Nursing at the Niagara Health System
- May 2007
Nurses across the seven hospital sites of the Niagara Health System care for a staggering 300,000 patients/clients each year, for overnight hospital stays, day or inpatient surgery and numerous clinics. The 1,800 Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses working at the Niagara Health System are the health care providers patients see most often during their hospital stay. And when it comes to the most trusted and respected professionals in Canada, nurses consistently rank as number one.
National Nursing Week
Nursing Week, from May 7 – 13, is a national celebration of the dedication of Nurses. The Canadian Nursing Association's theme this year is 'Think you know nursing? Take a closer look'. A number of activities have been planned this week to honor our nurses for their ongoing dedication and commitment to our patients/clients and their families. "We are very proud of our professional nursing staff and look forward to this week of celebration to honour the professionalism and commitment to patient care exhibited by our staff 365 days a year" said Tracy MacDonald, Chief Nursing Executive.
The NHS Nursing Strategy
Since assuming their new responsibilities in the fall of 2006, Tracy MacDonald, Chief Nursing Executive and Vice-President of Patient Services and Donna Rothwell, Chief Nursing and Professional Practice Officer, have been working with front line staff and nursing leaders across the organization to create a vision for nursing within the NHS.
To successfully plan and implement strategies to ensure the NHS nurses continue to meet the needs of our patients now and in the future, the Nursing division has created a five-year "Nursing Strategic Work plan". This strategic work plan provides direction to enhance professional nursing practice as we implement our model of care delivery – Patient/Client Centered Care; provides direction on improving the quality of work life for our frontline nursing staff and managers alike; and provides strategies to support nursing practice throughout the organization.
Chief Nursing Executive Tracy MacDonald and Chief Nursing and Professional Practice Officer Donna Rothwell are leading this important initiative and took some time out to discuss the strategy.
Question
What is the vision of nursing at the NHS today and how does that drive the nursing strategy?
Answer
The new nursing vision is "Inspiring leadership and excellence in Nursing through living the values and sharing the knowledge. Prepared for the present. Challenging the future." Our vision guides us towards our aspirations.
The first draft of this vision statement was prepared by our Nursing Professional Practice Council and then further refined by the nursing leaders and staff themselves as they reflected on what these words meant to them. It speaks about the professionalism of nursing, the importance of leadership and excellence in practice and the importance of our values of compassion, professionalism and respect in carrying out nursing care. The nursing strategic plan outlines for us the steps we need to take to achieve this vision for nursing at the NHS.
Question
Can you tell us about the philosophy for nursing at the NHS?
Answer
The nursing philosophy speaks to how nurses practice their profession. "Nurses within the NHS continually strive to provide safe, competent, high-quality patient/client centered care in a healthy work environment where excellence in nursing practice is valued & respected"
"We have had the honour of listening to nurses tell their stories of what this philosophy means to them and to their practice" said Donna Rothwell, CNO. This philosophy, coupled with the conceptual framework for professional nursing practice, is foundational to the work ahead.
Question
What is the nursing strategic work plan?
Answer
Our plan is an ambitious one and is reflective of the needs expressed by the nurses within the organization. We have selected three primary areas to focus on in the next couple of years.
- Enhancing Professional Practice and ensuring all staff are working to their full scope of practice: As an RNAO Spotlight Organization we have partnered with RNAO to assist us in rolling out the Patient/Client Centred Model of Care. In addition we will be providing education to nursing staff on selected Best Practice Guidelines and on skills to support them in working to their full scope of practice.
- Nursing Infrastructure: The achievement of some of our preliminary goals is essential if we are to move forward on other fronts. We have revisited our nursing committee structures and terms of reference to ensure that the work they are performing is aligned with the overall vision. In addition we have selected the development and sustainment of our nursing leadership as an essential component of our strategic plan and work has already begun in this area.
- Supportive Work Environment: In collaboration with the NHS Quality of Work life Staff in Human Resources, we are working diligently to address the work environment for nurses. We have received funding and rolled out a "Healthy Workplace Initiative" and have launched a project looking at Base line Staffing.
"The nursing vision has been established and our course has been set through our strategic work plan," say Tracy and Donna. "We look forward to working with our 1,800 nurses to accomplish our goals to enhance professional nursing practice, to develop and sustain nursing leadership and to create a more supportive work environment."
"Across the Niagara Health System we have a great team of nursing professionals. We salute them and thank them and look forward to enriching our profession and work life across the NHS through the months and years to come."
Congratulations to our 2007 Nursing Excellence Award recipients.