Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days in one or more of the following ways:
· Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information, evidence, or research using an in-text citation in APA format.
· Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
· Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
· Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
· Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
· Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
RE: Discussion – Week 2
Top of Form
Introduction to Health Care Delivery, Part II
I chose the priority of identifying the unique contributions of nursing on important health care decisions at all levels. I noticed that since I became an emergency room nurse, the paperwork coming from management and required certifications has tripled what was needed while working in a med surg. A lot of times when paperwork is given out, or new implementations is initiated, we all roll our eyes in the back of our heads and ask, “Who comes up with this stuff!” For instance; this past week my department started a new program called “patient passport.” When the patient is triaged, the nurse gives the patient a paper “the passport” and the patient is to keep this passport throughout the visit. This paper is to be initiated by the nurse each time the patients get lab work done, CT scan, X-RAY, or anything that would prolong the patients’ discharged, and then given to the nurse at discharge. The reasoning for this paper, according to my boss, is to keep the patient updated on plan of care throughout their stay. The problem is, we just updated all of the whiteboards in each room that’s changed for each patient, updated a spot in CERNER that has to be charted on after each completion, and now this. When would we have time to get the same thing completed three different times? After going through so many changes, I want to know more about the nursing contributions to health care and if the nurses are working in direct patient care areas.
Nurses spend more time with patients than any doctor that I have ever met, so it is only right that nurses act on our behalf as a committee or board member. Serving on boards allows nurses to partner with other leaders to promote change and advance health. (Stalter and Arms, 2016.) I feel being a nurse on a committee or board is a vital role and it serves to enhance the well-being of nurses, patients, and the community. According to the American Nurses Association, six competencies will enhance a nurses’ ability to serve on the board. I wanted to touch basis with the first two competencies. Competency 1: Exercise Professional Commitment to Serve on a Governing Board. Before joining any board, nurses should make sure that they are committed to providing services based on their specialization. As an ER nurse, nurses should focus on improving wait time, patient, satisfaction, decreasing door to cath lab times for STEMI patients, and anything else ER related. Competency 2: Be Knowledgeable about Board Types, Bylaws, and Job Description. Getting correct information to fellow nurses is very important.
The contributions nurses make as board members in hospitals are quantifiable: A University Health System Consortium analysis found a correlation between the number of nurse trustees at hospitals and better performance in both quality and safety. Having a nurse on the board also creates a work environment that leads to higher retention rates for staff nurses. (Reinhard, S. 2017.) America has 3.6 million nurses. Majority of the nation’s hospitals and health systems do not have a nurse on their board, and only 5 percent of the nation’s hospitals have a nurse as a trustee, according to Reinhard 2017. There is a need for more nurses to represent on the committee and the board.
This information explains the passport idea started at my job. According to my manager, most changes come from the “higher-ups.” If nurses were included in even a selected few changes, I feel the outcome would be better. We would not be doing the same thing three different times because nurses understand the concept of time management and prioritizing task based on acuity. Continued research will strengthen the ability for nurses to lead in both individual organizations and as advocates of health care reforms by adding more nurses to the board in all hospitals. Nurses have a different perspective because of the many different nursing skills. This assortment added to a committee or board will help strengthen the way health care changes over the years.
References
Reinhard, S. (2017, March 13). Getting nurses on board. Retrieved from https://www.trusteemag.com/articles/1212-getting-nurses-on-the-hospital-board
Stalter, A., Arms, D., (February 26, 2016) “Serving on Organizational Boards: What Nurses Need to Know” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 21 No. 2.
