What's the Word of the Week?
Here's a simple way to teach your team something new.

Here's a quick and easy way to teach your staff something new each week: Post a "Word of the Week" on the bulletin boards in your pre-op and post-op areas. The idea began at our facility after an "excision of pinguecula" appeared on our facility's schedule. It's an uncommon procedure, so we decided to post a short definition. For the record: a pinguecula is the thickening of the conjunctiva on either side of the eye, often appearing as a yellowish spot. Up on the bulletin board the term went for all to see, on brightly colored paper to attract attention. Recently, we've been using the weekly postings to define common and not-so-common abbreviations. For example, PKP stands for "penetrating keratoplasty." In normal speak, that's a corneal transplant. Now we're all familiar with the more technical abbreviation. Posting a word per week is a great way for staff to learn definitions of rarely used words or phrases. We're all trained professionals, but lets face it, we can always learn more about anatomy, new equipment or surgical techniques, especially when they pertain to specialties that aren't part of a typical case mix. The words of the week serve as constant refreshers and are an informal way to educate staff during their workday, especially those who might be afraid to ask about a term or concept they think everyone already knows.

Donna White, RN, BSN
Director of Nursing
Madison Street Surgery Center
Denver, Colo.
dwhite@omnieye.com