Page 32 - University of Martland Nursing Forum - Winter 2017

BY JEFF SEIDEL
TEAM CAPTAIN
UMSON Alumna Leads UMMC’s Top-Performing Unit
The Medical Intensive and experienced nurses and encourage all
Care Unit (MICU) at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) earned the Chief Nursing Officer
(CNO) Award for Team Excellence last spring, recognizing it as the top-performing unit at the hospital. Kerry Sue Mueller,
BSN ’90, RN, the 29-bed intensive care unit’s nurse manager, says there’s no complicated formula for success; it’s simply a group of nurses who work very hard and care a lot.
“I think the compassion of my staff and their desire to be really engaged and do the best they can for their patients led to this recognition,” she says.
The CNO award is presented to a unit that has “consistently demonstrated excellence in teamwork to provide extraordinary care to patients, families, and each other,” says Lisa Rowen, DNSc, MS ’86, RN, CENP, FAAN, system CNO, University of Maryland Medical System, and senior vice president of patient care services and CNO, UMMC. The MICU team was honored for “exceptional collaboration and clinical excellence in care for some
of the most critically ill patients in the hospital—and in the region,” she says, indicating that the mortality rate for unit patients hovers between 20-24 percent. “One of the most exemplary achievements of this unit is the culture of professional advancement. Unit leaders mentor novice
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of them to grow through our professional advancement model, and the nurses take these opportunities to become leaders and better nurses.”
Mueller has been in charge of the unit since 2003 after working on the unit’s staff for years. The staff includes 110 nurses, eight patient care technicians, nine unit secretaries, one inventory specialist,
an administrative assistant, and a large team of attendees, critical care
fellows, residents, and nurse
practitioners. The size of the
team reflects the critical nature
of the work that they do as
they care mainly for patients
facing transplant, oncology,
and respiratory failure and
dealing with issues such as
sepsis, post-arrest, and chronic neurological illnesses.
“My unit and I were very flattered,” Mueller says of receiving the award.
“We were up against many units in the hospital. We are very proud of all the accomplishments we have achieved in the past couple of years. It is not our way to walk around bragging about ourselves so when we actually put together our list of accomplishments, it was very humbling. In reality, every unit in the hospital deserves recognition for their accomplishments. Every day, when the staff comes to work, they give an enormous part of themselves to care for our patients and families.”
Mueller’s hours in the MICU vary depending on staff and patient needs and often involve late nights. But Mueller and her staff understand that this comes with the territory, especially since they’re often caring for patients near the end of their lives.
“The MICU team members are just as skilled and experienced in compassionate end-of-life care as they are in supportive care,” Rowen says. “Their expertise in end-of-life care is driven by a passion for providing closure for family members.”
“We deal with some of the sickest patients here,” Mueller says. “There’s lots
“We have to be prepared at all times for any situation.”