May 8, 2025 • 17 mins
At ChristianaCare, excellence is at the foundation of our nursing practice, having recently secured a fourth consecutive Magnet® designation - the gold standard and ultimate benchmark for measuring quality of care, administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Magnet designation signifies belonging to an elite group representing just 10% of hospitals nationwide, and ChristianaCare is the first health system in Delaware to achieve a four-peat.
To explain the significance of this milestone, we're joined by Michelle Collins, Vice President of Nursing Professional Excellence at ChristianaCare, and Paige Merring, ChristianaCare Nursing Excellence Manager. Michelle and Paige unpack what makes ChristianaCare unique, including the use of a comprehensive system-wide approach; a transformation to a professional practice model that has led to an increased BSN rate to 83% and an increased certification rate to 65%; and a collaborative spirit that encourages teamwork across all disciplines.
Ready to experience the difference nursing excellence makes? Listen now to discover how ChristianaCare is shaping the future of healthcare through innovation, advanced education, and unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care.
Michelle L. Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, leads ChristianaCare's systemwide efforts to support nursing practice innovation and problem-solving. She also has led ChristianaCare to achieve its fourth Magnet designation, a preeminent excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Paige Merring, MSN, RN, CCRN, is the Nursing Excellence Manager at ChristianaCare. In this role, she facilitates strategic planning for nursing, supports professional governance councils to empower nurses, and leads teams to improve patient experience.
Links
- Nursing at ChristianaCare
- ChristianaCare Magnet® Designation
- ChristianaCare News - Four-Peat! ChristianaCare Achieves Magnet®–the Top Recognition for Nursing Excellence–for 4th Time
- American Nurses Credentialing Center
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
We are living it.
We are embodying excellenceevery single day in our nursing
practice across ChristianaCare.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
You're listening to For the Love of Health, a
podcast about delivering careand creating health, brought to
you by ChristianaCare.
Hello everyone, I'm JasonTokarski.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
And I'm Megan McGuhrman.
Welcome to For the Love ofHealth brought to you by
ChristianaCare.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
The concept of excellence is usually used to
describe athletes, restaurantsand film, but how often do you
associate excellence with healthcare?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
At ChristianaCare.
Excellence is in our DNA andour nurses are internationally
recognized for their excellence.
Here to talk more about nursingexcellence, we're joined by
Michelle Collins, vice Presidentof Nursing Professional
Excellence at ChristianaCare,and Paige Maring, christianacare
Nursing Excellence Manager.
Michelle and Paige, thank youboth so much for your time today
(00:54):
.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
Thank you, we're so excited to be here.
It's an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Let's start by expanding a bit on your titles
and the concept of excellence.
Michelle, you are a doctor ofnursing practice.
Paige, you are a master ofscience in nursing, but your
titles include nursingexcellence.
Explain to us what that means.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
So nursing excellence is the embodiment of not only
what we do from a nursingpractice support position, but
it's also how we go aboutengaging our nurses, our nurse
leaders.
It's the programs, processesthat we create, endorse, support
and program around.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Our role allows us to work at the system-wide level,
which means in NursingExcellence, we get to support
excellence throughout everysingle practice area.
At Christiana Care, which isjust an extraordinary honor to
be a part of, we get to workwith our nurses that are in
acute care practices acrosscampuses, at ambulatory
practices and home health.
So excellence is integratedthroughout the entire system and
(01:58):
in our roles in nursingexcellence, we get to support
nurses throughout all of thosepractice areas.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And how rare is having nurses who are
specifically focused on nursingexcellence.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
I wouldn't say it's necessarily rare, but the way
that we do it at Christiana Careis unique in that we are much
more encompassing than otherprograms, especially for the
size of our team.
We are quite efficient and verydedicated to this work and have
been for a number of years.
(02:30):
I believe it's what we embodyand encompass.
So in part of that for instance, in helping to support the
governance structure of nursingacross the entire nursing
community that is somethingthat's unique at the system
level.
Other organizations may do thatby campus.
