Inspired by the Support from Northwell, Our Northwell Health Nurse Choir Aims to Inspire America

Jul 08, 2021/in Employee Stories, Featured Articles, News, Nursing /by dayala

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Inspired by the Support from Northwell, Our Northwell Health Nurse Choir Aims to Inspire America

Seeing the Northwell Health Nurse Choir on America’s Got Talent reinforces what so many Northwell employees believe: Northwell is a place that is open to our endeavors be they personal or professional.

These nurses did not know each other prior to forming the choir but found it easy to make a connection through the power of music and a common passion for nursing at Northwell. Joining their voices from across the health system, the Northwell Health Nurse Choir aimed to inspire America – and they have!

“I still cannot believe that I am part of this experience and I have the honor of representing nurses on a national stage. I hope that the joy we show when performing is felt by healthcare providers and anyone else watching us. I hope that the hope we feel when singing can be hope for those watching too, and that everyone can feel our message: that we have survived a dark time together and we are moving into a hopeful next chapter,” says Winnie Mele, director of perioperative services at Plainview Hospital.

The decision to represent Northwell on the national stage was a chance they seized. They knew that the backing from Northwell would be there because of the organization’s commitment to uplifting their employees and the communities served.

Emanuel Remilus, registered nurse, Cohen Children’s Medical Center (CCMC), appreciates having the health system behind them citing, “Northwell provided a place where we could take precautions to be protected from COVID and practice together. That was the first time we met each other in person, and it was magic – our voices and personalities came together like we had known each other for years. We come from different towns, hospitals and backgrounds, which is great because it gives us diversity in our sound and an opportunity to learn from each other.”

Fellow choir member and registered nurse, Julieta Hernandez, who works at CCMC, adds, “If we hadn’t had a place to get together and practice singing together, I don’t know that we would have been so successful. Northwell also supported us by giving us time to practice and resources for choreography and vocals. It’s been a great experience because of this support!”

Northwell is a workplace where you don’t feel like you’re checking your personal life at the door in exchange for your professional life. It’s more like walking into your shift with extended family. With initiatives such as the BERGs (business employee resource groups) that bridge our external and internal communities, promoting growth and learning opportunities with a tuition reimbursement program, and the championing of employee interests, such as the nurse choir, an employee’s whole self is embraced into the organization.

That feeling of knowing that your interests are welcomed and supported is something that is sensed from the ground up. Fellow nurse choir member, Gaelle Clesca, pediatric nurse practitioner, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, affirms this: “This opportunity is evidence that Northwell supports its own.” You’ll even hear it often from our President and CEO Michael Dowling: “Our Northwell family pulls together to support one another.”

Be sure to catch our nurses during the live quarterfinal rounds of America’s Got Talent this August! AGT airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. eastern on NBC.

If you’re inspired by the passion that our Northwell Health Nurse Choir has for bringing joy to others, join our team of 18,000+ nurses and discover a career well cared for. Explore nursing opportunities here.

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Northwell Health’s 2021 Innovation Challenge Brings in Breakthrough Ideas From Employees

Jun 09, 2021/in Culture, Employee Stories, News, Northwell Ventures /by dayala

Northwell Health’s 2021 Innovation Challenge Brings in Breakthrough Ideas From Employees

Northwell Health was proud to once again hold its annual Innovation Challenge after a one-year pause due to the pandemic. The competition encourages Northwell employees to be Truly Innovative by submitting ideas with the potential to change the future of medicine and patient care.

There were a variety of driving forces behind the decision to participate in this year’s challenge, but a few threads connected them all:

• The notion that there is always room for improvement
• The desire to improve treatments and experiences
• The knowledge that Northwell invests time and money into health care advancements
• The passion to do more for patients in need

There were two categories this year: Innovation in Science and Innovation in Care Delivery. Read about the top two ideas in each category and the inspiring Northwell team members who helped develop them.

Innovation in Science

The winning project for this category was “Treating Bleeding via Ultrasound Stimulation of the Spleen,” led by Jared M. Huston, MD, FACS, associate investigator at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Asked about the medical impact of the project, Dr. Huston says, “We expect this innovation can decrease complications related to bleeding and improve outcomes for millions of patients.”

