Page 17 - Christiana Care Focus January 2018

NURSING
Knowledge, Innovations & Improvements; Empirical Outcomes and Transformational Leadership.
Chairs, co-chairs and advisers of each system-level council form the new Nursing Value Council.
At the practice-area level, the new governance structure shifts from mul- tiple unit councils to a single practice council. Developed by a work group of nurses using evidence-based research, the more streamlined structure and newly crafted bylaws reduce variance in council structure and emphasize council-specific accountability for the Nursing strategic plan.
Christopher Otto, BSN, RN, CHFN, PCCN, CCRN, a nurse in the Cardio- vascular Critical Care Complex and chair of the Nursing Value Council, chaired the council on revising the governance structure. He said the evo- lution and advancement of professional governance demonstrates nurses’ com- mitment to their practice, their patients and families, and to each other.
“Professional governance ensures nursing professionals are evaluating and incorporating nursing science into practice,” said Otto. “It provides a voice for all nurses across the health system and empowers us to be leaders in our own practice.”
Professional governance forges a valuable partnership among nurses, other health care providers and health system leaders, said Cuming. “Nursing’s involvement in helping us be exception- al today and even better tomorrow takes a village, and Nursing is a very large constituent of that village.”
A shift to relationship-based care
As part of the revitalization of nursing practice, task force members chose to expand Christiana Care’s former pa- tient- and family-centered care delivery model to one of relationship-based care.
The new relationship-based care frame- work keeps nurses focused on their
relationships with patients and families, their relationships with colleagues and also encourages nurses to take care of themselves.
“When all members of the team are cared for, it provides a healthy working environment where we can be the best version of ourselves and provide care,” said Rebekah Crawford, BSN, RN, SCRN, of the Neuro Critical Care Unit, Magnet ambassador and member of the Professional Practice Model task force.
“I am proud to work on a profession-
al practice model that touches every single nurse,” she said. “When we serve together under our new model, mission and vision, we can really have an impact on the entire organization.”
Magnet for a reason
The ANCC has twice honored Christiana Care for nursing excellence with Magnet designation for good reason, said Cuming.
“I hear all the time from patients who tell me how wonderful our nurses
are,” he said. “We have an exceptional group of professionals who are working together in service to our patients and their families, who take exceptional lov- ing care of patients every day in a very professional way,” he said.
Paige Merring, BSN, RN, CCRN, a nurse on the Medical Intensive Care Unit and chair-elect of the systemwide Professional Nurse Council, said the task force’s work underscores that nurs- es are both the heart of patient care and change agents for their own professional practice, making a visible and well-de- fined impact within the health system.
“Our profession automatically brings
a sense of privilege and joy as we are gifted the ability to care for others in their time of need,” said Merring. “Be- ing a nurse at Christiana Care escalates those positive feelings into pride and accomplishment. I am incredibly proud to work for an organization that places such value on its nurses.” ●
An idea takes root. To illustrate the growth of nurses and the com- ponents that guide nursing practice across Christiana Care, task force nurses chose the schematic of a tree to illustrate the new professional practice model:
• At its foundation are The Christiana Care Way and the new professional governance structure. The roots represent how Christiana Care nurses have roots of practice steeped in ethics, national standards and practice and in Christiana Care Values and Behaviors.
• Relationship-based care, the newly adopted care delivery model, is etched into the trunk, or heart, of the tree. This model includes the nurse, patient, family and all Christiana Care colleagues.
• New Nursing mission and vision statements clearly define purpose and describe how Christiana Care nurses care for their neighbors, their colleagues and each other and chal- lenge nurses to drive and support improvements in health care.
• The five Magnet model components are represented by the branches and correspond with descriptive words on the leaves that the team and the nursing colleagues alike value as important to the nursing profession. The Magnet model branches extend and are far-reaching as nursing practice continues to evolve.
JANUARY 2018 FOCUS • 17