JANUARY 1995. VOL 61, NO 1

Peer recognition award for outstanding employee

contributions perating rooms and postanesthesia care units (PACUs) are environments

that are fast paced, time oriented, and highly stressful. Without teamwork, these environments can be frustrating and demoraliz- ing and lead to job dissatisfaction among staff members.

Although the perioperative managers at Community General Hospital, Syracuse, NY, provid- ed positive feedback on a daily basis, some staff members said they did not feel appreciated or recognized for their efforts in providing excellent patient care. To boost staff members’ morale and increase teamwork and job satisfaction during a midwinter slump, the middle management team designed a peer recognition award. The purpose of the award was to recognize staff members’ outstanding contributions to OR/PACU teamwork and patient care and to return some control to staff members who were feel- ing overwhelmed by new rules and mandates from regulatory agencies and the hospital. The long-range goal was to motivate staff members to strive for excel- lence in patient care and personal achievement

Our next staff meeting was scheduled for February 13, and we decided to capitalize on the symbol associated with Valen- tine’s Day; what could be more appropriate than a “HEART” award? The acronym stood for

Hard working (ie, performs more than his or her fair share

of the work, works extra when needed, puts forth extra effort, “goes the second mile”); Enthusiastic (ie, is coopera- tive, has a positive attitude, does whatever is asked will- ingly and with eagerness); Achievement-oriented (ie, sets and achieves goals to improve patient care, self, and the OR/F’ACU environment; fol- lows policies and procedures); Respected (ie, is liked by staff members, demonstrates good principles, is always profes- sional); and Teammate (ie, works as a team player, is dependable).

THE A WARD We wanted the award to have

meaning and value, and we want- ed each recipient to have a lasting memento. We selected tangible items for the award winners, and the total cost was less than $20. rn We purchased a brass mug

award that would pass from recipient to recipient each month. This trophy is engraved with the phrase “Heart of CGH OR/F’ACU.”

award certificate that notes his m Each recipient receives an

JANICE MOREY-PEDERSEN, RN, MS, i s coordinator of professional and graduate programs at the College of Nursing, Syracuse (NY) University. When this article was written, she was administrative supervisor, ORIPACUI Minisurgery Unit, Communio Gener- al Hospital, Syracuse, NY.

or her name and the month in which the award is bestowed (Figure 1).

small, red heart to affix to his or her name pin as a perma- nent symbol of the award. A HEART honor roll (ie, list of recipients) is posted in the department staff lounge along with the award criteria. A picture of the award recipi- ent holding the trophy is post- ed next to the recipient‘s name on the honor roll.

Each recipient receives a

A WARD CRITERIA As managers, we disqualified

ourselves as potential recipients because the award was designed to meet staff members’ needs for recognition. We established the following guidelines for the award. rn The recipient must demon-

strate the characteristics of the HEART award (ie, excellence in patient care, teamwork, enthusiasm). Operating room and PACU staff nurses, surgical technol- ogists, licensed practical nurs- es, workroom technicians, and unit secretaries are eligible recipients. The award will be presented monthly at staff meetings. The monthly award recipient does not need to be present at the staff meeting to receive the award.

award will keep the traveling trophy until the next award presentation.

rn The person receiving the

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JANUARY 1995, VOL 6 1 , NO 1

I The staff member who receives the award one month will choose the next recipient.

rn On award day, the previous month’s recipient will present the award to the new recipient and tell why he or she select- ed the new recipient.

I No person can receive the award more than once,

A WARD PROMOTION, PR€Sf NTA TION

We kept the HEART award recognition program a secret but began giving clues one month before we presented the first award presentation. Three weeks before the presentation, we post- ed this sign in the department: “Clue #1 - What does February 14 bring to mind?” Two weeks before the presentation, we hung a paper honeycomb heart and decorated the staff lounge with heart-trimmed crepe paper and a sign that said, “Clue #2 - This heart’s for you!” One week before the presentation, we post- ed Clue #3: “The beat is getting closer.”

presentation, and the staff mem- bers speculated on the next clue and the ultimate outcome. At the scheduled staff meeting on Febru. ary 13, we introduced the HEART award and explained the award criteria. We also distributed home- baked, heart-shaped cookies and candy hearts, played the song “You Gotta Have Heart,” and sang and danced to the music, much to the delight of the staff members.

We enjoyed planning the award

Award Name

Date

Figure 1 Certificate presented to each HEART award recipient.

As administrative supervisor, I had the honor of choosing the first recipient, a nurse who dis- played all the award characteris- tics in her role of coordinating a busy schedule board. I also awarded an “honorable men- tion” to Marsha Connor, RN, BS, CNOR, who had created the major portion of the award but was not an eligible recipient because of her management position.

CONCLUSION In establishing the HEART

award, we were able to be cre- ative and custom design our own peer recognition award. In the

first year of the award program, staff members assumed control of the recognition program by selecting recipients, and they dis- tributed the awards equally to individuals in all job categories and on both shifts.

The award gave the staff members an extra incentive to work hard and an opportunity to earn lasting recognition from their peers. Staff members looked forward to learning the identity of the next recipient, and the surgeons were always curious to know who won the coveted award each month and even good naturedly asked if they could be eligible for the award. A

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