Michael Hughes, Director of Environmental Services (EVS) at Cleveland Clinic’s Weston Hospital in Florida, has had a long career in the EVS field at various health systems in Florida. But he always had his heart set on working for Cleveland Clinic.
“I said during the interview, ‘who doesn’t want to work for Cleveland Clinic?’ That was my reason,” he says. The fact that Weston Hospital is close to his home clinched the deal for Michael. “So, it all worked out fine.”
Support from Day 1
From the start, Michael appreciated the assistance Weston Hospital caregivers provided to help acclimate him — especially with technical issues. “They helped connect me with the right caregivers who have different skill sets that could help me navigate through some of these applications,” he says. “People in materials, and people with the accounting background, who can help guide me through these software programs.”
Michael also notes the collaborative environment among his new caregiver colleagues. “Their commitment to patient care and access to the resources to help my team have made my job much easier.”
A compassionate team
Another factor that helped make Michael’s move to Weston Hospital a smooth one was getting to know his team members, whom he describes as compassionate. “They really enjoy engaging with the patients and their families when they’re cleaning their rooms. And when I do my huddles with them, they light up about talking with the patients.
“It just makes me feel great that our team really cares about the holistic approach to the patient. They’re not just cleaning to be clean. I’m so blessed to have this team here. I walked into a very good situation where folks understand what they’re supposed to do. It makes me feel good that they are happy.”
Welcoming new caregivers
When new caregivers come on board, Michael and his team help acclimate them right away. For instance, a supervisor takes new caregivers through the facilities so they can learn their way around the hospital and get familiar with all the ancillary areas.
“We also pair them up with other caregivers to train them on how things are done, the right procedures, how to protect themselves with the PPEs and how to clean rooms,” he says. “We don’t let them start until we’re absolutely sure that they are ready to go and have the tools that they need to work with. If they don’t, they feel comfortable speaking up if they are not happy with an assignment.”
The importance of “why”
Ask Michael what he enjoys most about being a team leader, and he will say that he is a teacher. When he started at Weston Hospital, he wrote the word “Why” on his white board.
“A lot of times in my field, we have directors who just say ‘go do this.’ That’s not how you teach,” he says. “You have to teach folks the ‘why.’ Why is it important that we do discharges? If we don’t do the discharges, what happens? It backs up the Emergency Department, it backs up the operating room.
“When an employee comes to me and asks ‘why”, I like that. You have to be a teacher to explain to your staff why we do XY&Z. If you don’t, folks are going to do what they think is the best way, and it’s not always the best way.”
