March 10, 2014 – TWI Vietnam was honored to invite Ms. Martha Purrier (Registered Nurse, Virginia Mason) to share her experience in Hospital Quality Management at My Phuoc General Hospital, Ben Cat District, Binh Duong Province.

We sincerely appreciate the interest and engagement of participating hospitals in this initiative.

Ms. Martha Purrier is a Registered Nurse with more than 25 years of experience, particularly in oncology care. Over the past 15 years, she has held key leadership roles at Virginia Mason, including Director of the Inpatient Oncology and IV (Intravenous) Nursing Center, and later Director of the Kaizen Promotion Office. During her time in IV Therapy, her Kaizen team successfully applied Lean methodologies to improve patient safety in the central intake area, earning the prestigious Mary McClinton Patient Safety Award. She is currently serving as Director of Medical Services at Bailey-Boushay House, a specialized healthcare center for patients living with AIDS.

During the session, Ms. Martha shared the transformation journey at Virginia Mason Medical Center, where she and her team applied Job Instruction (JI) and Job Relations (JR) – two core components of the Training Within Industry (TWI) program – to enhance the quality of patient care. Beyond technical insights, she also inspired participants with her passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to healthcare particularly in supporting patients and their families through pain, fear, and loss.

The hospital also shared its commitment to continuously improving healthcare quality, along with the real challenges encountered along the way. The discussion sparked a number of thoughtful and practical questions, including:

• Where did the improvement journey at Virginia Mason begin, and what major challenges were encountered?
• How has Ms. Martha’s own professional journey evolved, and what achievements make her most proud?
• How was TWI – Job Instruction implemented at Virginia Mason, and what lessons were learned?
• How can frontline healthcare staff—who interact directly with patients on a daily basis – further develop their roles and professional capabilities?
• In building and improving hospital quality at My Phuoc, where many individuals bring different habits and mindsets, what advice would she offer to initiate meaningful change?
• And many more.

When asked about her reflections after the session, Ms. Martha candidly shared:
“I have traveled a long way – from my home in Seattle, to Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, and nearby regions), and now to Vietnam. It has been a long and tiring journey, and I miss home. However, the moment I stepped into the hospital, the familiar environment immediately made me feel comfortable. People often say hospitals in Vietnam are different from those in Australia or the U.S. But if you focus on the patients – what they need and expect – and on healthcare staff – what they do and what they need – you will realize that the differences are not as great as they seem. Of course, each setting has its own challenges depending on conditions and context, and that is completely normal. What matters most is truly recognizing the need for change and continuously striving for it – that is what creates real impact.”