Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s Clinical Ladder boosts nurses’ knowledge, patient care

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s Clinical Ladder boosts nurses’ knowledge, patient care:

This April, 54 staff nurses tried to climb the rungs clinic in Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare to improve their knowledge, skills and patient care.They have presented the portfolios in the new initiatives of career development programs documenting the professional growth of staff collaboration of community outreach.Administrators of Iowa Wheaton, who oversees Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, Sartori Memorial Hospital in Cedar Falls and Mercy Hospital in Oelwein, were delighted."Our clinical scale is designed to keep our best and brightest nurses at the bedside. The impact of this in providing patient care is phenomenal," said Phyllis Doulaveris, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, Vice -President service senior care to patients and nursing director. "The new nurses learn to work with more experienced nurses, which means they receive tutoring. We also have the identification of nursing staff and major projects to improve quality."The nursing staff has developed the program, which is open to nurses who have successfully completed their first year and beyond. The benefits include knowledge, recognition and compensation added.Candidates have worked in various units: ambulatory surgery and medical-surgical floor; operating rooms, emergency and recovery; cath lab; neonatal intensive care; birthing center; AirCare (flight nurses); outpatient; Programming horizons and substance abuse.Nurses have gained a better insight into their specialty through education, research, and completing new and advanced certifications. Some have become trained to work in different units crusade; developed new skills, such as experience in the electronic health records or the use of medical equipment; and tried to improve hospital services."I think that most patients want a nurse in bed additional knowledge in an emerging field," said Lisa Winter, RN, flight nurse and member of the Clinical ladder, citing certifications in areas such as care advanced life, specialized trauma care, vascular cerebral accident recognition and administration of chemotherapy.Candidates have conducted services sessions on topics relevant to their colleagues, were involved in hospital committees and professional organizations and mentoring new nurses and students.Community outreach is a key negotiations with the groups on the health care element, participation in the collection of health-related funds, and volunteering in health clinics."I could go through all clinical categories Staircase - education, leadership, community service and research and publications," Winter, "he said but in fact the patient wants the nurse at the bedside to learn with hospital policies, be informed, be competent in their skills and be kind and compassionate. This is exactly what the Clinical scale is designed to recognize ".