Structural Empowerment
Nurses at Children’s Health promote a life-long learning culture through academic progression, professional development and engagement in the professional nursing community. We have a highly engaged team of nurses across the system who participate in shared decision-making to influence evidence-based practice, drive quality improvement and promote collaboration through interprofessional teamwork. Through strong partnerships with our patient families, our nurses serve as advocates of the mission of making life better for children. Children’s Health is committed to nurse empowerment and engagement, and we live this each day through innovative and supportive programs to advance nursing excellence, including:
- Our nationally accredited Nurse Residency Program, which enhances new nursing school graduates’ transition to practice
- Our new Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) Apprenticeship Program, which is improving the diversity of our nursing workforce
- Individualized experienced-nurse onboarding, cross-training, redeployment and preceptor development that promotes nurse recruitment and retention
- Shared Governance Councils, that engage nurses in making decisions that affect their clinical practice and work environment.
Our Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program Is Among the Nation’s Best
The University of Kansas School of Nursing, Vizient and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing identify top-performing nurse residency programs based on rates of nurse retention, adoption of professional role and outcomes. The Children’s Health Nurse Residency Program is among the nation’s best, ranking fourth out of 260 programs.
Accredited in 2018 by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, our residency program places all new nursing school graduates with a preceptor who closely mentors them during orientation. They also have the support of a peer cohort for a full year.
In completing the transition from student to professional nurse, each new nurse works alongside an exceptional, experienced pediatric nurse, learning to provide care that is not simply competent but excellent.
An exemplary facet of the program is its strategic importance in increasing the diversity of our nursing staff. Organization-wide, more than 51% of Children’s Health employees identify as racially/ethnically diverse. Since nursing is our largest single job family and we know the nursing workforce must prioritize diversity to provide culturally competent care and contribute to improved health equity, we evaluated and enhanced our recruitment and selection process for the Nurse Residency Program. Focusing on best practices for diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring and recruiting, we shifted the diversity of the incoming nursing classes from 33% racially/ethnically diverse in 2019 to 55% in 2021.
“I received other job offers, and one in my home state was really tempting, but there was no residency program. I wanted a supportive structure to make the learning curve easier, especially because families would be trusting me with their children.”– Diamond Wright, BSN, RN, Children’s Health Nurse Residency Program graduate,
Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
First Cohort of Associate Degree Nurse Apprenticeship Program Launched in April 2021
The ADN program provides an innovative opportunity to further diversify our nursing workforce by investing in ADN graduates as they transition into their professional role while completing a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). This bridge program offers a series of learning and work experiences throughout a 12-week apprenticeship. After completion, participants will progress to our CCNE-accredited Nurse Residency Program.
We recognize the need to foster team members’ professional development through focused clinical and instructional experiences designed to enhance clinical competence, increase self-confidence and escalation skills, sharpen critical thinking, and support evidence-based practice and research skills. The program expands our opportunity to prepare for our future nursing workforce as we continue to grow and expand our reach, caring for children in our community and beyond.
Individualized, Structured Nurse Onboarding Facilitates Transition to Practice
Pediatric Application of Skills and Situations (PASS) Academy: Nurses with more than one year of experience participate in PASS Academy, a two-part course assisting nurses from other organizations as they assimilate into Children’s Health and pediatric nursing practice. Content is delivered in a manner that allows for team-based work, case scenario discussions, high-fidelity simulation and review of resources available at the bedside.
Cross-training: Nurses also have the opportunity to cross-train to additional clinical areas as a way to build clinical skills and competency and enhance professional development. Cross-training can occur between specialties, acuities and campuses to allow the nurse to develop different assessment and clinical techniques.
Preceptor development: Preceptors are equipped with a robust training plan, resources and evaluations to continue their individual professional development. The organization’s Preceptor Council reviews trends in orientee evaluations and practice to create resources, begin projects and provide education to peer preceptors and incoming nurses. In the last year, our Preceptor Council has finalized several projects, including new hire resources, preceptor education and development with a virtual preceptor retreat, as well as curation of matching tools available to preceptors and orientees to strengthen relationships.
Shared Governance at Children’s Health Is Thriving
Nurses in all roles are welcome to join our five Shared Governance Councils, and clinical nurse attendance at council meetings has grown 66% since 2019 as we learned to maximize virtual meeting platforms and increase nurses’ ability to participate.
- Clinical Informatics Council (CIC): CIC evaluates proposed changes and opportunities to improve the electronic health record (EHR) and related clinical systems, promoting the integration of evidence-based documentation practices. The CIC critically reviewed and approved multiple improvements to the EHR in 2021, including the visibility of Safe Sleep screening, efficiency in pain education documentation and a variety of storyboard and flowsheet enhancements.
- Clinical Practice Council (CPC): CPC identifies and analyzes opportunities to enhance and standardize clinical nursing practice, with a focus on evidence integration and high-quality outcomes. CPC members reviewed and supported new monthly Practice Pulse Checks in 2021 and worked to streamline clinical documentation related to patient/family education and nursing care plans.
- Evidence-Based Practice and Research Council (EBP/R): EBP/R advances the integration of nursing research and current evidence into practice through ongoing support, education, mentorship and facilitation of publications and professional presentations. In 2021, this council continued to cement the structure and processes related to ongoing support and implementation of EBP projects originating from the Nurse Residency Program.
- Professional Development Council (PDC): PDC promotes nursing excellence by engaging in the growth and professional development of all team members, including ongoing support of the Clinical Nurse Achievement Program (CNAP). PDC members continued revising and optimizing the CNAP in 2021 for future conversion to an electronic submission platform.
- Quality and Safety Council (QSC): QSC supports nursing quality and patient safety by advising on current practices, identifying improvement opportunities and championing related initiatives in alignment with organizational strategic priorities. In 2021, members of this council championed the implementation of the ivWatch device in support of our system-wide goal to decrease peripheral intravenous infiltrations and extravasations (PIVIEs).