In our first newsletter of 2021, we reflect on our many accomplishments over the past year. Despite the unprecedented challenges of working through a pandemic, we learned new ways to deliver care, to connect with families, and to keep ourselves and our patients safe. We were innovative, brave, bold, and compassionate, out-of-the-box thinkers who stopped at nothing to make sure our patients received the best care possible. We will use many of the practices we identified during this time to further enhance our nursing culture of excellence.
Part of our nursing culture of excellence is to ensure that our nurses are supported professionally. As you know, we have been examining our compensation program for nurses and are nearing the end of that process; we hope to share good news very soon. We are proud that we support our nurses through forums such as our Professional Practice Councils, where nurses can help to shape our nursing practice, and continue to offer rich educational and career advancement opportunities to nurses at all levels across the network.
We continued our important work with dignity, equity and inclusion efforts. Several of our Spaulding nurses are involved with committee work to help listen, reflect, educate and act as we continue to fight systemic racism. We are especially proud of two of our nurses from Spaulding and Mass General Brigham at Home who participated in a panel event to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.
I continue to be proud and amazed every day at the talent and expertise of our Spaulding nurses across the network. Thank you for all that you do for our patients and their families.
Maureen Banks, RN, DNP, MBA, NEA-BC, FACHE
Chief Nursing Officer & Chief Operating Officer
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
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The Magnet Journey Update
Steadfast on our Magnet journey, we are planning for a dedicated Nursing Satisfaction Survey at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge. This survey, which will be given to all direct care RNs, is a critical component of our Magnet process. Nurses will have the opportunity to answer questions related to areas such as job responsibilities, autonomy, decision-making, professional development and leadership support. The survey itself is required for Magnet designation, and more importantly will give us a better understanding of where to focus our efforts to strengthen Spaulding nursing. The survey will run from April 5th through April 25th. We are also making steady progress on our Magnet document for Cape Cod which will be submitted in October 2021.
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Meet Our Nightingale Fellows!
Earlier this year, Spaulding announced the creation of the Nightingale Fellowship, a 2-year program designed to encourage and support nurses' professional development through continuing education, assigned mentorship, individualized learning experiences, and opportunities to broaden their professional perceptive. We will introduce two of our Nightingale Fellows in each newsletter.
 Evan Reese Taylor, RN
practices nursing at Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center Brighton. While he will continue to expand and develop his clinical skills, Evan has a special interest in the practice and delivery of wound care. Evan is working with mentor Emily Sullivan, Nurse Manager at SHC to develop identifiers for patients at risk for skin breakdown. Using the Braden Scale, Evan has found that multiple factors, including patients' level of mobility, nutritional status, communication skills and overall level of dependence, can contribute to skin breakdown. Evan enjoys engaging with team members to heighten awareness of the importance of good skin care.
Evan states, "The Nightingale Fellowship provides a great framework to become a better clinician. Because we have devoted time for our Applied Learning it is much more accessible for working nurses. I would highly recommend this Fellowship program!"
 David Soprano, RN
is a Certified Rehabilitation Nurse (CCRN) at Spaulding Cape Cod and a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). He entered nursing after serving as an EMT and being inspired by the nurses he encountered.
During his Fellowship, David is looking for ways to integrate quality competencies for frontline nurses to improve patient care using key metric dashboards. To do this, he has been reviewing evidence-based studies to identify best practices for disseminating quality metrics in a way that is actionable for nurses.
He is working with mentor Deb Murphy, Senior Project Manager at SRN. Deb is a data specialist and manages large informatics projects. She also has the technological skills to transfer the data David is working with into a useful format like Tableau.
David describes his Fellowship experience, "During my Applied Learning time I am afforded paid protected time to develop my project. Under Deb and our Nightingale facilitator Lauren Williams, I formulated a working clinical question, did an evidence-based literature review, and created an action plan. I am now compiling key performance indicators and creating nursing and outcomes dashboards. My goal is to spread the data that influences how our day-to-day care is shaped and influences patient outcomes.
My hope is that a user- friendly dashboard will help nurses take part in transforming their workflow while improving patient outcomes. The big questions relate to how do we measure performance as nurses, how does data drive our bedside actions, and how can this data be used to lead change?
