy, and others.  

SVMC’s nurses rated the hospital particularly high in a category designed to determine nurses’ satisfaction with their role in making important decisions about care.  

“Members of the leadership team are present in clinical areas,” said Debora Malachuk, RN, BSN, who has worked as a nurse in the Medical-Surgical Department for 16 years.  “They are quick to listen and support us in any way that we need. With that familiarity and collaboration, I feel empowered to make changes that positively impact my patients.”

While all measures were positive compared with industry averages nationwide, the survey provided information about areas that hold the greatest opportunity for improvement, including the need to offer more career development and continuing education programs. It also identified departments that are thriving and those that need additional support.

“We are proud of the 2022 results and grateful for the information we need to improve even more,” said Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President for Patient Care Services Pamela Duchene, APRN, PhD. Noting a gain in survey results over 2021, Duchene continued, “our year-over-year performance gives me great confidence that we have the systems and tools we need to continue the positive trend in ways that matter most to our nurses.”

Developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and administered by Press Ganey, the NDNQI® is a validated instrument for measuring nurse satisfaction and hospital quality. The program database examines the relationships between nursing satisfaction and patient outcomes. Healthcare systems use the information to guide nursing strategy. More than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and 98% of Magnet®-recognized facilities participate in the NDNQI program.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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How to Maintain a Healthy Immune System

There are so many things that we have little control over. We can't control what genes we get, how old we are, or what viruses are circulating in our environment, but there is a lot we can do to prevent illness. Remarkably, many of the same habits that protect you from diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease also help your immune system fight infections.

Most viruses can't hurt you until they get inside your body. So, we can help our immune system if we avoid viruses and cut off the ways they travel. Viruses can spread through the air, but not usually for very far. Keep your distance—at least 6 feet—from others, and be a good neighbor by wearing a mask in all public areas.

Viruses that cause the most common illnesses—respiratory infections, including the common cold, flu, and the new COVID-19—travel into the body through your mouth, nose, and eyes and make their way to the areas they infect, like the lungs. The best way to break this chain is to clean your hands frequently, and don't touch your face with hands that have touched anything else. In addition, you can reduce the number of viruses in your environment by cleaning frequently touched objects with a bleach- or alcohol-based cleaner.

Vaccinations are your next line of defense. Immunizations, like the flu shot, introduce a small and harmless part of a virus or bacteria. The vaccine gives your immune system an opportunity to make antibodies against the virus. A vaccinated immune system responds more quickly and effectively when illnesses are introduced. What's more, when we all get vaccinated, we decrease the likelihood that anyone will get sick. If you are unsure about whether you or your children are up to date on their vaccinations, call your primary care provider’s office.

Your third line of defense is living a healthy lifestyle. It is clear that the same things that help the rest of our bodies function also improve the strength of our immune response. Likewise, things that hinder our bodies' ability to function compromise the immune system.

Regular exercise might be the most powerful way to maintain a healthy immune system. By increasing heart rate and blood flow, we allow the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently. Similarly, things that slow the movement of cells and substances, like smoking or drinking alcohol in excess, may decrease the body’s ability to function and decreases the immune response, as well.

Getting adequate sleep may also positively affect the immune response. Chronic sleep deprivation has been shown to decrease the beneficial boost in immunity from vaccinations.

Our emotional state, too—whether we are stressed, lonely, or depressed, for instance—affects our immune response so much that a relatively new specialty called psychoneuroimmunology now studies the connection. One pioneering study, conducted in the early 1980s, found that college students operating within a stressful 3-day exam period had fewer of the cells that fight tumors and viral infections. In simple terms, the students almost stopped producing immunity boosters and infection fighters.

Finally, physicians have concluded that eating a mostly plant-based diet—including fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and lean protein—supports overall health and may also support immunity. Nutritious foods include important vitamins that the immune system needs to function, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. Note, however, that supplements that claim to improve immune function have not yet been shown to do so to the extent necessary to protect against infection and disease. It is better to eat whole foods that are rich in vitamins rather than take supplements.

Always consult with your provider before making changes to your exercise plan or trying a new supplement and if you have any medical concerns. Physicians and the other professionals working in their offices also provide help for developing a plan for a healthier life. Call your primary care office or 802-447-5007 to find a primary care provider.

Healthy habits, like those that protect your body from disease and infection, are not always easy to adopt or maintain. Perhaps knowing just how important they are to maintaining a healthy immune response will provide the extra motivation necessary to make them a priority.

Kim Fodor, MD, is an internal medicine physician at SVMC Internal Medicine.

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