Report form 2002 Maine Nursing Summit

Transcription

1 Report form 2002 Maine Nursing Summit December 6, 2002 Augusta, Maine Planning Committee: Jane Kirschling, Convener Sally Baughman, Sandy Bethanis, Myra Broadway, Jackie Devoe, Pamela Ernest, Sophie Glidden, Penny Higgins, Mary Ann Ogonowski, Linda Samia, Roanne Seeley, Carol Sinclair, Nancy Smith Report Issued: August 2003

2 2002 Maine Nursing Summit MAINE NURSING SUMMIT Background On December 6, 2002, over 200 people came together at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine, for the second Maine Nursing Summit. The Maine Hospital Association and OMNE Nursing Leaders of Maine were Platinum Sponsors ($1,000) of the Summit; The Maine Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration was a Gold Sponsor ($500 to $999); ANA-Maine and Home Care Alliance of Maine were Silver Sponsors ($100-$499). Jane Kirschling provided additional financial support for the Summit through her Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Executive Fellows Program Project. The day-long Summit brought together nurses, employers, and educators to 1. Identify trends that will influence 21 st century nursing. 2. Identify how current nursing practice is meeting and is not meeting the demands of the health system. 3. Identify the new emerging foundation for nursing practice. 4. Articulate how individuals (e.g., nurses, employers, other health providers) can engage and embrace the issues around the emerging foundation for nursing practice. 5. Articulate how nursing education will need to evolve to support the emerging foundation for nursing practice. 6. Articulate if, and how, Maine s Law Regulating the Practice of Nursing could be affected by the emerging foundation for nursing practice. The day was designed around a keynote presentation, a panel response, and small-group discussions with report-out. Tim Porter-O Grady, EdD, PhD, FAAN, Senior Partner, Tim Porter- O Grady Associates, Inc., presented the keynote speech, Envisioning the Future: Transforming Nursing for a New Age. A panel of Maine nurses responded to the keynote presentation from their respective practice perspectives. The panelists were Linda Abernethy, Myra Broadway, Suzanne Brunner, Rebecca Colwell, Marie Fisher, Bethany Giberson, Martha Riehle, and Marianne Rodgers. Following lunch, participants broke into small groups to complete the following assignments: 1. To develop two new strategies for supporting the retention of expert nurses in direct patient care. The purpose of this assignment was to generate ideas about new strategies for supporting the retention of expert nurses in direct patient care, and to select the two strategies likely to generate the most significant results in 1 to 3 years. 2. To create two initiatives supporting the return to nursing of nurses who have left nursing. The purpose of this assignment was to generate ideas for initiatives supporting the return to nursing of

3 2002 Maine Nursing Summit 3 nurses who have left nursing, and to select the two initiatives likely to generate the most significant results in 1 to 3 years. 3. To develop two new strategies for supporting the pursuit of additional education by nurses in order to support the emerging foundation of nursing practice. The purpose of this assignment was to generate ideas about strategies for supporting the pursuit of additional education by nurses, and to select the two strategies likely generate the most significant results in 1 to 3 years. The following Summit participants, who had completed training on how to effectively facilitate small groups, served as small-group conveners: Pat Camire, Billie Jo Cole, Becky Colwell, Linda Conover, Diana Crowell, M. Jane Dailey, Donna DeBlois, Virginia delorimier, Lori Fiandaca, Alison Fisk, Louise Foster, Louise Gary, Rosemary Henry, Bailey Johnson, Mary Eileen Kiniry, Donna McNelly, Marcia Morcom, Nicole Morin-Scribner, Andrea Otis-Higgins, Eileen Reed, Ham Robbins, Sherry Rogers, Margaret Ross, Hilda Scott, Cynthia Seefahrt, Susan Sepples, Nancy Smith, Denise Warner, Paula White, and Carol Wooster. Appreciation is extended to Pamela Plumb, who facilitated the panel presentation and the reportout of the small groups. It is also important to acknowledge the staff support that the Maine Hospital Association provided for the Nursing Summit. The remaining sections of this report summarize the conclusions of participants in the smallgroup discussions. Supporting the Retention of Expert Nurses in Direct Patient Care Employers should formally recognize the role characteristics of expert nurses. The concepts underlying magnet-hospital recognition should be universally in place in Maine s health care settings. Nursing needs to create and advocate for a framework that tracks health care outcomes across settings. Expert nurses should be invited to meet in groups to identify strategies that will support their ongoing commitment to providing direct patient care. Providing positive behavior role models is essential if nursing is going to maintain the public s trust. Employers should conduct market analyses, both within and outside health care, to assure that salaries and benefits are equitable. Employers should also reward expert practice, actively support expert nurses who have a passion for educating others, and commit to supporting a balanced life for their employees. The discipline needs to develop new leadership models that actively engage direct-care nurses. These models should support the evolution and migration of leaders to where their leadership is needed in health care. The work of nursing needs to be continually evaluated to assure that it is physically, emotionally, and intellectually doable. Redesign may be required as the nursing and health care workforce shortages deepen. Expert nurses must be the drivers for work redesign; fostering creativity and creating a culture that supports professional development should be cornerstones for such efforts. Nursing leaders need ongoing opportunities for professional education and development. Programs that provide mentorship and respect creativity should be fostered. Given the rapidness

