May 6th through May 12th, we are honored to celebrate the talent, professionalism,
dedication, and compassion of our Spaulding nurses during National Nurse's Week. During the past year, our nurses have risen to every challenge, adapting their approach to enhance care for our patients, and demonstrating creativity and collaboration at every turn. They have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional care and comfort to our patients, and we couldn't be prouder.
 
As we reflect on the past year, I encourage all our nurses to take advantage of our professional development programs- e.g. professional practice councils, continuing education, specialty certification, clinical ladders, loan forgiveness, and more. Please be sure to visit our new Education & Training SharePoint site to learn more about these career advancement opportunities.
 
We look forward to when we can begin to gather for in-person activities and get back to life as we knew it before COVID. To our nurses, thank you for all you do every day for our patients and families.


Maureen Banks, RN, DNP, MBA, NEA-BC, FACHE
Chief Nursing Officer & Chief Operating Officer 
Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
The Magnet Journey Update

May 1st will mark some significant milestones for our Magnet journey!  We will have reached our 5-month mark for the SCC document and will have just passed our 1-year mark for SHC.  We have completed our first Nursing Satisfaction Survey in Cambridge with over 60% participation. We are working hard to find the perfect stories to showcase our excellent nursing care.  Magnet is a story about you - please reach out to me to tell your story at dabele@partners.org.

SRH Welcomes new Director of Professional Development
                                         

We are pleased to welcome Suzanne Murdock, DNP, APRN, GNP-BC, to Spaulding Boston as the new Director of Professional Development. Sue joins our team of Nurse Educators across the network to oversee professional development programs for the Nursing Department at Spaulding Boston. Sue is an ANCC-certified Gerontological Nurse Practitioner and has extensive experience in clinical care, research, education, quality and safety. She began her career as a staff nurse at Mass General Hospital and was most recently Director of Nursing Outcomes, Practice, and System for the University of Vermont Medical Center Department of Nursing. She can be reached at smurdock1@partners.org. Welcome Sue!    

Meet Our Nightingale Fellows!                                            
In 2020, 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 perceptiveWe will introduce two of our Nightingale Fellows in each newsletter.

Theresa Leo, RN transitioned her career from long-term care to acute rehab care at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital where she found her practice niche on the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Unit. She applied for the Nightingale Fellowship to expand her knowledge of the different career paths in nursing. Theresa is working with mentor Amanda Foote, RN, BSN from Spaulding Hospital Cambridge to examine evidence-based practices around central line flushing. After review of current evidence of infusion practices, Theresa found that saline was just as effective as heparin to flush central lines. Saline is safer for patients as it eliminates the risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and it is more cost-effective. Spaulding has now changed nursing practice, consistent with current evidence, to eliminate heparin in central line flushing.  Theresa states, "It was challenging, but exciting to review the literature and current industry practices, and then be able to see the transition from the macro level to the micro level. This experience has enhanced my interests in nursing education and practice development. The Nightingale Fellowship has taught me so much about the Spaulding Network and the many opportunities we have as nurses. I would encourage others to apply!" 

Diane Doe, RN began her career at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge as a certified nursing assistant and now, as a registered nurse, she has been recognized for her work with a Nursing Excellence Award and is a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CCRN). Diane is working with mentor Tammy Corsaro RN, CNS, DNP, CRRN, to reduce the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) at Spaulding Cambridge. Many patients at Spaulding Cambridge require central lines because of their medical complexity. CLABSIs can lead to prolonged hospital stays and increase health care costs and mortality. Diane examined current evidence regarding the management of central lines and new practice guidelines, including the daily review of all patients with central lines, central line maintenance and patient education regarding central line cleaning. Diane hopes to implement and share the new guidelines to reduce CLABSI rates at Spaulding Cambridge by 50%, and eventually to get it down to 0%.

Diane is currently working towards her transplant certification and hopes to pursue Med/Surg certification. Diane states, "The Nightingale Fellowship is an excellent way to further my education without having to formally commit to a master's program. That might come later, but this is a great fit for work/life balance right now."