We are at the point where wecan do that across the system
and I think it helps to drivethe efficiencies that we have
(02:52):
and the level of engagement.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
So Christiana Care and the nursing program here
have received the magnetdesignation recognition and in
fact in March of this year justreceived it for the fourth
consecutive time, which isexceedingly rare and impressive.
Explain what that means.
What is that designation?
Speaker 4 (03:11):
So Magnet designation comes from the American Nurses
Credentialing Center and itmeans that an organization has
exceeded the expectation, hasbeen above the bar for a number
of different outcomes forcustomer experience, nurse
satisfaction and clinicaloutcomes.
So across the world there arejust over 600 organizations that
(03:31):
have earned that samedistinction of being magnet
designated and we are one ofthose 600.
What becomes more exceedinglyrare is the number of continuous
designations.
So, as a four-time designatedorganization, that puts us in a
much smaller bucket oforganizations that continue to
(03:52):
achieve those results and earnthat distinction.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Out of that, 600, what we're looking at is about
10% of hospitals across thecountry.
So when you think about thepercentage, it is a small number
of hospitals that achievenursing excellence to the extent
that we are, and with magnetdesignation.
It's not just about creatingthese things for our nurses to
do, we are living it.
We are embodying excellenceevery single day in our nursing
(04:19):
practice across Christiana Care,and it is a culture change.
And it's to the point, now thatwe're so established with
nursing excellence, our nursesaren't just participating in
these processes, they areleading them.
It's not just a credential,it's the culture, and every day
we're making it happen.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
I couldn't have said it better.
I think that that is one of thereasons why we were the first
magnet designated organizationin the state of Delaware,
because that has been ourculture since that very first
designation.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Our fourth magnet designation includes Newark
campus, Wilmington campus, homehealth and ambulatory care
practices.
Cecil campus is currently onthe pathway to excellence
journey, which is amongst thesame principles as magnet, where
we're all seeking nursingexcellence.
The reason that CECL campus ison a separate pathway to
excellence journey is becausewhen a hospital system grows,
(05:14):
you are unable to include yournew campuses or systems within
the magnet application.
Include your new campuses orsystems within the magnet
application.
So when we partnered with Cecilcampus, we actually were not
able to include them in themagnet designation process, but
they have all of the sameresources as we do.
We're really excited for themto be on this pathway to
(05:35):
excellence journey.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
That first magnet designation had to be feel
pretty good when it came in.
Now you're on number four, butI'm assuming after you got that
one you didn't just rest on yourlaurels and that was the end of
it.
You kept expanding and growingand making further strides.
How, what else have you done asfar as nursing excellence since
that first magnet designation?
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Oh my gosh.
So I have been here through allof our designations and I would
say just the formation of adifferent professional practice
model.
Right, it's an evolution, itdoesn't stay stagnant.
I think that has been critical.
So that sets the vision and themission for nursing in
alignment to the way Christianiccare way Also, I'd say.
(06:14):
Another distinction is howgovernance is addressed.
That is a completely differentmodel than what we had before
and enables us to engage so manymore nurses across every campus
and in and across the practiceenvironments as well.
I think the other thing that wehave turned the afterburners on
has been nursing innovation.
(06:35):
So being able to launch threeyears ago a Center for Nursing
Innovation where that kind ofthriving can happen that Paige
mentioned of providing theopportunity to think about how
we could practice differently.
What does it look like?
Let's be futuristic.
Let's think about that how wecan deliver care more
efficiently, more effectively,keep caregivers engaged, retain
(06:59):
them and make the workenvironment such that nurses
flourish in their nursingpractice here at Christiana Care
and they would never want toleave, because we want to retain
them and their expertise.
One other thing that I thinklooks very different is our BSN
rate and our certification rate.
That alone sets a differenttone for the level of practice
(07:22):
expectations that we have ofnurses.
Research will tell you, thestronger those BSN and
nationally board certifiednurses in specialty is, the
better care delivery is.
We have scholarshipopportunities.
You know that's not the end ofthe journey.
We have had those.
They continue to exist toenable more nurses to go back to
(07:43):
become master's prepared andour clinical ladder has expanded
such that there's a role nowfor a master's prepared nurse to
remain at the bedside to be aclinical expert where you are
master's prepared and boardcertified in your specialty.
