Last month, presence, engagement, and patient advocacy took center stage at PPMC. Held each October, Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) Week encourages staff across the health system to take time to celebrate their colleagues and renew their commitment to being compassionate, present, empowered, collaborative, and accountable. Last year, a five-year campaign was launched to shine a spotlight on one of these Experience Standards each year, and the focus of PMX Week 2020 was “BE Present.”
“PMX Week is a time for us to reflect on what being present looks like in both our work and in our home lives. How can we show up and create connections with our patients and their caregivers? How can we be engaged with our colleagues and our community?” said Suzanne Smith, MEd, CHES, director of Patient Experience and head of PPMC’s PMX Committee. “While PMX Week looks very different from years past, it still gives us the opportunity to celebrate our commitment to those we serve and recognize the efforts of our staff while having some fun.”
PMX Week was bookended by the distribution of tasty treats, with hospital leaders handing out snack packs at Presby, Scheie Eye Institute, and Penn Medicine University City during the Monday morning kickoff, and staff enjoying a socially distanced ice cream social on Friday. In between, staff were visited by the Fun Cart and the Presby Pooches, shared stories of how they remain present and grateful each day, and showed off their silliest socks and pictures of their playful pets. System-wide activities were also scheduled, such as an online PMX Week scavenger hunt, virtual yoga and dance therapy sessions, and a discussion led by author Brad Aronson about his book HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act at a Time.
As the week came to a close, the PMX Week Committee and Patient & Guest Relations team hosted the 12th Annual Patient Advocacy Awards. Employees celebrated nine of Presby’s excellent patient advocates virtually. Congratulations to Kelly Becker, BSN, RN; Leidy Corrales, BSN, RN; Hilary Dolan, PharmD; Patrice Keyes; Milena Lakuriqi, BSN, RN; Lina Sanchez; Alexis Smith, BSN, RN; Gina Terranova, BSN, RN, CCRN; and Lorraine Wiercinski, CRNP, MSN — your commitment to patient- and family- centered care and willingness to go the extra mile has set a new standard.
Thank you to every Presby team member who made this year’s PMX Week such a great success and for consistently demonstrating what it means to be present and engaged with your patients, peers, and community.