For questions about the Nightingale Fellowship Program please contact Lauren Williams, SRN Nightingale Director at lwilliams25@partners.org.
SHC Nurses present at Oncology Research Institute              
                                                    

Tatchie Paganini, RN, Katherine Boyarsky BA, BSN, RN and Samantha O'Neil RN, BSN, OCN from Spaulding Cambridge presented "Does the Development of Oncology-Specific Simulations and Hands-On Learning Improve Oncology Nurse Confidence?" at the virtual conference Symptom Science Advances in Oncology Nursing in February.

The SRN Magnet Research pillar has submitted a proposal to the IRB for a research project on the accurate collection and documentation of vital signs - with a focus on respiratory rate. Work on this project will be conducted across the network. The team has also submitted the proposal for a poster presentation at the ARN National Conference. Click here to view the poster

New SRN Education & Training Site                                              

We are pleased to introduce the new SRN Education & Training SharePoint site! We know our staff are our greatest asset and we are proud to invest in your future. We invite you to explore the many programs and benefits that support your professional development and career growth.
 
Featured content includes Tuition Support, Back to School Coaching, Clinical Ladder and Clinical Scholars Programs, Nightingale Fellowship, Magnet Journey, Clinical Resources and more.
 
Click here to access the new site!
 
On this site, visit the Nursing page by clicking here under 'Conditions and Programs' and the 'Professional Engagement' tab to review national organization professional level opportunities.

SCC Clinicians present at Nurse Educators Conference

Jackie Donnelly, RN, BSN, Matt Keilty, ORT/L and Melissa Aranda, MOT, OTR/L from Spaulding Cape Cod will be presenting a virtual poster "Wound Management: An Interdisciplinary Approach" at the upcoming Nurse Educator's Conference hosted by St. Anselm College School of Nursing. View the virtual poster presented on zoom here

Seacole Scholars Program

The Seacole Scholars Program provides financial assistance to Spaulding PCAs who are interested in pursuing their RN. We have interviewed over 40 PCAs who are interested in going back to school to get an associate's degree in Nursing! We are in the process of determining what each person needs to begin school and when they can start. If you are a PCA or you know a PCA who would like to pursue a career in nursing, we can provide assistance with tuition reimbursement and financial aid applications, guidance and support in completing nursing school pre-requisite classes and help with your nursing school applications.

Debra Margolis, Director of Volunteers at SRN and experienced educator will help to lead the first step in your journey. Please email her ASAP at dmargolis@partners.org so you can arrange a time for a phone or video call.

Clinical Updates

The Virtual Journal Club (VJC) is up and running! The site is open to nurses across the network. Journals for discussion are being chosen by staff nurse councils. Topics span from social relevance to clinical practice. Please join in our robust discussions! Participation in Virtual Journal Club will also allow nurses to obtain credit toward the Clinical Ladder. We have submitted our work on the VJC to ARN for a poster presentation at national conference.

We have also completed our survey on the Clinical Ladder program and have made some suggested modifications. We are hopeful that these changes will make the program accessible to nurses on all shifts.

Nursing Grand Rounds



SRN recently hosted 2 Grand Rounds lectures open to all SRN staff:

"Resilience and Wellness - Developing Skill for Dealing with Professional Stress", presented by Peg Baim, MS, ANP-BC from the Benson Henry Institute, and "Common Medical-Legal Considerations in Nursing Care", presented by Debra Blyth-Wilk, RN, JD, SRN VP of Quality and members of the MGB CRICO Legal Malpractice team.


Stay tuned for information about May's Grand Rounds session.

Advocating for Accessibility



Workplace accessibility is a critical component of our Spaulding mission. The Magnet Advocacy team, in collaboration with Work Without Limits and UMASS Medical School Commonwealth Medicine, recently hosted a Disability Etiquette Training webinar open to SRN leadership. Over 70 SRN managers participated in the informative and interactive session led by Bonnie Rivers. The webinar provided valuable, practical tools for enhancing our culture of accessibility at Spaulding.


DAISY Awards

Congratulations to our recent Daisy Award winners! Christa Leprohon- SRH; Maria Carter, SHC; Sixto Mantile, SRB; Irina Johnson, SCC

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.



Sunshine Award

Congratulations to our recent Sunshine Award winners! Sonia Leslie, SHC; Prenita Kennedy-Lamb, SRB; Patricia Jewett, SCC 

This award is available to patient care associates who demonstrate compassion and dedication to their job and the patients we care for. These employees go above and beyond and are recognized as role models. Every quarter, we will recognize one patient care assistant nurse 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