Everyone has two jobs: your actual job, and the job of improving your job. Areas for improvement are all around and the best people to find the gaps are the nurses on the floor. Combining evidence-based practice with a quality framework creates actionable strategies for success. The dashboards are a way to crystallize the information in a useable manner for our nursing staff.
This Fellowship has already been a transformative experience and I highly recommend every nurse consider applying for future groups. Between the personal growth opportunities and professional development, the program allows you to have access to all the resources of the SRN network. I 100% recommend the program as a career defining opportunity and resume builder that will positively impact your career. "
For questions about the Nightingale Fellowship Program please contact Lauren Williams, SRN Nightingale Director at [email protected].
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Celebrating Specialty Certification
During the month of December, SRN proudly acknowledged exceptional professionalism at every level of the organization. Health professions colleagues who have achieved national clinical board recognition and support service team members who have reached high level industry specialty certification were recognized with a 'Specialty Certified' branded pin.
SHC Miriam Lautenschlager CCTN
SHC Marissa Mitchell MedSurg
SHC Samantha O'Neil OCN
SRH Holly Previte CRRN
SCC Sharon Spencer CRRN
SHC Emily Graca CCTN
SCC David Soprano (2nd) CPHQ
SHC Elizabeth Demare PCCN
SRH Mary Beth DiFilippo CRRN
SRB Sixto Mantile CRRN
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DAISY Awards Recognize Exemplary SRN Nurses
Tatchie Paganini, RN
from 3 South at Spaulding Cambridge was nominated by a patient for her nurturing attitude and compassionate care. The patient, Helen, wrote: "She was unbelievable. There was no specific day or situation, I was just always happy to see her. She would answer all my questions and follow through with everything. She made me feel very comfortable and safe. She would walk into the room and it was like all my worries disappeared. She was so nurturing, caring and so smart. She is the best nurse I have ever had. She was just extraordinary every single minute with me and that means more to me than someone who was good for a moment. She is consistent and there for us. "
Emily Williams, RN is a nurse on the 7th floor of Spaulding Boston and was nominated by 2 very grateful patients. One patient wrote, "Emily would come into my room to comfort, encourage and motivate me; always with the kindest smile (even though she was wearing a mask I could still tell that she had a smile on her face) and the most pleasant caring demeanor. Emily genuinely cared and was empathetic and it showed. She made what I felt was an impossible situation into one of hope and helped me get through these episodes of my internal doubt." Another patient wrote, " I value this nurse very much, and am very grateful for my relationship with her."
The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. Every quarter, we will recognize one nurse who exemplifies outstanding clinical care and compassion. Each DAISY Award Honoree will be recognized at a public ceremony in her/his unit and will receive: a beautiful certificate, a DAISY Award pin and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled A Healer's Touch. Click here for the nomination form.
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SHC Nurses Achieve Clinical Ladder III Designation
We are very excited to recognize Miriam Lautenschlager, RN 2 South and Samantha O'Neil , RN 2 West who are the first RN's in SRN to achieve Clinical ladder III Expert Clinician. Miriam's clinical ladder project was on mental health challenges in the transplant patients and Sam developed an Oncology Infusion Sim lab program in collaboration with Oncology Clinical specialist. Congratulations to Miriam and Sam!
Our Academic Pillar has completed the analysis of the RedCap survey sent out to nurses to determine potential barriers for climbing the Clinical Ladder. We continue to work to make the Clinical Ladder process more accessible to our nurses. For more information please contact your Nurse Manager or Lynne Brady Wagner
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New Academic Partnership with Excelsior College!
 SRN has engaged in a new academic partnership with Excelsior College. We will provide tuition support for LPN staff to work toward an Associate's Degree in Nursing through their unique online program. Our financial support program will mirror protocols used for SNHU and Chamberlain College of Nursing. Please contact Dyan Wyman or Ellen Fitzgerald, in HR Department at SCC or Lynne Brady Wagner, Chief Learning Officer, for more details.
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New Journal Club Article on COVID-19 Neurology This month's featured article in the SRN Virtual Nursing Journal Club, "The Emerging Spectrum of COVID-19 Neurology: Clinical, Radiological and Laboratory Findings" examines detailed neurological presentations in patients with confirmed COVID-19. It found a high incidence of acute encephalomyelitis in COVID patients, further complicating the clinical profile and recovery for many patients.
