SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nursing is a selfless profession. Third-generation nurse and Mercy General Hospital Chief Nursing Executive Officer Allison Cotterill said her upbringing put her on the path to the profession.
"My mother and my grandmother were nurses so I heard a lot of wonderful patient care stories growing up," Cotterill said.
She went to nursing school in the Bay Area and after spending some time working in a physician's office, she decided she wanted to serve all types of patients. She landed with oncology at Sacramento's Mercy General Hospital where she said it prepared her to do just that.
Through promotions and furthering her education, Cotterill took on bigger projects. She started the "Walk-A-Mile" Program.
"That's where we as leaders and staff actually sit down and try the patient food, or take a ride on a gurney in the hospital to make it more comfortable," Cotterill said.
They slept on mattresses and even sat on bedpans just to see how comfortable they were. After spending a night in the hospital they made some adjustments like changing the supplier of the bedpans, ordering new mattresses, and creating a calmer environment within the emergency department.
"When we first started we were in the 30th percentile, and last year we were recognized for being in the 90th percentile for patient experience," Cotterill said. "Really connecting with the patient, understanding what it's like for them emotionally. Being in the hospital, it's a very scary time for patients. Anything that we can do to emphasize with them."
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