That didn't exist in magnetdesignation number one.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Michelle is exactly right.
When we invest in our nurses,we are investing in the future
of healthcare.
We professionally develop ournurses and that is one of my
favorite parts about working atChristianaCare as a magnet
designated organization.
One of the ways that we achieveongoing excellence because it
really is a journey is we usedata to pivot when we need to
(08:24):
pivot and we use feedback fromnurses every single day in our
decision making.
So decisions are made withclinical nurses partaking in
those decisions in everycircumstance that's possible and
that is a huge contributingfactor of always being on the
journey, for nursing excellenceis a huge contributing factor of
always being on the journey fornursing excellence.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
So another evolution of nursing excellence has been
the development of the team thatI currently lead.
So in addition to Paige, who isthe nursing excellence lead for
acute care, there's a nursingexcellence lead for home health
and community.
That's Maria Brown.
We have a nursing integrativecare lead, stacey Noel, for all
the nurse well-being work.
That's Maria Brown.
We have a Nursing IntegrativeCare lead, stacey Noel, for all
the nurse well-being work that'sbeing done.
So there's a specific effort andfocus to address nurse
(09:09):
well-being.
That excellence just comes frombuilding upon what we're
hearing, not only frominternally, from our clinical
nurse practices, because theywere involved in this year to
help drive.
What does this look like?
Paige was mentioning?
We have to listen.
We have to listen, enable themto participate, engage.
So it's exciting.
It's more exciting when you seethe outcomes that we have.
(09:32):
We are a national leader in ourvirtual acute care nursing
practice.
So I think nursing excellence isnot just my team, it's not our
department, it is.
How do we enable clinicalnurses from across the system to
rethink how they practice, toinnovate how they practice, to
go after the financial resources?
(09:53):
Because they're there.
We've got them in our magnetdocument and we're able to
contribute to the bottom line ofthe organization because of
thinking differently about howthey practice and the relevance
and the importance of that.
We just finished this fourthdesignation.
I feel like wow, we're reallyon the top of our game.
But there's another one to planfor and now there's work to do
(10:14):
in partnership with the Cecilcampus for their Pathway to
Excellence application.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
You mentioned well-being and you also
mentioned the nursing innovation.
Both of those were highlightedby Magnet as one of your
exemplars.
Talk to us about what thosewere and what that really means.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
A few of our exemplars included our BSN rates
, which Michelle mentionedearlier.
We are above the benchmarknationally for where our BSN
rates are, so we're very proudof that.
We also had exemplars aroundpatient burns in our ambulatory
practices, meaning we had verylow incidents below the
benchmark, which is exceptionalquality and safety being
(10:51):
provided to our patients qualityand safety being provided to
our patients.
We also have done a lot of workwithin nursing over the past
couple of years with ourhospital-acquired pressure
injury rates, and so we have anursing quality and safety team
that partners at the system-widelevel and with
interprofessionals across theentire organization, because
magnet designation, while it isa nursing excellence designation
(11:14):
, it encompasses every singlecaregiver that works at
Christiana Care and that's aprime example.
How do we decrease pressureinjuries in our patients.
We also had the NursingResearch and Innovation
Fellowship as one of ourexemplars.
We also had our NursingIntegrative Care Program, and
that work is really led byStacey Noel, who Michelle
(11:35):
mentioned earlier, as part ofthe nursing excellence team.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Two other points that I'd like to make is that one
while we have a nursingexcellence team, we don't do the
work of magnet in a silo right.
We are so fortunate that we'reable to partner very closely
with the nursing quality andsafety team as well as the
nursing professional developmentand education team, in addition
(11:59):
to others, those two teamsreally.
We pull together and find theexamples and challenge one
another for the best placementor the best evidence of the
programs that are mostsuccessful to drive outcomes.
And Paige mentioned before thevolume of interprofessional
projects that are encompassed inthe document and I just want to
(12:20):
emphasize that a little bit.
So, yes, we know this is anursing recognition, but this is
a recognition for the entireorganization as well, because
the examples that we write, thestandards that we write to and
the sources of evidence, many ofthose standards describe an
interprofessional team led orco-led by a nurse that improved
(12:45):
X or addressed a patientexperience outcome.
