Lady of the Sea General Hospital
Standards of Behavior

Our employees adhere to Lady of the Sea's Standards of Behavior. These standards are a source of pride for us, as we expect excellence from our employees.

Attitude
Our attitudes, words, vocal tones, body language and actions have tremendous power. Everything we say and do sends a message to our customers.

• Each of us controls our own attitude. We will present ourselves at work with a positive, friendly attitude and treat everyone with dignity and respect.
• We will encourage personal cleanliness, good grooming and adhere to the hospital dress code.
• We will be friendly and courteous to patients, staff and visitors, saying "Please" "Thank You" and "I'm Sorry" when appropriate. We will address each other with a "Good Morning / Afternoon", "Hello" or other type of friendly greeting when we pass each other in the halls, even if we see this person multiple times on a daily basis.
• We will be professional in our appearance and actions. Our actions reflect our competency and caring attitude.
• We will not engage in or listen to negativity or gossip of any kind. We recognize that listening without acting is the same as participating.
• We will display a loyal attitude to Lady of the Sea and a dedication to our fellow employees to deliver excellent patient care.

Respect
Respect is an Attitude, an Action, a Perspective and a Way of Life.

• We will maintain eye contact when speaking and listening to fellow employees, patients or visitors as a sign of respect. Other than when providing care dictates otherwise, we will be at eye level when speaking with a patient.
• We will smile, keep an appropriate voice level and use a calm, friendly voice when addressing anyone at our facility.
• We will always knock before entering a patient room, exam room or office.
• We will introduce ourselves to every patient and will respectfully address them as "Mr." or "Mrs." unless we have their permission to address them by their first name.
• We will exit the elevator to allow privacy for a patient being transported.
• We will respect our environment by keeping all public areas clean and free of clutter and return all equipment to its proper place.
• We will respect our patient's right to privacy by never discussing any type of medical or financial personal information about them in public areas or with anyone who does not have a "need to know" reason.

Teamwork
We believe that through teamwork we can produce better results. When we truly commit to excellence, we must help each other to be successful and accountable to our mission and our standards. In order to provide great service to patients, we must first provide great service to our co-workers.

• We commit to arrive at work on time and to be ready to work at the beginning of our shift. We will leave our work areas clean and stocked for the next shift of team members.
• We will recognize and reward good works that happen around us by fellow team members by sincerely thanking them and letting others know about their outstanding work performance.
• We will make sure the way we communicate and cooperate with other team members both outside and inside our department is in a positive, friendly way, always addressing each other by name.
• We will not make negative comments about our fellow team members to patients or other employees. If we have any issues concerning another team member or their performance, we will begin by addressing our concerns directly with the team member, and then if necessary, with their supervisor.
• We will never say, "It's not my job" or "We are short staffed."
• If we make a mistake, we will admit it, learn from it so that we don't repeat it, and move on. We will remind each other of our Standards and accept corrections in a positive manner.
• We will ask if we can help someone who needs it without being asked; and if we need help, we will not be afraid to ask for it.
• We will recognize the importance of all departments and their contributions to our team.
• We must recognize that our work performance affects others around us, not just ourselves.
• We believe that our reputation is determined by our service and that our work must be done with the intent of delighting our customers and exceeding their expectations. Together we will make Lady of the Sea the best place to work.

Customer Service
We are committed to providing the highest quality of service and meeting our customers' needs with the utmost care, courtesy, concern and respect. Our patients will always be our top priority.

• We will identify ourselves as employees for the benefit of our patients and visitors. We will always wear our nametags below the neck, above the waist and outside of our attire, visible at all times.
• We will always give patients our full attention. When approached by a patient or visitor, we will immediately cease any personal conversation or action and address them promptly by saying, "How may I help you?" If a visitor looks lost or in need of assistance, we will immediately direct them or assist them.
• We will not carry our personal cell phones into a patient room. We will not answer a personal call of any type when we are in the presence of a patient. We will store our personal cell phones in our work area and on silent so as to not disturb those around us.
• We will keep our patients and their families comfortable and informed, explaining our processes and the length of time the process might take. We will update them on a regular basis, and apologize for any delay in care or service.
• We will do our best to answer any questions posed to us by our customers. If we do not know the answer, we will consult with our team members to find the correct answer and relay it back to the customer on a timely basis.
• We will use proper phone etiquette at all times. We will state our name and our department each time we answer the phone, and will thank the caller prior to ending the conversation. We will ask callers before putting them on hold.
• We will always ask, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" before we leave every patient.
• If we fail to meet a customer's expectations, we will immediately acknowledge it, apologize for it and personally make amends to it.

Continuous Improvement
Our hospital believes in continuously improving our team members and our services, recognizing that we must continue to grow and learn in order to provide better outcomes.

• We will be willing to change our behaviors and processes to meet the needs of our customers, our team members, and our organization.
• We will seek out and attend opportunities to improve our personal and professional skills in order to improve our competencies and to create and develop leaders throughout our organization. We will comply with all mandatory education requirements as part of our licensing and job position. We will provide support to our fellow team members so they can participate, learn and grow.
• We will measure what's important and recognize the value of teams to improve the results. We will consider it an honor to be asked to serve on a team, committee or task force.
• We will work to create efficient and effective systems so that we do not spend our time repeatedly fixing problems.
• We will participate in cross training between departments where possible in an effort to be prepared for any situation that will demand our work being completed by another employee.