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Extraordinary People |
Nurse managers awarded fellowships for leadership training
Three Christiana Care Health System nurses have been awarded one-year fellowships by the American Organization of Nurse Executives, a professional development program designed to provide an in-depth environment of learning.
Patricia Blair, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CEN,CNML, LSSGB, Dennis Harris, MSN, RN-BC and Amy Kohl, MSN, RN, CCRN, were selected to participate in this unique fellowship program that supports the Institute of Medicine Future of Nursing recommendation to prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health.
"I am delighted that three of Christiana Care’s nurse leaders
were selected to participate in the 2018 AONE Nurse Manager Fellowship," said Ric Cuming, Ed.D., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, chief nurse executive.
"This unique year-long professional development program is designed to take leadership skills to the next level and is an important component of our planning for the future of nursing at Christiana Care. Patty, Dennis and Amy will benefit tremendously from the AONE curriculum as well as the expanded professional network that fellowship programs like this provide."
Blair is nurse manager of the per diem nurse pool at Christiana Care. She has worked for Christiana Care for nearly 32 years in various capacities and participated in the first critical care internship program.
“Patty’s dedication to process improvement has allowed her the opportunity to question the status quo and challenge her team to develop new
ways to meet the needs of patients,” said Michelle Wheeler, MS, BSN, RN, CNML, clinical operations director, Nursing Administration.
“Patty recognized that innovative changes in technology would directly impact her team’s care-delivery practice and developed a plan to prepare her staff to meet the demands that changing technology imposed while improving care delivery to patients. I look forward to the outcome of Patty’s project through the AONE fellowship.”
Blair received her BSN and MSN degrees at the University of Delaware. She is a member of the adjunct clinical faculty for the University of Delaware and a member of the Delaware Emergency Nurses Association. She has participated in collaborative improvements across units (including the Medical Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department) and in the cross training of staff for multiple roles.
She has knowledge and experience in lean methodology gained at the University of Tennessee Center for Executive Education and through Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training at Christiana Care.
Dennis Harris, who entered nursing as a second career after some years in the field of education, brings a unique perspective to his role
as a health care leader. He graduated from Delaware Technical Community College with a degree in nursing in 2008 and later completed his nursing education with BSN and MSN degrees from Wilmington University. He holds nursing certifications in medical/ surgical nursing and gerontology.
In March 2014 he was promoted to nurse manager for the Christiana Acute Care for the Elderly Unit, a 39-bed
medical unit specializing in the needs of adults age 70 and older. He has presented nationally on medication education and the older adult and has published on using a team-based approach to facilitate a safe early discharge in the acute care setting.
Harris serves as an adjunct nursing faculty member for
Neumann University and has significant experience teaching
oral communication and technical writing at Delaware Technical Community College, where he is a member of the DelTech Nursing Advisory Council.
He holds a master’s degree in community health education from Arcadia University and a bachelor’s degree in communication from La Salle University.
Amy Kohl is the nurse manager of Christiana Care’s Post Anesthesia, Prep & Holding and Surgical Admissions patient care units at Christiana Hospital. She joined Christiana Care as a staff nurse in 1998.
“Amy is an excellent candidate
for this fellowship,” said Judith A. Townsley, MSN, RN, CPAN, FACHE, vice
president of Perioperative Services. “She’s highly skilled in program development promoting strong clinical outcomes. She has been instrumental in developing an interdisciplinary team working on a perioperative glucose pathway, which will be a key area in achieving some of our diabetes-related AOP goals this year.”
Kohl received a master of nursing degree in health care administration in 2014 where she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1998. She was a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Beta Xi Chapter. n
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