4 2002 Maine Nursing Summit 4 of change in the health care environment, nurses and nursing leaders must be supported in their efforts to learn through quality improvement initiatives and to assure safe environments for care. Supporting the Return of Nurses Who Have Left Nursing Focus groups should be held throughout Maine with nurses who have left nursing in order to learn more about their decision to leave and, if they are interesting in returning, what supports would need to be in place to assure a successful transition. A media campaign should be undertaken that accents the positive aspects of a nursing career. The campaign should highlight the range of opportunities that are available to nurses and the flexibility and benefits of a career in nursing. The campaign should plant the idea of returning to nursing and convey a clear message that Maine s health care employers want you! It is essential that front-line staff buy into, and actively support, initiatives that support nurses returning to the workplace. It was suggested that the media campaign include a number that nurses can call in order to learn about employment opportunities. Education (e.g., refresher course), mentoring initiatives, and career counseling (e.g., alternative work sites, job shadowing) should be in place throughout Maine to support nurses who are returning to nursing. Fostering work environments that are based on collaboration, both within nursing and across other health care disciplines, will facilitate the transition of returning nurses. Employers should put into place, if they haven t done so already, high-quality reorientation programs for nurses who return. Employers should also offer benefits through a cafeteria approach that allows returning nurses, as well as other employees, to select those benefits that are most applicable to their needs. Support the Pursuit of Additional Education by Nurses in Order To Support the Emerging Foundation of Nursing Practice Nursing education needs to engage the learner, be flexible, and be convenient while maintaining high standards for the discipline of nursing. Traditional models of nursing education need to evolve in order to enhance accessibility. Accessibility should be fostered through an array of strategies, such as virtual classrooms, on-site classes, alternative timing for classes, sabbaticals for nurses providing direct care, and credit for prior learning. Articulation across the continuum of nursing education needs to be actively supported. Nursing needs to openly embrace a culture of continuous, life-long learning. All employers need to foster motivation for learning, in part by creating a culture that values information and change. Employers should also support nurses efforts to pursue additional education. Recommended strategies include providing appropriate places in the work environment for studying; offering financial support for tuition and continuing education; and providing resources for career planning.

5 2002 Maine Nursing Summit 5 Nursing educators need to recognize and incorporate emerging knowledge areas in health care (e.g., genetics, conflict resolution, and health care financing). Nursing education and practice need to actively share best practices through the use of technology. Nursing programs should actively expand their use of practicing nurses to support the clinical education of students. Initiatives aimed at expansion of nursing education and practice partnerships should be mutually beneficial, with educational programs gaining access to expert nurses involved in direct care, and practice sites having the opportunity to work more closely with nursing students as part of their educational programs. Opportunities for job sharing between nursing education and nursing practice should be actively pursued. Finally, Maine s nurses must leverage their political clout on behalf of nursing education (e.g., program expansion; loan repayment or forgiveness programs for students and faculty). Next Steps 1. Disseminate the 2002 Maine Nursing Summit Report to all participants, key organizations, and stakeholders in the future of nursing in Maine. 2. Plan the 2003 Maine Nursing Summit for spring The third Summit should build on the work that was done in the 2001 and 2002 Summits and should include opportunities for participants to move beyond discussion and into action.

6 2002 Maine Nursing Summit 6 For additional information on the 2002 Maine Nursing Summit or for information on various nursing workforce shortages initiatives underway in Maine contact: Jane Kirschling, Dean and Professor of Nursing University of Southern Maine College of Nursing and Health Professions PO Box 9300, Portland, ME , jane.kirschling@usm.maine.edu Additional reports, including the report for the 2001 Maine Nursing Summit, are available at: