Team of 200+ Coastal staff join network of peer mentors for clinical transformation
If there’s something to troubleshoot on your hospital unit – Who are you going to call?
Peer Mentors!
If there’s something confusing, and it doesn’t look right – Who are you going to call?
Peer Mentors!
Over the last few weeks, the CST Coastal Team has been building a strong network of peer mentors from across Coastal Group 1 sites who want to play an active role in our clinical transformation. They are people who want to help, who want to lead, who want to be change agents and to help others do the same. Like their Ghostbusters counterparts, these CST peer mentors want to make a difference for their colleagues’ and patients.
In fact, Cynthia Startup, CST Coastal Senior Leader of Implementation and Clinical Planning, has recruited more than 200 people to be part of the Coastal Transformation Network.
These peer mentors will serve as important communicators, early adopters and coaches for their units before, during and after go-live.
In other words, if a staff member has a question, they can call on the peer mentors on their unit to help guide them and answer questions.
“I’m very excited about the role unit-based peer mentors will play in helping our staff gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to move through the transformation by adopting important practice changes and using new technology,” says Cynthia Startup, the CST Coastal Senior Leader of Implementation and Clinical Planning – who will lead the peer mentor group.
“Having a person in your corner who understands your workflow, and is on hand to troubleshoot and provide support will be invaluable.”
Meet Tannis – a peer mentor
Tannis Fraser sees a better way to care for her patients and she’s stepping forward to help make that a reality.
Tannis Fraser is a Patient Care Coordinator in the ED at LGH and Peer Mentor for CST.
As an Emergency Department (ED) nurse at Lions Gate Hospital (LGH) for the past 13 years, Tannis saw firsthand the change her patients and colleagues experienced eight years ago, as they became the hospital’s only department to adopt an electronic health record.
“The learning curve was very steep for staff,” she says, “but I was so impressed with how quickly we adapted and started to see patient benefits.”
Now, as LGH and the Sea-to-Sky sites prepare for our Clinical & Systems Transformation implementation, Tannis has volunteered to be a peer mentor – a crucial role in the Coastal Transformation Network.
Tannis – along with over 200 other peer mentors representing their respective units – will support their colleagues by providing regular updates, answering questions, flagging concerns, supporting training and providing go-live ‘at-the-elbow’ support.
It’s going to be hard work, but Tannis says the time spent as a peer mentor will be worth it, leading to increased teamwork throughout the hospital.
“I’m excited for when the ED and other units will be able to share information more easily,” continues Tannis. “Staff will feel better prepared to care for each patient as they move through the system, and it will improve our continuity of care.”
Tannis’ first piece of advice for succeeding through change: “Don’t be shy,” she says. “Seek information, ask questions and get in early to experience the new system and play with the devices.”
But if you are feeling apprehensive of the changes, Tannis, and her fellow peer mentors, are just some of the many people you can turn to.
CST Coastal Executive Director Elizabeth Stanger and Cynthia Startup, CST Coastal Senior Leader of Implementation and Clinical Planning, at the peer mentor kickoff at the CST Hub.
LGH Staff at the Peer Mentor kick-off in the CST Hub.