North Texas Organization of Nurse Executives

THPHD hosted to the August NTONE meeting. Dr. Chick Deegan presented on the Leader Connection series from the Courage and Renewal of North Texas Center. The membership voted to move forward with the series pending board approval of funding for 12 - 20 members to attend. Stay tuned for more exciting developments on this innovative opportunity. 

NTONE Position Statement: The Nurse Leaders Role in Patient Safety: Reduction in Nurse Fatigue

Statement of Issue:

            The implications of nurse fatigue on patient safety has been researched and well documented for over a decade. Many other industries have put practices in place to mitigate worker fatigue to become high reliability organizations and diminish adverse events in the workplace.

            The Institute of Medicine (IOM) found strong evidence to link work performance and nurse fatigue (IOM, 2004). The American Nurses Association (ANA) and other professional nursing organizations have developed position statements in support of limiting shifts and overtime that leads to nurse fatigue and thus commission of errors. The ANA’s position is that the registered nurse has an ethical responsibility to consider their fatigue prior to accepting an assignment (ANA, 2006).  The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses have position statements that advocate for safe work environments and elimination of mandatory overtime. One of the basic foundational guidelines for the nursing profession is the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2001a). The Code makes clear the professional obligations related to personal and patient safety.

Position Statement:

            It is the belief of the North Texas Organization of Nurse Executives (NTONE) that Nurse Leaders have a professional and ethical responsibility so support other professional organizations in reducing the impact of nurse fatigue on patient care, quality and safety. NTONE encourages and supports the practice of limiting hours worked by the registered nurse to no more than 60 hours in seven days. Furthermore, NTONE believes that as leaders, we can impact safe practice environments without legislative mandates through monitoring and tracking the hours worked by registered nurses.

References:

American Nurses Association. (2001a). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Washington, DC:Author

Institute of Medicine. (2004). Keeping patients safe: Transforming the work environment of nurses. Washington, DC: Author

http://www.aorn.org/about/positions/default.htm

http://www.aacn.org/aacn/pubpolicy/nsf/vwdoc/pmp

NTONE Position Statement:

The Role of the Clinical Nurse Leader℠

Statement of Issue:

            In the complex evolving current health care system, the nursing profession has an obligation to shift its paradigm regarding traditional roles required for the provision of patient care. Nurses need to serve as change agents and lead efforts to improve patient/client care services and care delivery models across all practice settings.

            The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001) professed that the health care system, as currently structured, does not make adequate use of its resources. Other organizations such as The Joint Commission (2002) and the American Hospital Association (2002) further expound on the critical shortage of nurses and the impact that would have on the health of our society. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, in collaboration with health care organizations and disciplines, put forth a “White Paper on the Education and Role of the Clinical Nurse Leader℠” to bridge the gap (2007).

Position Statement:

            North Texas Organization of Nurse Executives (NTONE) believes the Clinical Nurse Leader role will provide an invaluable resource to patients, interprofessional healthcare teams, and direct care nurses as new models of care delivery are designed.  The Clinical Nurse Leader℠ (CNL®) will play pivotal roles as we face the challenges that result from increasing medical technology, increased demands for scarce healthcare resources, and aging populations with complex medical needs. The CNL®,  by becoming a leader in managing patients’ healthcare needs with evidence-based interventions  in an efficient, safe, cost effective manner will contribute significantly to improved performance outcomes. The CNL® functions as a patient advocate, clinical microsystems analyst, and outcomes manager. Furthermore, NTONE believes that as leaders, we can lead and sustain this shifting paradigm by designing healthcare practice environments that support the CNL® role and lead research efforts to substantiate this position and support care delivery model redesign to achieve performance excellence in patient/client care and professional nursing.

References:

American Association of Collegiate Nursing. (2007). White Paper on the Education and Role of the Clinical Nurse Leader. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/White Papers/CNL2-07.pdf

Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the Quality Chasm. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

The Joint Commission (2002). Heath care at the crossroads. Strategies for addressing the evolving nursing crisis. Chicago: Author

Texas Organization of Nurse Executives 2010 Leadership, Excellence and Innovation was hosted at Medical City in March 2010 by the NTONE and NCONE chapters. Over 150 nurse leaders from across Texas attended the conference; Leadership topics and speakers included Innovations in Nursing Practice (Kathy Thomas, Executive Director TBON), Future Healthcare Technology (Phil Authier), Relationship based care (Marlene McCalister), and the Key Note from the Advisory Board. Cole Edmonson was presented the Leadership Excellence Award from TONE by President Nancy Rout. Pictured above are the member of the TONE Board. 

The Texas Organization of Nurse Executives (TONE) announces the Second
 Excellence in Leadership Award Recipient.

TONE is pleased to announce Cole Edmonson as the third recipient of the Excellence in Leadership Award.  The Excellence in Leadership Award is given to a nurse executive who demonstrates the ability to relate and connect with the nursing staff though unique and effective methods.  The award also represents the involvement of the recipient in the community through schools, clinics and civic organizations.

Cole Edmonson, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Medical City Dallas Hospital, Dallas, exemplifies all of these characteristics and more.  Cole has been an active member of TONE since 2007.  During that time, he has served in countless capacities, serving as the District 5 Director for the Board of Directors as well as on the Education and Conference Planning committees.  Cole serves as the current President of the North Texas Organization of Nurse Executives (NTONE) and has been elected as the TONE Treasurer for the 2009 – 2011 term.  In that capacity, he creates an environment for Nurse Leaders to network with each other, receive education on a number of leadership topics, and receive updates about legislative initiatives that impact healthcare environments and nursing practice. 

Cole’s community involvement has made a significant impact on Dallas and the surrounding area.  He partners with local colleges of nursing to bridge gaps between service and academics in order to take Nursing education and practice to the highest level of excellence.  He serves on Advisory Committees for several universities in the Dallas area and has also been instrumental in leading an initiative to restructure the DFW Great 100 Nurses event.  As a result of his leadership, he has broadened the involvement and sponsorship for the event to include local organizations of nurse leaders such as NTONE and NCONE.  He truly believes in and champions collaboration whenever possible by working to bring groups of nurses together around a common purpose, whether it involves clinical practice, education/professional development, or leadership.  In addition, he routinely serves as adjunct faculty for nurses enrolled in nursing administration graduate programs to help them grow and develop into nurse leaders. 

Cole is an exemplary role model and mentor for both nurses and allied health professionals.  He mentors students, staff, and beginning leaders, as well as providing mentorship to colleagues and team members at his own level.  He led an initiative in the North Texas Division of his healthcare corporation to create and implement a Career Enhancement Program that included Career Paths.  He is also an invited speaker at local, regional, and national professional development offerings.  He has delivered keynote addresses and podium sessions on a variety of leadership, clinical, and research topics.  Most recently he won the Visionary Leader award sponsored by Nursing Management and delivered the keynote address at their annual conference.  He has also co-authored a number of print and poster presentations to disseminate project findings to the larger nursing and healthcare community.  His ability to share knowledge with others truly creates a “learning community” for students, his employees, and his colleagues.

Cole Edmonson will be presented the TONE Excellence in Leadership Award on Thursday, February 18, 2010, at the Texas Hospital Association’s Leadership Conference Award’s Luncheon in Austin, Texas.

The Texas Organization of Nurse Executives is a non-profit organization.  TONE is the state chapter of Texas for the American Organization of Nurse Executives and an affiliate of the Texas Hospital Association. For more information, please see our website atwww.texasnurse.org or contact us at 512.220.4292.