On those teams there areenvironmental care services,
caregivers, there arepharmacists, there are food and
nutrition, there are providerson those teams.
So it doesn't happen in a silobut it's led by a nurse, co-led
by a nurse and engaged nurses atthe table driving the process.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
We keep raising the bar on ourselves here, the rate
this has been going and we justgot our fourth one.
I would assume there's alreadya vision out there for that
fifth one in another four years.
What are you doing?
How do you start planning forthat?
How do you take that intoaccount now, even though you
just got this one, to startworking on the next one?
Speaker 4 (13:30):
So, true to our course, we strategically plan.
So our team has their ownstrategic plan and we look to
the future right.
So within probably a year and ahalf, we need to begin to
designate who are the magnetmodel component leaders that
will lead us through potentiallya brand new magnet manual.
We already begin to startcollecting Christiana Care Way
(13:53):
awards that engaged, involved orwere led by nurses.
We start looking at nurses whowere recognized in excellence in
nursing programs or projects.
We look at nurses who areleading in evidence-based
practice and nursing researchprojects.
We have our eyes wide open allthe time to identify those
potential nursing practiceefforts, projects, specific
(14:17):
clinicians in mind because ofthe work that they're doing and
the outcomes that they'redriving.
So we start to collect thatLike.
We're already in fifthdesignation mode.
That happened on April 1ststarted our new window.
So April 1st 2025 to April 1st2029, our new window.
So April 1st 2025 to April 1st2029, our new window.
So that process.
(14:37):
It happens naturally for usbecause we're so attuned to how
we go about embracing all ofthat work and enabling it to
shine and enabling then alsocaregivers to be recognized for
that work.
What would you add, paige?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I think you're spot on, michelle, when I think about
what we're doing to prepare.
You know, formally we're goingto do a gap analysis, which
means we're going to also take alook at what opportunities did
we have to strengthen, and weare going to work on making sure
that those areas of opportunityare strengthened over the
upcoming years.
So one of the things that I loveabout our team is that we get
(15:13):
to work with nurses across theentire organization, and so
usually when we haveopportunities, we get to work
and network and be with friendsfrom other departments and
colleagues and caregivers tomake sure that those things
happen.
So while we're alwayscelebrating, we're also always
looking to improve and we get tosay, ok, what areas are we
going to be focusing on for worknow?
(15:34):
And so that'll be one of ournext steps In the magnet
communities.
We're always networkingprofessionally with other
hospitals across the entirecountry and, honestly,
internationally as well, and sowe're looking to other
organizations and we havecolleagues where we'll say, hey,
we're going to be working onimproving our caregiver
experience what have you beendoing for that?
(15:56):
And we get ideas and then weget to bring them back here.
So that's an exciting part.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
If a patient is listening to this episode right
now, why should they care aboutnursing excellence and just
clinical excellence here atChristiana Care?
What is in it for the patient?
Speaker 4 (16:12):
I think what's in it for the patient reflects back to
those BSN and certificationrates.
You have expert nursingclinicians at the bedside here
and our outcomes demonstratethat right.
Not just the outcomes forcustomer service but your
clinical outcomes as a patientdemonstrate that.
That is how we outperform.
You must outperform for Magnet,those national benchmarks, and
(16:37):
we do consistently.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
I think it's really simple and it can be summed up
in trust.
If you are a patient and youare receiving care from a
Magnet-designated organization,you can trust that you are
receiving exceptional care.
We'll leave it there.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Michelle and Paige, thank you both so much for being
here today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Check out the show notes forthis episode for more
information on magnetdesignation and nursing
excellence at Christiana Care.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
You can always keep up with For the Love of Health
on social media.
Just search Christiana Care onyour favorite platform.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
We'll be back in two weeks with another great
conversation.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Until then, thanks again for joining us for the
love of health.
We are living it.
We are embodying excellenceevery single day in our nursing
practice across ChristianaCare.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
You're listening to For the Love of Health, a
podcast about delivering careand creating health, brought to
you by ChristianaCare.
