This fall, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital’s Department of Nursing brought together nurses from each unit for a Unit Based Council Summit. Attended by nurse leaders and representatives from each of the Unit Based Councils, the day provided the opportunity to share ideas and best practices. The topics for the day supported ongoing leadership advancement for nurses under the American Nurses Association (ANA) leadership domains of “Leading the Way: Leading yourself, leading others, leading the organization.”
The day began with a welcome and introductions from Associate Chief Nurse of Practice and Innovation Helene Bowen-Brady, DNP, MEd, RN-BC, followed by an update on the Nursing Strategic Plan by Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services Cori Loescher, MM, BSN, RN, NEA-BC.
Executive Director of Patient Safety, Quality, Risk, Infection Control and Accreditation Christi Clark Barney, MSN, RN, was invited to speak on the topic of high-reliability organizations and what that means at BWFH. For 2 South Staff Nurse Nadia Sullivan, BSN, RN, Barney’s presentation was the highlight of the day. “It was very inspiring to hear Christi speak about high-reliability organizations and share her own experiences navigating the healthcare system.”
Later in the morning, Bowen-Brady was joined by 6 South Clinical Leader Tracy Lane, BSN, RN-BC, for an update on the department’s shared governance model. And after lunch, Nurse Scientist and Regis College Professor Margaret Oot-Hayes, PhD, RN, talked to the group about evidence-based practice here at BWFH.
To cap off the day, each Unit Based Council had the opportunity to present an update on the work being done on their unit. For Pain Management Center Clinical Leader Kathy Armando, BSN, RN, this end to the day was inspiring. She says, “The BEST part of my day was listening to all our amazing nurses present the great work being done in their units to support best practice!”
The topics covered throughout the day served as a good summary of where BWFH is on the journey toward Magnet Designation. Currently, Members of the Department of Nursing are busy gathering information, writing and preparing documents around much of the work highlighted during the fall Unit Based Council Summit. The Department of Nursing plans to submit these materials in August of 2018.
