Congress Abstracts 2004

24

THE NURSE MANAGER CHALLENGE: HOW TO EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CLINICAL SCHOLARSHIP AT THE UNIT LEVEL. Ann Colleen Jernigan, RN, MSN, AOCN^®, and JoAnn Mick, RN, MSN, MBA, AOCN^®, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.

Clinical scholarship and professional development are the results of engaging in a life-long commitment to thinking, questioning, and pursuing answers which have the potential to improve practice and evolve theory.

The clinical nurse at the bedside, supported by the nurse manager, has the potential to implement these processes using critical thinking skills, the problem solving process, and clinically grounded analysis. The nurse manager is positioned pivotally within the organization to support this growth. However, the challenge in today’s complex healthcare environment is how to actualize this philosophical orientation.

The purpose of this project was to develop strategies which could be effectively implemented by nurse managers to promote opportunities for clinical scholarship and professional development at the unit level. Two inpatient oncology units, one medical and one surgical, volunteered to work on this project.

Several key strategies were implemented that were the drivers for the outcomes measurements and included (a) the development of a professional portfolio for each nurse to assist with recording and developing a plan for scholarly endeavors, (b) the promotion of specialty certification, (c) participation in the development of unit-based performance improvement projects, and (d) the promotion of educational advancement.

Outcomes were measured at the end of a three-year period. Among 53 nurses, 19 had become OCN^®/AOCN^® certified during the project period. Over 30 abstracts had been submitted for presentation at national seminars, with an acceptance rate of approximately 50%. Staff nurses had received mentoring assistance to create individual professional portfolios. Annually, approximately 26 performance improvement projects were completed. Finally, ten nurses had returned to school and both nurse managers had subsequently completed two years of doctoral studies.

Clinical scholarship involves personal challenge, risk taking, and a continual pursuit of excellence. By supporting the scholarly efforts of each nurse, the nurse manager has the potential to create a work setting that supports learning, growth, and research-based practice. This poster will display the specific strategies we developed to promote nurses’ development that can be used in other oncology settings.