A Community That Supports One Another: The 4100 Family

It has been a whirlwind couple of years on the 4100 Unit at Magee.

As a high-volume destination for Total Joint Replacement (TJR) patients, as well as Bariatric patients, and with the changing rules and protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 4100 team adapted to the challenges before them in unprecedented ways.

Unit Director Joanna Motta said her team’s attitude, creativity, and sense of community has helped them to weather the storm. Some of the swift changes that have taken place during the pandemic have included elective surgery cancellation early on, and new units being opened. From one day to the next, things can change. When surgeries paused early on, the team got creative: they developed a bath and mobility team, which helped patients in other units stay clean and mobile. Other groups like the IV Team, migrated to and shadowed other departments in the hospital such as Medical Surgery, COVID-19, and Oncology to learn and assist with skills outside of their normal purview.

“They looked at it as an opportunity to learn,” Joanna said. “Now they can see the big picture a bit easier.”

As other changes come down the pipeline, such as the move toward Rapid Recovery for more orthopaedic patients, the nimble unit is prepared to make changes quickly.

For example, patients’ Physical Therapy sessions now take place sooner after surgery, earlier in the morning. Joanna coordinated with the kitchen to open and deliver meals earlier in the morning so that patients could eat before working out. The Physical Therapy department also adapted its schedules to meet the changing demand.

As the environment in the hospital continues to evolve, Joanna feels confident that her team will continue to show up and overcome any challenges they meet.

She said that as a leader, it is important to treat your team like people –– get to know them, understand their lives, and genuinely ask how they are doing.

Then, when it comes time to kick into high gear, there’s a shared understanding of the circumstances and a willingness to pitch in. From there, she said, it’s just a matter of doing what needs to be done.