At 2 a.m., seven hours after their shift starts and five till it ends, the intensive care unit (ICU) staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth settles down for tea.
This isn’t pale, weak, lukewarm tea from a noisy machine. Far from it. Instead, the tea is whatever type each nurse wants, served hot and with love by their fellow nurse JeanMarie Kmetz, B.S.N., R.N.
“There are times that we don’t even realize that 2 o’clock is here until JeanMarie starts announcing teatime,” said her colleague, ICU bedside nurse Magally “Mag” Rolen, M.S.N., R.N., PCCN.
Kmetz, who has worked in the ICU since September 2021, started teatime with the goal of tightening the bond between team members and, in so doing, to show care for those who tend to care more for others than for themselves.
“From the minute we step into work,” Kmetz said, “we’re focused on pouring ourselves into what we do. We educate, we encourage, we console, we save lives. It’s not just the patients we care for and about; it’s their families, too. That’s a lot of responsibility for one person. I thought it would be refreshing to have someone pour into you.”
Teatime is an offshoot of the unit’s Sunshine Committee, started by fellow ICU nurse Kiyonna Tyus, M.S.N., M.B.A., R.N., CCRN, ONC, with this purpose: “To brighten someone else’s day and recognize our stars,” she said. “The sun is the brightest star in our solar system; hence, sunshine.”
The creativity of the team to build rituals together is inspiring, said Gretchen Hunt, M.S.N., R.N., ACNS- BC, NEA-BC, chief nursing officer. “I love that in addition to caring for their patients they’re caring for each other. It’s truly Individuals Caring For Individuals, Together, in action.”
Healthy break
During the long nights, Kmetz, a health and fitness buff, noticed that many of her co-workers were relying on sugary beverages to give them much-needed energy boosts.
“We gotta practice what we preach,” she told them. Her suggestion? “Tea. It’s so good for you, it’s natural caffeine and it won’t upset the GI tract.”
The nurses were on board. Now they have a storage area, donated by one of the nurses and dedicated to tea bags – around 100, replenished by whoever happens to pick some up while grocery shopping.
“I take orders from everyone,” Kmetz said. “‘Laura, do you want green tea again?’ Or ‘Natalie, do you want lemon?’ I know who will have chai tea. I fill their cup with water, put the teabag in. Everyone is willing to help and is so nice about thanking me.”
Teatime, Rolwn said, isn’t limited to the nursing staff or to tea.
“JeanMarie is always so willing to prepare your drink of choice, whether it’s coffee, hot cocoa, soda or juice,” she said. “We look forward to 2 o’clock teatime. It makes us stop from the busyness of work and enjoy a cup of goodness.”
Hospital President Ajith Pai added, “It’s incredible that the team finds a way to fill their cup, both literally and figuratively, by finding meaningful ways to create intentional connections.”
