Two years ago, a select group of nurses at Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) began a comprehensive leadership curriculum designed by the Nursing Leadership Academy. Today, the participants of the Frontline Nursing Leadership Program are nearing the end of their course and have improved nursing practice at WMHS.

The program began in 2004 with 38 staff nurses serving at the front lines of patient care. Participants were selected based on their drive to lead others and their potential for advancement. Each nurse works with a Nurse Manager who serves as a coach to guide them through the program, providing mentoring and assistance as needed. The participants are also separated into groups to facilitate teamwork throughout the program.

Four distinct, yet related semesters highlight the main objectives of the program. Nurses take on specific projects learning how to prevent and manage conflict with patients and families, and within the nursing team; tackle recurring problems on the unit; prioritize time more effectively; build teamwork on the unit; and act as a leader and role model for others.

“The program gives nurses the skills to be more proactive instead of reactive — they feel more empowered to tackle situations and look at solutions,” says Theresa Hershberger, RN, MS, Director of Education and Project Management at WMHS.

The first semester focuses on leadership skills, and every nurse chooses their own specific project to concentrate on. As an example, one nurse developed a list of rules and regulations for low census call-offs within a closed unit, which was found to successfully increase fairness and employee satisfaction.

Critical thinking to enhance performance through problem solving is the focus of the program’s second semester. The third semester incorporates the previous lessons to focus on effective communication. The nurses examine how they can exert their influence to delegate responsibilities, to accomplish goals within the unit, and to engage those around them to succeed. Currently, the nurses are completing their third semester. Soon they will begin the fourth and final semester, which focuses on teamwork.

The Frontline Nursing Leadership program has helped WMHS in terms of recruitment and retention. According to Hershberger, the program increases staff satisfaction because it allows the nurses to learn leadership skills and become active in problem solving. Nurses are enhancing their independence, confidence, responsibility, and ownership of skills, which makes them more effective leaders and creates a cohesive unit where people want to work.

As nurses complete the program, they can share what they have learned with other departments within the hospital, thus serving as role models and inspiring others to pursue opportunities for professional development. WMHS also distributes newsletters about the program so that all employees can incorporate the program’s ideas into their own departments.

“The program provides a great learning experience for front line staff, giving them insight into a leadership role,” Hershberger said.

Contact:
Theresa Hershberger, RN, MS
Director Education & Project Management
Western Maryland Health System
301-723-1434

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Nursing Fun Day at Garrett County Memorial Hospital (GCMH) in Oakland is a way for area Girl Scouts to be introduced to careers in nursing while pursuing their respective nursing badges.

For the second year, GCMH hosted Brownie, Junior, and Cadette Girl Scouts where 78 girls get to tour the hospital and take part in nursing activities.

“We want to provide the Girl Scouts of Garrett County with the chance to learn about the various career opportunities available in the field of nursing and hands-on experiences to promote interest,” explains Donna Crawford, RN, BSN, CPUM, director of utilization management at GCMH and one of the event coordinators.

To earn their badges, all Girl Scouts have to complete the following: learn about nursing history and pioneers including Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing, and Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross; listen to their own heart and a partner’s lungs using a stethoscope; and interview at least three nurses about their job and why they like being a nurse.

Additionally, the girls visit a variety of stations where they are able to see x-rays and a skeleton, learn about wound care, and the fundamentals of infant care. They try on scrubs and uniforms at a dress-up area, and even try out laparoscopic surgical equipment.

In the spirit of Girl Scouts, the troops arrive with coloring books and boxes of crayons which they donate to the pediatric patients of GCMH as a token of their appreciation for the day of nursing fun.

“Nursing Fun Day also provides an opportunity for the girls and parents to tour the new Emergency and Outpatient Surgery departments, meet some of the friendly nurses that work at our facility, and have fun earning their badges,” Crawford said.

Garrett County Memorial Hospital plans to host the event again next year.

The Maryland Nurses Association also provides an opportunity for students to earn a Nursing Exploration Patch. Students earn the patch through activities that increase their knowledge of the variety of career opportunities available in the nursing profession and focus on exploring the need for nurses, the many roles of nurses, education requirements, resources available for those pursuing careers in nursing, as well as general health and wellness information.

Contact:
Kearstin N. Hinebaugh Kathryn Hall, RN, MS
Marketing and Development Specialist Executive Director
Garrett County Memorial Hospital Maryland Nurses Association
301-533-4041 410-944-5800
info@marylandrn.org

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(This article appeared in its entirety in the June/July 2006 issue of UMMConnections.)

A shortage of respiratory therapists has hospitals nationwide competing for these professionals. At University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), they are trying a novel approach: Growing their own.

The solution came through UMMC’s Career Development Services, working with Respiratory Care Services. The program offers current employees of the hospital, as well as others in the community, a full scholarship if they qualify for the respiratory therapy program at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) Essex campus.

In exchange, the students agree to work for UMMC for three years after graduation, which will be September 2007. The program was recognized in May with a Baltimore Encore “Innovator” award from the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board, as a creative method of contributing to a strong workforce in the city.

Jo-Ann Williams, MS, manager of career development services, and Saana Wright, MBA, a hospital career coach, developed the program and provide continuing support to UMMC enrolled employees.

“The need for respiratory therapists continues to grow each year,” says Jeff Ford, MS, RRT, director of respiratory care services. “As the hospital expands, we are planning for increased coverage of respiratory care, and will need 25 more staff in the next two years. We could gain 18 new graduates by next September when they complete the program.”

In addition to the six UMMC employees who signed up for the program, the Medical Center recruited 12 more through the CCBC respiratory therapy program. All the students agreed to commit to working at UMMC for three years after graduation, in return for UMMC covering the cost of tuition, books and all other fees related to enrollment.

Current employees of the hospital who take the class also continue to be paid their regular salary for the two days a week that they attend class instead of reporting to work.

“When I started here a little over a year ago, more than half of the respiratory therapists in the department were agency workers,” Ford says. “We had trouble filling the vacancies — hence the heavy dependence on contract labor.”

After Williams met with him and the program began taking shape, Ford says, the Medical Center developed renewed relationships with CCBC to get it started, and has also affiliated with other colleges in the mid-Atlantic region and Georgia to attract graduates.

“Instructors are difficult to find. In past years, the local programs were not attracting students and thus not producing new grads,” Ford says. “But because of need, and better recruiting at the college level, more students have been attracted to respiratory therapy as a profession.”

Contact:
Jo-Ann Williams, MS
Manager of Career Development Programs
University of Maryland Medical Center
410-328-5231

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