++
Professional integrity encompasses ethical behavior, moral principles, and honesty. It’s doing the right thing—because it’s right—no matter what the consequences. For leaders, words must be consistent with actions. Communication must be open and inclusive. Shared vision and values for what is expected in the workplace is paramount, and all must be equally accountable.
++
Teams must aspire to be high-performing, while delivering stellar outcomes, for healthcare organizations to become recognized as highly reliable. Systems must be well-designed, useful, and usable for both customers of healthcare and healthcare workers. Also, healthcare customers now expect a high level of quality, excellent customer service, and predicable clinical outcomes. As providers of healthcare services, we must strive for excellence in all that we do.
++
Healthcare workplace culture must embrace and place a high value on safety first. If you see something, you must say something. Safety is everyone’s job. And this includes those who may be suffering from stress-related conditions. Stress is known to cause fatigue, a host of mental and physical maladies, and more, which may be related to safety (or the lack thereof). Managing the sequelae secondary to the work environment, and the people it in, must become just as important as quality, finance, and other business metrics.
++
Much has happened in the healthcare industry since the following statement (in the Practice Pearl below) was made in 2010. Nurses and other healthcare providers must advocate for change: access to care, care coordination for optimal clinical outcomes, and for advanced practice. The value of nursing and other healthcare professions was on full display during the global COVID-19 pandemic with a heightened awareness of what healthcare workers do and the types of environments in which they work. Improvement to better healthcare must continue.
++
Practice Pearl
“Now is a critical time for nursing to step forward to bridge the gap between coverage and access; to coordinate the complex care of patients with chronic illnesses; for advanced practice nurses to work to the full capability of their license potential as primary care providers; and finally, to see the value of nurses and enable their contribution across all practice settings and the healthcare continuum.” (IOM, 2011)
Action Step: Think about how you can advocate for access to care, optimal care coordination, and advanced practice for primary care. Write your thoughts here:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Action Step: Consider your own practice: Are you practicing at the top of your license with every patient interaction, every decision, and/or with every colleague interaction? Reflect on opportunities you might find to improve your practice here:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Action Step: Are you aware of the Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice? The official ANA Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice is available for purchase here: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/scope-of-practice/
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Action Step: If you are not a nurse, do you know the standards of practice for your role? Are you a member of your practice’s ...