Hello everyone, I'm JasonTokarski.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
And I'm Megan McGuhrman.
Welcome to For the Love ofHealth brought to you by
ChristianaCare.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
The concept of excellence is usually used to
describe athletes, restaurantsand film, but how often do you
associate excellence with healthcare?
Speaker 3 (00:33):
At ChristianaCare.
Excellence is in our DNA andour nurses are internationally
recognized for their excellence.
Here to talk more about nursingexcellence, we're joined by
Michelle Collins, vice Presidentof Nursing Professional
Excellence at ChristianaCare,and Paige Maring, christianacare
Nursing Excellence Manager.
Michelle and Paige, thank youboth so much for your time today
(00:54):
.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
Thank you, we're so excited to be here.
It's an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Let's start by expanding a bit on your titles
and the concept of excellence.
Michelle, you are a doctor ofnursing practice.
Paige, you are a master ofscience in nursing, but your
titles include nursingexcellence.
Explain to us what that means.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
So nursing excellence is the embodiment of not only
what we do from a nursingpractice support position, but
it's also how we go aboutengaging our nurses, our nurse
leaders.
It's the programs, processesthat we create, endorse, support
and program around.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Our role allows us to work at the system-wide level,
which means in NursingExcellence, we get to support
excellence throughout everysingle practice area.
At Christiana Care, which isjust an extraordinary honor to
be a part of, we get to workwith our nurses that are in
acute care practices acrosscampuses, at ambulatory
practices and home health.
So excellence is integratedthroughout the entire system and
(01:58):
in our roles in nursingexcellence, we get to support
nurses throughout all of thosepractice areas.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And how rare is having nurses who are
specifically focused on nursingexcellence.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
I wouldn't say it's necessarily rare, but the way
that we do it at Christiana Careis unique in that we are much
more encompassing than otherprograms, especially for the
size of our team.
We are quite efficient and verydedicated to this work and have
been for a number of years.
(02:30):
I believe it's what we embodyand encompass.
So in part of that for instance, in helping to support the
governance structure of nursingacross the entire nursing
community that is somethingthat's unique at the system
level.
Other organizations may do thatby campus.
We are at the point where wecan do that across the system
and I think it helps to drivethe efficiencies that we have
(02:52):
and the level of engagement.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
So Christiana Care and the nursing program here
have received the magnetdesignation recognition and in
fact in March of this year justreceived it for the fourth
consecutive time, which isexceedingly rare and impressive.
Explain what that means.
What is that designation?
Speaker 4 (03:11):
So Magnet designation comes from the American Nurses
Credentialing Center and itmeans that an organization has
exceeded the expectation, hasbeen above the bar for a number
of different outcomes forcustomer experience, nurse
satisfaction and clinicaloutcomes.
So across the world there arejust over 600 organizations that
(03:31):
have earned that samedistinction of being magnet
designated and we are one ofthose 600.
What becomes more exceedinglyrare is the number of continuous
designations.
So, as a four-time designatedorganization, that puts us in a
much smaller bucket oforganizations that continue to
(03:52):
achieve those results and earnthat distinction.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Out of that, 600, what we're looking at is about
10% of hospitals across thecountry.
So when you think about thepercentage, it is a small number
of hospitals that achievenursing excellence to the extent
that we are, and with magnetdesignation.
It's not just about creatingthese things for our nurses to
do, we are living it.
We are embodying excellenceevery single day in our nursing
(04:19):
practice across Christiana Care,and it is a culture change.
And it's to the point, now thatwe're so established with
nursing excellence, our nursesaren't just participating in
these processes, they areleading them.
It's not just a credential,it's the culture, and every day
we're making it happen.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
I couldn't have said it better.
I think that that is one of thereasons why we were the first
magnet designated organizationin the state of Delaware,
because that has been ourculture since that very first
designation.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Our fourth magnet designation includes Newark
campus, Wilmington campus, homehealth and ambulatory care
practices.
Cecil campus is currently onthe pathway to excellence
journey, which is amongst thesame principles as magnet, where
we're all seeking nursingexcellence.
