Donna Herrin

Using nurse leader development to improve nurse retention and patient outcomes: a framework.

With many factors converging, it is critical that nurse leaders have the knowledge and competency to develop outstanding relationships with registered nurses in order to retain them and thus improve patient outcomes. Senior nurse leaders of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, a 7-hospital system based in Memphis is addressing these issues through a comprehensive leader development framework. Through organizational commitment and supported by a federal grant, a program that focuses on creation of individual development plans, provision of development education, and one-to-one onsite coaching has been implemented.

Future nursing administration graduate curricula, part 2: Foundation and strategies

In part 2 of a 2-part series on future nursing administration graduate curricula, the authors build on the call to action in part 1 (October 2006). First, they briefly describe important reference documents that formed the foundation for this collaborative work. Second, a new American Organization of Nurse Executives(AONE)-Council on Graduate Education for Administration in Nursing (CGEAN) Three-dimensional Administration Curriculum Model visually proposes 5 domains, 10 domain threads, and 5 competency levels. The authors then emphasize the MSN and PhD degrees as essential for the survival of nursing administration science. Fourth, ideas about innovative teaching strategies for the future are described. Finally, the series concludes with issues that need further attention. Readers are invited to provide insight from their own experience. This article offers academic program coordinators and nurse executives a starting point for evaluating, revising, and refreshing nursing administration graduate curricula. The goal is to more closely align curricula and teaching strategies with realities in todays complex healthcare environment.

A model academic-practice partnership.

Academic-practice partnerships are increasingly viewed as requisite for the future of nursing and paramount to bridging education preparation and achievement of excellence in professional practice. A model partnership that grew out of a decision to transition a hospital diploma program to a baccalaureate degree program is described and lessons learned from that experience follow. In the 1900s, Memphis, Tennessee was witness to early evolutions in nursing education. In 1918, the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing (MHSON) was established, while just down the street, two years later, the Memphis City Hospital and its 33-year-old School of Nursing affiliated with The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). By 1927, the university assumed responsibility for the city hospital’s school of nursing and, in 1950, the school became one of the earliest baccalaureate (Bachelor of Science in Nursing [BSN]) programs in the country. For the next half-century, both the MHSON and the UTHSC programs coexisted with graduates of both playing critical roles throughout the growing Methodist-Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) system. By mid-1990, interest in nursing waned and schools experienced difficulty filling classes. In response to this trend and other emerging forces in nursing and healthcare, the UTHSC College of Nursing (CON) made the bold decision to hold the BSN program in abeyance and focus on graduate education as Methodist and other local schools were meeting regional demands for entry-level nursing education. As the new millennium dawned, an even more challenging healthcare environment emerged. The increasing complexity of care in general, emphasis on the need to improve quality, and the burgeoning interest regarding the impact of professional nursing created new demands for nursing practice and education. It was in this environment that schools of nursing experienced a rapid increase in applications. Concurrently, MLH created the new role of senior vice president/chief nurse executive and selected a nurse leader who was charged with oversight for patient care and nursing practice in the multihospital system, including establishing a longrange plan for MHSON.

The American Organization of Nurse Executives' Guiding Principles and American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Clinical Nurse Leader: a lesson in synergy.

The membership of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, in partnership with its practice partners, has initiated a national effort to create a new nursing role that is more responsive to the realities of a complex, technologically advanced, everchanging healthcare system. This new role is the clinical nurse leader. Nurses in this new role will be prepared at the master’s level and will act as lateral integrators of care, patient advocates over the many components of the continuum, and information manager to the multiple disciplines involved in care. Practice and education partners are working together to define the curriculum for this role and create a new care delivery model needed to maximize the skills of the clinical nurse leader and the other team members to achieve better patient outcomes. In this department, the authors describe the work of the American Organization of Nurse Executives in defining the nurse of the future. The description of the dynamic synergy and role differences between the nurse of the future and the clinical nurse leader role is also presented.

Care model transformation: a necessity, not an option.

The authors describe the need for a new approach to the delivery of patient care in the acute care setting. The case for a different care model is proposed and provides information on how a new approach clarifies registered nurse (RN) responsibilities to maximize the valuable resource of professional practice, the nurse of the future. This model proposes the patient care work being allocated between 2 groups of point-of-care providers: the professional RN and the patient care technologist. The transformed care model requires a departure from the traditional task-focused nursing education and practice and moves professional RN education to one that requires knowledge access and critical synthesis.

The Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program: a model for learning in an executive master of science in nursing program.

This is the third of a 3-part series describing an executive master of science in nursing program. Part 1 described program development built on the American Organization of Nurse Executives’ competencies and the distinctive features of the students’ online and on-site learning experiences. Part 2 discussed how the 14 forces of magnetism are integrated across the curriculum and unique criteria for program admission. Part 3 describes the use of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program as the model for other learning opportunities. Benner’s novice to expert theory for executive master of science in nursing program evaluation is also discussed. The Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program (Fellows Program) is a highly selective leadership program for nurses in major executive roles who seek further growth and learning opportunities to enhance their leadership skills. The Fellows Program is designed to give nursing an influential voice in transforming and improving today’s healthcare system. Twenty nurse leaders are admitted each year as a cohort to the 3-year Fellows Program. Major components of the Fellows Program include completion of advanced level leadership curriculum, participation in 7 seminars, execution of leadership projects at participants’ home organizations, pursuit of individualized learning plans, rigorous coaching, and substantial experiences with senior executive mentors.