Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center Emergency Department

Houston, Texas

Located in the heart of Houston, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center’s Emergency Department, founded in 1925, is a 65-bed, level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center, comprehensive

stroke center, and chest pain center. In partnership with McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Memorial Hermann-TMC provides leading-edge emergency care to more than 85,000 patients a year.

Over the last two years, ED nursing leaders have focused on throughput and workplace culture. They worked diligently on decreasing EMS divert. Improving ED throughput helped reduce the rate of pediatric patients leaving without being seen to less than 2 percent.

The department also developed initiatives to improve nursing satisfaction by targeting employee collaboration, education, and training, which helped instill confidence in employees to provide top-tier care for their sickest patients. To optimize resources, they secured the support of the hospital in assigning Admission Hold Registered Nurses to allow ED nurses to concentrate their skills on patients. The staff also collaborated with security teams and had weapon detectors installed to prevent workplace violence. Taking this collaborative approach to improve culture contributed to a reduction in turnover from 37 percent to 9 percent in two years.