Jersey Shore Hospital places third in Rural Health Academy

Jersey Shore, PA (June 11, 2009) - Six members of the Jersey Shore Hospital staff recently completed the 2008-2009 Rural Health Academy at Penn State University, winning third place.

Melissa Smith, Craig Rippey, Elizabeth Scheesley, Debra Henger, Dena Nyman and Deborah Rupert all participated as a team and gained hands-on managerial experience and training initiatives that were directed to rural critical access hospitals in Pennsylvania.

Smith, director of the laboratory and team spokesperson said, "All involved felt like they had learned something. Most of the beneficial information that we learned was used from the first meeting."

Smith also said the academy helped her on a management level. "It gave me problem solving (techniques), and addressed fiscal management things that I face directly in my job each day."

Throughout the five sessions, topics ranged from external forces that are driving change in healthcare, effective communication for managers, coaching for performance improvement, problem solving, basic hospital finance through the Pennsylvania Critical Access Hospital system and management roles in recruiting and retaining a qualified healthcare force.

Also, the project touched upon dealing with job stress, which included challenging patients, families and co-workers, and how to keep yourself safe from burnout due to the effects of these.

Each participating team had to complete a project and formally present it on the last session date of the academy.

Jersey Shore's Hospital project was titled "Improving Communication," which was chosen to ensure that with all the changes occurring with the new hospital development at Jersey Shore, people were communicating effectively. Jersey Shore Hospital placed third of the seven teams with their presentation.

And looking at it as a bigger picture for the hospital, Smith said, "Having a project and seeing it from beginning to end, and be successful because of the team work involved, was a great thing for the hospital."

Upon completion, each team member earned a certificate of continuing education from the academy.

Jersey Shore Hospital is a rural community hospital located in Jersey Shore, Pa, serving residents of Lycoming, Clinton and surrounding counties. Its mission is to provide quality health services with an efficient balance of outpatient care, acute and sub-acute inpatient care, primary care and outreach services.