Streamlining Processes with PointClickCare

Implementing eMAR, going paperless, and streamlining processes can seem like daunting tasks for senior care facilities. So how do you make it work? And how can you ensure that you are creating efficiencies that will truly help staff? We recently spoke with Bridget Ronaghan who is the Clinical Software Coordinator at Rockingham County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center to hear all about her, her team, and their secret to achieving success.

Not how, but why

Bridget has been with Rockingham for 7 years now and has seen her facility go through many changes. When we asked Bridget about her journey to senior care, she remarked that although it was a strange and unexpected journey, she knows deep down this is where she was meant to be. She also mentioned that how she got there isn’t the most interesting question, as her story focuses more on the why. “I just love the people that I work for and what we do for the people that we serve. For me, it’s all about the mission of providing care to those who need it most.”

Save trees, go paperless

As the Implementation Specialist for her facility, Bridget’s role and responsibilities are continually growing to reflect her interests and the needs of the facility. When she first started there, her first project was to implement eMAR in the facility. Her goal was to take them from paper to technology and build their processes for the future. “I had a lot of support from the staff during this project. It was a group effort and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without participation from the whole team.” Bridget says that in her facility, teamwork is their greatest asset. “When you can see the results of that teamwork, it makes it all worth it. I knew it was worth it when a week after we finished uploading everything into the eMAR, we briefly lost power in our facility and everyone was worried because they didn’t want to have to go back to paper processes. It was incredibly rewarding to hear that feedback and know that our initiative was truly making a difference.”

New responsibilities

Although Bridget doesn’t have a clinical background, her job allows her to branch out into the field as she monitors reports to ensure all the eMAR points of care are completed. Since the pandemic started, she has also taken on other responsibilities in the facility. “Part of my new responsibilities is making sure that all residents have the appropriate vitals (BP, O2, Pulse temp) and running reports, and I also started assisting in resident and staff weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly) covid testing. This is a labor-intensive task as I needed to enter information into our lab’s website, create labels, and run reports each week for resident testing. But I was proud to be able to assist the nurses we work with and the best part was that I got to meet every single employee!”

The secret is teamwork

Although Bridget is known as the ‘go-to person’ for anything clinical at her facility, she is humbly adamant that any success that her facility has experienced has been a team effort. In her experience working with so many different teams throughout the facility, she told us that no matter what the issue is, it takes many individuals with different mindsets and ideas to solve it. “Creating efficiencies like going paperless or finding ways to streamline our services in PointClickCare are team projects. I am just a support person; I am not someone that likes to be in the spotlight because deep down I am a team player. Everyone on our staff is a contributing member to our success. It truly does take a team of support to ensure things run smoothly and I am just grateful for my team and the support I receive each day.”  

Since COVID-19, their facility, like many others, has increased safety precautions and Bridget remarks that while it hasn’t been easy over that last 18 months, seeing everyone come together has been wonderful. “The people who work here really care about our residents. Everyone from nurses, administrators, to our facilities staff, they have all stepped up and we have faced the challenges together. It makes me proud to work here with such incredible people.”

Thanks for sharing with us, Bridget!