ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The new Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) nursing role was developed to meet the complex health care needs of patients, families, and health care systems. CASE PRESENTATION: This article describes the process used by nurse leaders at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing and Hospital to develop Model C CNL practicum courses, recruit and prepare clinical preceptors, prepare clinical microsystems for CNL students, and develop additional practice partnerships throughout the region. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: Critical to the success of the CNL role is a dynamic partnership between academic and practice leaders.The partnership allows faculty to develop curricula that are relevant and responsive to the rapidly changing health care system. Clinical leaders become more aware of trends and issues in nursing education. DISCUSSION: Continued growth and success of the CNL role is largely dependent on the ability of faculty and practice partners to collaborate on innovative educational programs and models of care delivery.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/organization & administration , Hospitals , Internship, Nonmedical/organization & administration , Leadership , Nurse's Role , Cooperative Behavior , Humans , Interinstitutional Relations , Nursing Education Research , Program DevelopmentABSTRACT
Using an instrument such as the Clinical Microsystem Assessment Tool (CMAT) to examine microsystem performance can provide valuable guidance for the development of quality and safety initiatives within the microsystem. However, instruments developed for this purpose must take into account diverse literacy levels. Perceptions of health care professionals of the usefulness and readability of the CMAT were examined. Readability was determined with the Flesch Reading Ease scale, in which the CMAT was rated as "very difficult" to read, and a Simple Measure of Gobbledygook analysis revealed that 14.71 years of education would be needed to understand the content. Although the majority of the participating health care professionals identified the tool as useful, the high level of reading ability required to understand the content may create limitations for use, given the educational diversity of the health care workforce.
Subject(s)
Health Personnel/organization & administration , Health Personnel/standards , Patient Care Team/organization & administration , Patient Care Team/standards , Quality Assurance, Health Care/methods , Quality Assurance, Health Care/organization & administration , Academic Medical Centers/organization & administration , Academic Medical Centers/standards , Adult , Comprehension , Cross-Sectional Studies , Educational Status , Female , Health Care Surveys , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Staff Development/methods , Staff Development/organization & administration , Staff Development/standards , Systems Theory , Young AdultABSTRACT
Factors that have led to the current shortage of nurses include a decrease in school of nursing enrollments, an aging workforce leading to retirement attrition, and a decrease in the numbers of nurses remaining within the profession. Compounding the workforce shortage problem, nurses are becoming more frustrated with work and their work environment. Negative work environment can lead to turnover, or worse still, nurses leaving the profession entirely. The purpose of this article is to identify how schools of nursing can work together with hospitals to achieve quality educational preparation for graduates, promote positive experiences for the student nurse, and assist hospitals with maintaining a positive nurse-friendly environment for the nursing staff.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing/organization & administration , Interinstitutional Relations , Nursing Staff, Hospital/supply & distribution , Personnel Administration, Hospital , Humans , Mentors , Missouri , Preceptorship , United StatesABSTRACT
Unions, once rare in healthcare, are now targeting hospital employees as potential members. In an industry that has seen an increase in regulations, mergers and acquisitions, rising financial pressures, and changing working conditions, it is easy to understand why discontented employees are being targeted by unions now more than ever. Hospital leaders must look to lessons learned in other organizations to develop strategies that will ensure a successful campaign. In 2003, St. Louis Children's Hospital defeated the Missouri Nurses Association/United American Nurse with a 77% no vote. The authors describe an overview of unionization in healthcare and the strategies they used to successfully win this union election.
