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The stage is set, the show is about to begin … but do you know where the crash carts are?
The first dress rehearsal for Asante’s newest production, the 323,600-square-foot ARRMC pavilion, is Dec. 13. More than 250 staff will be testing workflows and identifying issues during 36 scenarios, broken into three 90-minute sessions of 12 each running simultaneously.
Dress rehearsals give team members a chance to practice in their new space to ensure our patients stay safe and our teams feel confident on Day 1, says Anne Hansen, director of Nursing Professional Development. Skills won’t be tested; but going through the steps of resuscitating a premature baby in the new space, for example, gives staff a chance to learn new workflows, identify issues and fix them before go-live. “We all play a part in the success of this move,” she says.
Ali Broders, senior project manager with Yellow Brick, a consulting firm that’s helping Asante with the transition to the new building, says to think of dress rehearsals like baking cookies in someone else’s kitchen: You know the ingredients and all the steps, but you’ve got to find out where the measuring cups are.
As with any dress rehearsal, everyone has a role to play. The leads are unit champions, who will review the workflows, test equipment and space and report any issues. They’re backed up by crew members including a facilitator, scenario coordinator and recorder. Then there are the extras: staff and volunteers acting as patients.
Scenarios will cover patient arrival and discharge, paths of travel for staff, patients and visitors, use and location of equipment and supplies, emergency responses, ancillary and support services and IT systems verification.
Issues that come up during the dress rehearsal will be recorded in a Smartsheet, reviewed by the team and submitted to an Issues Center. There, leaders will categorize and prioritize the issues, assign them to staff for resolution, review the outcomes and track their progress.
Issues can be as simple as someone needing badge access or as complicated as working out a new path of travel.
A second dress rehearsal is planned for Jan. 16.
“It’s a fun day,” says Michelle Cathcart, Asante project manager for the pavilion and former NICU manager. She went through a similar exercise in 2015 during the opening of a new hospital during her days at University of California, San Francisco. “It seems a little chaotic in the beginning, but everybody settles down and gets to work. It’s really great to see people working together and problem-solving together. It’s a very rewarding experience.”
KEY DATES
Dress rehearsals
Clinical: Dec. 13, Jan. 16
Technical: Dec. 14, Jan. 2
Move-ins
Operating suites, Feb. 1-5 (five of the original ORs will stay open for trauma and emergent conditions during the move)
Critical Care, including ICU, IMCU and CVICU: Feb. 3
Family Birth Center, NICU, Family Newborn: Feb. 4
Pediatrics: Feb. 5
Town Hall
11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 (virtual): Patient and equipment moves, education and orientation, pavilion updates
Questions? Email them to new build.
If you have a question, please contact the author or relevant department directly.
1 Comment. Leave new
Such a huge milestone! The time and dedication everyone has put into this project to make a beautiful, safe and functional space truly shows. Can’t wait to get bedside staff in and test it all out!