Editors’ Note

Stephanie Goldberg entered the United States Navy as an Ensign assigned to the Charleston, South Carolina Naval Hospital, and in 1976, she received her Honorable Discharge as a Lieutenant and continued with her government service at the U.S. Public Health Hospital in San Francisco. In 1977, she relocated to the East Coast and affiliated with the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC). During her tenure at HUMC, Goldberg held progressive management positions. In 2005, she accepted her current post. She received her nursing diploma from Holy Name Hospital School of Nursing in 1973 and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from William Paterson University in 1981. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from Rutgers University in 1987.

How are you enhancing patient care today and how do you track progress in that area?

We use metrics to look at outcomes for patient care. One of our responsibilities as a Magnet™ facility and hospital is to focus on nursing sensitive indicators surrounding falls, pressure ulcers, and medication safety, to name a few.

We externally benchmark our data to other Magnet hospitals, so we are benchmarking against the best of the best. If our expectations aren’t being met, we gather a team to look at how to enhance patient care.

What is the key ingredient to being a successful nurse?

I always want to make sure that we have the best and the brightest but that they also fit in with our culture. Patients choose to come to Hospital for Special Surgery. We are not only expected to provide the very best care and ensure the very best outcomes for our patients, but we have to make sure that our nursing staff has a “service excellence” mentality so that our patients feel very special.

Are men still coming into this industry?

It’s a wonderful profession for both men and women. It offers a lot of flexibility, and continuous opportunities to grow and succeed.

There are also many different aspects related to patient care that one can choose to engage in, such as becoming an independent nurse practitioner, nursing educator, or nursing researcher.

I started out as a young staff nurse with no plans for going into management. However, as my career slowly evolved, I found that I loved the ability to achieve greater things for patients on a larger scale and that comes with leadership.

Is there still a strong patient/nurse relationship despite all of the technology available today?

Yes, and that relationship can never be lost, no matter what technology we utilize to better care for the patient. Technology should be used to support the care that we deliver to the patient. It should enable us to spend more time with the patient and make patient care safer.

What has made HSS so special for you?

I take tremendous pride when I see patients leave here with the lowest infection rates and the best possible outcomes in terms of mobility. We have reduced the number of patients affected by pressure ulcers, and we have a record of fewer falls than other Magnet facilities. I take great pride in the interdisciplinary team that comes together to take care of a patient, and the relationships that have been built to achieve the very best for this patient.•