The category’s runner-up project was “Novel Stilbenes: Science against HPV,” led by Mario Castellanos, MD, associate chair of research in the Department of Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH). Dr. Castellanos has been passionate about finding a therapeutic to treat cancer-causing HPV infections since his days as a medical resident at SIUH. “My passion for research and the patients I encountered in my medical practice drove me to want to do more for them.”

Innovation in Care Delivery

The winning idea in Care Delivery was “Infrared Thermography (IRT) for Early Detection of Tissue Pressure Injury,” led by Alina Segal, acute care physical therapist at SIUH, who says this project takes into consideration improved patient care and decreasing health care costs. According to Alina, “it may also be a valuable tool for managing surgical wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, burns and amputations, among other uses.”

The runner-up project was “Let Sleeping Patients Lie,” led by Theodoros Zanos, PhD, head of the Neural and Data Science Lab at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, who explains that his team, “developed an AI algorithm based on a large volume of Northwell clinical data to safely and accurately determine for each patient whether it is safe to forgo overnight vitals.”

Dr. Zanos says, the project’s impact could lead to “uninterrupted sleep to more than 50 percent of patient nights and improved patient experience and outcomes, shorter lengths of stay and reductions in clinician workload.”

We asked the winners and runner ups how Northwell prepared them for this big moment

Alina Segal says, “Northwell Health provides great educational opportunities and encourages personal growth.”

Dr. Zanos credits his preparedness to the support and leadership at the Feinstein Institutes. In combination with “a uniquely large and diverse clinical dataset,” leadership helped the team pursue this innovation.

Dr. Huston says his team benefitted from “the invaluable mentorship from many of our Feinstein Institutes and Department of Surgery colleagues.”

Dr. Castellanos cites the long history of support at Northwell for researchers, whether junior or seasoned. The kind of work that goes into developing new ideas in medicine often takes a lot of collaboration. “Northwell’s support facilitated key connections both within Northwell and externally, including the NIH, industry and the biotech communities.”

The sharing of ideas is embedded as an important part of the culture at Northwell. According to Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, “Innovation and creativity are the essence of good organizations who strive to excel and move forward.”

Discover a career well cared for.

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Growth through career conversations at Northwell Health

Nov 18, 2020/in General, News /by Huriya Khan

Growth through career conversations at Northwell Health

As one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For®, Northwell Health is invested in our team members’ development and their career experience is of the utmost importance. With opportunities across our organization, Northwell implemented the GROW (Goals, Reflect, Opportunities, Will) model as a guide for important career conversations among team members and leaders to set goals, reflect on the career journey, explore opportunities, and how to get there.
We have a saying at Northwell that careers are well cared for and the GROW model truly supports our commitment in ensuring that the career aspirations of our team members are a part of their journey with us. Michael Dowling, Northwell President and CEO says, “We put our patients first, but to do that we need to take care of our employees and ensure a workplace that’s safe, life-affirming and team-oriented. Everyone at Northwell is connected by the common bond of service to our community.” Our commitment to the team member experience and alignment with their career aspirations is critical to our culture of innovation, and essential to ongoing efforts to create an environment where everyone feels welcomed, heard, and valued for their contributions.
Each member of the Northwell team is unique which means growth has a different meaning for every one of us based on our individual career interests and lifestyles. In order to celebrate these different strengths and goals, Northwell set out to create ways to support the personal and professional growth of our team.

Developing career paths with the GROW Model

The GROW model is what we use to guide career conversations and help leaders and team members collaborate on actionable, purposeful, and developmental plans aligned with their interests and available opportunities. This model shows members how to start or redirect themselves to their chosen and desired career path in one of our many career professions. It is completely customizable to meet their interests so that our team members can develop in a way that is most meaningful to them.
Careers conversations offer opportunities to strategize and develop action plans to reach certain goals and these conversations provide a structure that keeps the lines of communication open. They enable our leaders to be better career coaches and give a voice and a clear focus for our team members’ career paths.
Northwell is dedicated to helping employees achieve their goals by providing the steps and support necessary. Discover how you can GROW your career at Northwell Health.

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