Nursing at Lansdale Hospital

Nancy G. Hesse, R.N., Lansdale Hospital's new Chief Nursing Officer, has spent her life guiding patients, loved ones, and healthcare professionals through life's critical moments. She served as director of Abington Memorial Hospital's Emergency Trauma Center for the last 20 years, and now brings her expertise to oversee all nursing services at Lansdale Hospital.

We talked with Nancy about the many positive events taking place at Lansdale Hospital, and how nursing is central to these transitions.

Q: What's one of the most exciting changes our community will see?
A: I'm pleased to say that Abington Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department physicians, led by Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine, Kendel G. Kidwell, M.D., are now supervising all emergency care at both Abington and Lansdale hospitals. Their longstanding experience at the only trauma center in Montgomery County makes them uniquely qualified to anticipate the medical challenges North Penn area residents face.

Since the Emergency Department is often the first interaction patients have with a hospital, there is special emphasis on sharing the culture of excellence we have at Abington Memorial Hospital here at Lansdale Hospital. We're looking forward to bringing our collaborative nurse-physician leadership model to emergency services, as well as to all of Lansdale Hospital.

Q: What is the nurse-physician model?
A: The nurse-physician leadership model is just one of many strategies that we have implemented at Abington Memorial, which was recently recertified with a "Magnet" designation. Magnet hospitals are recognized for employing the best practices that result in patient, physician, and employee satisfaction, with the underlying foundation being patient safety.

The collaborative-nurse model is one of shared decision-making, whether in the Emergency Department or on the patient units. For example, the physician-nurse team might choose a certain course of care based on the observations of the bedside nurses for a particular patient. These professionals work together to set practice protocol, collaborating on each other's expertise, for the best practices. For example, we're already implementing how we might better improve patient flow in the Emergency Department, as well as inpatient areas.

Q: How did you decide to become Chief Nursing Office at Lansdale Hospital?
A: I had the opportunity to teach two major customer service sessions to a wide range of Lansdale Hospital employees, and then 30 more education sessions to smaller groups. My Master's degree is in Nursing Leadership, and I found myself connecting with the staff right away. They were so enthusiastic to apply these customer service and care strategies to their work at Lansdale Hospital.

When the position of Chief Nursing Officer became available, I felt I could really make a difference. The staff "recruited" me, just because of their concern for the community.

I am proud of the patient satisfaction levels we had maintained in Abington Memorial Hospital's Emergency Trauma Center for the last nine years (each year ranking in the 99th percentile). I felt the CNO position at Lansdale Hospital would enable me to make a difference across the entire hospital.

Q: What does your new role involve?
A: I have responsibility for the overall management of clinical nursing practice, ensuring the development, implementation and evaluation of policies, programs, and services that are evidence-based and consistent with professional standards and practice.

Now that Lansdale Hospital is part of Abington Health, I have the privilege of helping to shape its growth. I'm already settling into the Lansdale Hospital family, as well as being part of the North Penn community. I'm extremely proud to work with such a dedicated staff.

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Nancy G. Hesse has more than 29 years of nursing leadership experience, and has served as presenter on patient, employee, and physician satisfaction at national healthcare executive conferences. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Widener University and a Master's degree in Nursing Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.