From floor of nothing to favorite unit: 'Great 8' team builds positive culture from ground up

Sarah Jewkes, RN, was getting coffee with a friend a few blocks away from St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado when she noticed a group of girls sitting at a nearby table. Jewkes recognized the girls at first glance but couldn’t remember why their faces were so familiar. ?

One of them said hello. Then another chimed in.

?“You were the charge nurse on the eighth floor at St. Mary’s, right?” she asked. “That was our favorite unit. You were all so nice to us. Thank you for everything.”

The girls had recently graduated from the Colorado Mesa University BSN program, where they completed many hours of clinical rotations at St. Mary’s to gain hands-on experience across different specializations. Shadowing the eighth-floor medical surgical unit left a lasting impact that remained with them beyond graduation day – enough to warrant an unsolicited expression of gratitude during a coincidental coffee shop encounter.? “That feedback was such a win,” said Jewkes. “It just showed that what we’re doing is really making a difference.”

The feedback was a microcosm of what makes the “Great 8” med surg unit at St. Mary’s so special. Everyone is encouraged to lean on one another within a safe and welcoming family-like dynamic. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student nurse or a seasoned caregiver with 30 years of experience; there’s no such thing as a dumb question. A culture of positive collaboration is their true north star. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible starts with a healthy work environment.

“We’re better together,” said Jewkes. “We value transparency and teamwork as a unit. Our mindset is that each patient is everybody’s patient.”

Emy Ragsdale, RN, has been a key driver of that culture. Ragsdale, the unit’s nurse manager, helped create the unit in 2021 and facilitated a transition from the third to eighth floor in January 2023 to accommodate evolving hospital needs. After serving as a 12-bed acuity-based unit on the third floor, it now operates with 24 medical surgical beds today and plans to expand to 32 beds by April. The team of roughly 70 caregivers provides essential care for patients who are either preparing for or recovering from surgical procedures.

“We actually started out as a floor of nothing,” said Ragsdale. “We had zero permanent caregivers, primarily working with a float pool and travel nurses. As we’ve built our team, we’ve been able to instill a unified vision that makes people want to work here. We keep in mind what matters most: our patients and our caregivers.”

Alongside quality patient care, the unit hosts job sharing opportunities for nurses from other floors to pick up shifts a few times per month. They also take pride in developing the Western Slope’s next generation of nurses, helping certified nursing assistants (CNAs) learn the intricacies of life in a hospital and prepare for job interviews. When it comes time for CNAs to graduate nursing school, Ragsdale, Jewkes, and other team leaders attend their pinning ceremonies with “fathead” stick-signs like you’d see in the crowd of a college basketball game.

?“We enjoy being there to cheer them on and meet their families,” Ragsdale said. “Making that personal connection is so important. We want them to know that we’re proud of them, and that we’ll always support them. Even if they move on to another floor of the hospital. Go spread your wings and continue to learn.”

That intentional focus on personal connections has elevated the unit’s culture to new heights. It is why Ragsdale with the support of St. Mary’s senior leadership prioritized building a new, centralized nurse station as part of a floor-wide remodel this year. The station it replaced was situated behind a wall, making nurses feel isolated at times. But now, the team has a shared space to discuss ideas, relieve stress, and build relationships – which ultimately translates into higher quality care.? “We’re building community,” said Autumn Rowher, RN. “It has been a complete gamechanger for us.”?