Photo Essay: A Nursing Team of Teams

In the Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital emergency department, nothing demonstrates teamwork in action more dramatically than the sight of caregivers moving together around a seriously ill patient, says Stephanie Millam, BSN, RN. When the team treats an adult in cardiac arrest, Millam says, “it’s all hands on deck. Caregivers are completing chest compressions, a respiratory therapist is assisting with oxygen, a nurse delivers medications, and a team member is there documenting the timing of treatments. Providers at the bedside are making management decisions and leading the care.” Afterward, Millam says, caregivers disperse to continue caring for other patients on the unit.

Scenes like that play out over and over again in hospital EDs, where nurses and others develop ways of communicating efficiently, anticipating needs and staying focused on the shared goal of patient care.

But teamwork isn’t just for emergencies. It’s the backbone of how nurses support each other and non-nursing caregivers as part of their jobs. Cleveland Clinic photographers recently visited intensive care units, medical units, EDs and postsurgical care units at Cleveland Clinic hospitals across Northeast Ohio to capture nurses in action and to share their perspectives on the qualities of teamwork. Meet some of Cleveland Clinic’s dedicated nurses here and read more about how they view team culture.

<p>Emergency department caregivers at Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital mobilize to respond to a code blue. The team, from left, is Natalie Barry, RN; Stephen Singleton, patient care technician; Stephanie Millam, BSN, RN; and Linnea Dominick, RN.</p>

<p>Bart Grzybowski, BSN, RN, CEN, has worked at Cleveland Clinic for 28 years, many of them as an assistant nurse manager at Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital. “Quite often when we are busy in preop, I will tag-team with another nurse to get ready in a more timely fashion. As the Assistant Nurse Manager, I am always willing to take suggestions from the staff on better and more efficient ways to<br />operate the unit. We cannot function without teamwork. I work with some wonderful nurses who share my philosophy.”</p>

<p style="text-align: left">In a post-anesthesia care unit at Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, nursing team members include Kaitlin Lonca, ADN, RN; Jamie Carbone, MSN, RN; Lindsay Grace,BSN, RN, CPAN, CAPA; and Suzanna Lohmeyer, BSN, RN. “Everybody’s great overall, but sometimes we bring our own special talent,” Lohmeyer explains. “Some of us have coronary care backgrounds, rehabilitation backgrounds, an orthopedics background or experience in the ICU. When we come together, we’re really working well as a team.”</p>

<p>Christine Guban, BSN, RN; Julie Buchanan,BSN, RN; Rachel Welden, BSN, RN; and Lonca attend to a patient who has recently come out of surgery.</p>

<p>Juston Burton, RN, Charge Nurse in the ED at Cleveland Clinic Akron General Lodi Hospital, says that COVID-19 required hospital caregivers to pivot quickly. “It changed almost every normal process,” he says. “Nurses don’t like abrupt change. But in the long run, everyone was kept safe, and we appreciate what was done. It was just a little overwhelming at first.”</p>

<p>At Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital, Assistant Nurse Manager Stephanie Pribonic, BSN, RN (left), makes a report as Palak Patel, MSN, RN, prepares to take a patient’s blood pressure. “Teamwork means being there for each other through each day, with different challenges, and in busy and complicated situations,” Patel says. “We understand each other. Before a co-worker even asks for help, we are there, going above and beyond to provide patient-centered care.”</p>

<p>John Parise, BSN, RN, graduated from Kent State University in 2020 and was hired into Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital’s ED. Previous experience as a patient care technician acquainted him with the high energy of the ED. Parise loves to tackle tasks immediately and with purpose. “My biggest wish for anyone I work with is that they have that same urge. I want them to want to do things as soon as possible. I’m just someone who keeps moving.”</p>

<p>Stacy Seals, BSN, RN, spent 15 years as an LPN before becoming a registered nurse in 2017. At Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital, she works on a postoperative care unit, where, she says, the team is well integrated. “When everyone knows their roles, it makes for an easier workday,” says Seals.</p>

<p>Jasmine Parham, DNP, RN, NP-C, a nurse practitioner in the Respiratory Institute at main campus, views a telemonitor before consulting with a patient who has COVID-19. “As human beings, we try to help one another, whether family members, patients, coworkers or even complete strangers,” Parham says. “Teamwork lies on that spectrum. Team members are so important, especially in healthcare, because we have a common goal. Knowing you have someone to count on is vital. We all need help at some point, and it’s comforting to know that you are part of a unit, and someone always has your back and is able to pick up where you left off.”</p>

<p>Lillian Roscoe, ANM, BSN, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager in the ICU at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, talks with Alex Alzayed, BSN, RN, who had been a nurse for only about a year before COVID-19 hit. Teamwork has been essential during the pandemic, Alzayed says. On a recent morning, he spent three hours in a room working with six other caregivers to deliver multiple therapies to stabilize a patient suffering from the virus.</p>

<p>At Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital, Stephany Hasberry, MSN, RN, performs a neurological examination on a patient in the ED. A longtime ED nurse, Hasberry says that teamwork is integral to how caregivers manage each day. “This shows support of each other,” she says. “Being proactive whenever we can supports patients and each other.”</p>

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