Sarah Graffam, RN, Resource Nurse on 2 West at Spaulding Cambridge, is a member of the Magnet Clinical Group and participates on the Virtual Journal Club discussions. Sarah states, "This is an important article for our clinical teams as we cared for so many COVID patients over the last year. It helps us to better understand the many factors that go into our treatment planning for COVID patients."
Sarah said of the Virtual Journal Club, "This Virtual format allows nurses from across the network to participate, as it eliminates the barriers of having to travel or limited time to attend meetings. All of our nurses have an opportunity to read the article and respond to posted questions to create a virtual discussion forum with their peers. The goal is to enhance our culture of continuous learning, research and innovation."
Participation in Virtual Journal Club will also allow nurses to obtain credit toward the Clinical Ladder. For more information or to recommend article topics, please contact Deb Byrne at [email protected].
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Nursing Grand Rounds
On Tuesday, January 19th, the SRN Division of Nursing Grand Rounds hosted, "You are in the Wrong Room: Challenges to Inclusion of Nurses with Disabilities". The program was presented by Dr. Manu Thakral, PhD, NP, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, UMASS Boston. This engaging session focused on recognizing assumptions and implicit biases that represent barriers to inclusion, as well as identifying accommodation approaches for nursing work environments.
SRN Division of Nursing Grand Rounds Schedule - MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
* Resilience and Wellness - Developing Skill for Dealing with Professional Stress
Presenter: Peg Baim, MS, ANP-BC - Benson Henry Institute
Tuesday, March 16th 2-3pm via ZOOM
* Common Medical-Legal Considerations in Nursing Care
Presenters: Debra Blyth-Wilk, RN, JD, SRN VP of Quality and Members of the MGB Crico Legal Malpractice team
Tuesday, April 20th, 2-3pm via ZOOM
* Nursing Graduate Student Capstone Project Panel
o Presenters: TBD
o Date: May TBD
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SRH Research Project Improves Nursing Code Readiness
Shannon Savage, RN is the night shift Supervisor at Spaulding Boston and has recently completed her Master's program in Nursing Education at SNHU. She has worked at Spaulding for 10 years where resuscitation codes due to cardiac arrest are a low volume, high risk event. Her recent Capstone research project, 'Code Readiness Education' demonstrated that a specifically designed mock code education program increased nurses' confidence to respond to and manage a code in the rehabilitation setting.
Forty nurses across all shifts (including weekends) participated in a pre-survey, then a 20-minute training program focused on code logistics, types of arrhythmias, medications provided and navigating the code card. They then completed a post-survey which revealed an increase in their level of confidence (median score increased from 2.975 to 4.45 on a 1-5 Likert scale). This study suggests the need for ongoing formalized code education in the rehabilitation setting.
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Spaulding Recognized with ARN 2020 Chapter Award
In our ongoing efforts to advocate for the profession of Rehabilitation Nursing, Spaulding started a local chapter of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) in 2020. We are delighted to report that our new chapter was selected by the ARN Chapter Support Committee as a recipient of the 2020 Chapter Award. Sue Kometz, MBA, BSN, RN, CBIS, CRRN, Chair of the ARN Chapter Support Committee stated, "Congratulations to Spaulding- we commend your efforts for starting and maintaining an ARN chapter during this difficult year." We also hope to be the host chapter for the 2021 National Meeting of ARN in Rhode Island.
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Eva Mungai, PCA on 4 South at Spaulding Cambridge was our first Sunshine Award recipient. She was nominated by a nurse on her unit who recognizes her team spirit and appreciates her helpful and knd nature. The nurse wrote, "Eva goes above and beyond for her patients and is always willing to help others. She is very experienced in her field and is a strong mentor to her peers." Congratulations Eva!
This award is available to patient care associates who demonstrate compassion and dedication to their jobs and the patients we care for. These employees go above and beyond and are recognized as role models. Every quarter, we recognize one PCA who exemplifies outstanding compassion and commitment to their patients. Each Sunshine Award Honoree will be recognized at a unit ceremony and will receive: a beautiful certificate, A Sunshine Award pin and a hand-blown glass Sunburst. Click here for the nomination form.
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