Oklahoma State University Medical Center (OSUMC) managed by Mercy is the largest osteopathic teaching hospital in the nation, but that doesn’t mean the facility isn’t continuing to grow, unveiling new systems to improve patient care.
OSUMC has committed to giving nurses the tools they need to grow their practice and deliver world-class care in a changing healthcare environment.
Joy Upshaw, chief nursing officer at OSUMC says the hospital is rolling out a number of exciting programs geared toward growing and retaining quality nurses to continue OSUMC’s legacy of patient care.
“When we’re hiring new nurses, at OSUMC we are never looking for someone who is going to just do their 12-hour shift and go home,” Upshaw said. “Great nurses are committed to making their environment a place for healing. That may mean serving on committees, doing research, educating and listening to families.”
And that’s why the official teaching hospital for the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, a 2009 U.S. News and World Report Top Ranked Graduate School, is committed to growing its nurses.
The hospital offers a 5:1 nursing ratio on medical surgical floors as well as a floating charge nurse.
OSUMC is unveiling a new RN nursing residency program. The six-month program will begin its first class July 11.
“The Residency program is designed to transition the graduate nurse to a nurse at the bedside,” said Upshaw. “The program provides a variety of continued learning for the new nurse which will enable a successful transition from the school to practice.”
In March, OSU opened a new observation unit with the goal to stabilize patients for discharge home or monitor for possible admission in the hospital. A typical stay ranges from eight to 23 hours.
Benefits include: *Improved quality of patient care *Shorter lengths of stay *More efficient patient flow *Decreased readmission rates
OSU Medical is also home to Oklahoma’s top ranked Wound Care and Hyperbarics Clinic and has been named a Highest Rated Emergency Department for Patient Satisfaction. OSU Mobile Cardiology is Oklahoma’s first and only traveling cardiac unit that offers cardiac diagnostic testing to a variety of hospitals in rural communities throughout Oklahoma.
Upshaw said the hospital’s Press-Ganey scores continue to improve as OSUMC focuses on nurse communication.
“We began our journey to improve overall patient satisfaction because our patients come first,” Upshaw said. “They have plenty of other options for health care in Tulsa and we want our patients to continue to choose OSUMC. Our nurses play an essential role in transforming the health care system as it relates to how hospitals are graded through Press Ganey.”
For more than 40 years, OSUMC has served as the teaching hospital for medical students training at OSU Center for Health Sciences (formerly called the Oklahoma College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery). Over those four decades, more than 2,000 physicians, many of which still practice in Oklahoma, have been trained.
Together with Mercy, OSUMC is dedicated to cultivating and promoting the health and well-being of the community and integrating this commitment into quality patient care that is provided each day.
