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Team PCCU: A Story of Success and Team Building
 When PCCU Nurse Manager Michelle Welander returned to work after Memorial Day weekend, she had no idea she was in for a surprise.
When she walked into the break room, she was greeted by two large bulletin boards that bore the theme: Team PCCU.
Nurses Jennifer Hill, Elizabeth Hand, Lindsay Clairain, and Sara Watts got together over that holiday weekend to surprise Welander.
The group formulated their plan and went shopping for the perfect supplies. The result was two bulletin boards that highlighted photos of each member of the PCCU unit, including an interesting fact about each person, and a whole different way of looking at the unit as a team.
| coach |
nurse manager |
| commissioner |
clinical director |
| owners |
attending physicians |
| trainers |
unit secretaries |
| cheerleaders |
SNAs & SNEs |
| players |
nurses |
| red-shirt freshman |
December '06 hires |
| rookies |
May '07 hires |
| boosters |
PCCU social worker and pharmacist |
| mascots |
chronically-ventilated patients |
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The board is organized to portray how each member of the team plays an integral role in the unit. There is a coach, Welander; commissioner, Clinical Director Amber Arnold; owners, the attending physicians; trainers, the unit secretaries; cheerleaders, SNAs and SNEs; players, the nurses; red shirt freshman, December 2006 hires; rookies, May 2007 hires; boosters, PCCU social worker and PCCU; and mascots, the chronically-ventilated patients on the PCCU floor. The board emphasizes the importance of each person on the team.
"People have seemed to really enjoy it," said Hand. "Everyone loved reading the funny and interesting things about each other.
Increasing Job Satisfaction
During the past five years, the Pediatric Critical Care Unit has struggled with turnover.
Since Welander took on the role of nurse manager in October, she has focused on increasing nurses' job satisfaction. In doing so, she has addressed the issue of decreasing the number of shifts nurses work. She has also started a stand-by system to cover absenteeism.
"I think the biggest thing has been dropping them to six shifts from seven," said Welander. "The high intensity of the work - you really take it home."
 According to Clairain, this has made a big difference.
"I am so happy," said Clairain. "I love my job again."
"With the acuity of our unit, it is a stressful environment," said Welander. "As the only PCCU in the state, we deal with most critically ill pediatric patients."
When Welander returned from her vacation, she was floored. "It was exciting," she said. "It was awesome to see them take ownership of the unit."
"Sara (Watts) came to us with an idea of posting a picture and a saying of each person on the unit," said Clairain. "And the idea just continued to evolve."
After spending their Saturday putting the Team PCCU board together, the group was so excited about their plan that they came up to the unit at 10:30 p.m. to make sure the board was there to greet the morning shift.
The football analogy has really struck a chord with this unit. They are having Team PCCU jerseys made and have even hosted a "Training Camp" to welcome the new nurses.
Welander says that she has seen the increase in morale.
"Morale is so much better," said Welander. "Every job has good and bad - and now people are really focused on what makes their jobs good. We are really all on the same team."
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