The reason that CECL campus ison a separate pathway to
excellence journey is becausewhen a hospital system grows,
(05:14):
you are unable to include yournew campuses or systems within
the magnet application.
Include your new campuses orsystems within the magnet
application.
So when we partnered with Cecilcampus, we actually were not
able to include them in themagnet designation process, but
they have all of the sameresources as we do.
We're really excited for themto be on this pathway to
(05:35):
excellence journey.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
That first magnet designation had to be feel
pretty good when it came in.
Now you're on number four, butI'm assuming after you got that
one you didn't just rest on yourlaurels and that was the end of
it.
You kept expanding and growingand making further strides.
How, what else have you done asfar as nursing excellence since
that first magnet designation?
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Oh my gosh.
So I have been here through allof our designations and I would
say just the formation of adifferent professional practice
model.
Right, it's an evolution, itdoesn't stay stagnant.
I think that has been critical.
So that sets the vision and themission for nursing in
alignment to the way Christianiccare way Also, I'd say.
(06:14):
Another distinction is howgovernance is addressed.
That is a completely differentmodel than what we had before
and enables us to engage so manymore nurses across every campus
and in and across the practiceenvironments as well.
I think the other thing that wehave turned the afterburners on
has been nursing innovation.
(06:35):
So being able to launch threeyears ago a Center for Nursing
Innovation where that kind ofthriving can happen that Paige
mentioned of providing theopportunity to think about how
we could practice differently.
What does it look like?
Let's be futuristic.
Let's think about that how wecan deliver care more
efficiently, more effectively,keep caregivers engaged, retain
(06:59):
them and make the workenvironment such that nurses
flourish in their nursingpractice here at Christiana Care
and they would never want toleave, because we want to retain
them and their expertise.
One other thing that I thinklooks very different is our BSN
rate and our certification rate.
That alone sets a differenttone for the level of practice
(07:22):
expectations that we have ofnurses.
Research will tell you, thestronger those BSN and
nationally board certifiednurses in specialty is, the
better care delivery is.
We have scholarshipopportunities.
You know that's not the end ofthe journey.
We have had those.
They continue to exist toenable more nurses to go back to
(07:43):
become master's prepared andour clinical ladder has expanded
such that there's a role nowfor a master's prepared nurse to
remain at the bedside to be aclinical expert where you are
master's prepared and boardcertified in your specialty.
That didn't exist in magnetdesignation number one.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Michelle is exactly right.
When we invest in our nurses,we are investing in the future
of healthcare.
We professionally develop ournurses and that is one of my
favorite parts about working atChristianaCare as a magnet
designated organization.
One of the ways that we achieveongoing excellence because it
really is a journey is we usedata to pivot when we need to
(08:24):
pivot and we use feedback fromnurses every single day in our
decision making.
So decisions are made withclinical nurses partaking in
those decisions in everycircumstance that's possible and
that is a huge contributingfactor of always being on the
journey, for nursing excellenceis a huge contributing factor of
always being on the journey fornursing excellence.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
So another evolution of nursing excellence has been
the development of the team thatI currently lead.
So in addition to Paige, who isthe nursing excellence lead for
acute care, there's a nursingexcellence lead for home health
and community.
That's Maria Brown.
We have a nursing integrativecare lead, stacey Noel, for all
the nurse well-being work.
That's Maria Brown.
We have a Nursing IntegrativeCare lead, stacey Noel, for all
the nurse well-being work that'sbeing done.
So there's a specific effort andfocus to address nurse
(09:09):
well-being.
That excellence just comes frombuilding upon what we're
hearing, not only frominternally, from our clinical
nurse practices, because theywere involved in this year to
help drive.
What does this look like?
Paige was mentioning?
We have to listen.
We have to listen, enable themto participate, engage.
So it's exciting.
It's more exciting when you seethe outcomes that we have.
(09:32):
We are a national leader in ourvirtual acute care nursing
practice.
So I think nursing excellence isnot just my team, it's not our
department, it is.
How do we enable clinicalnurses from across the system to
rethink how they practice, toinnovate how they practice, to
go after the financial resources?
(09:53):
Because they're there.
We've got them in our magnetdocument and we're able to
contribute to the bottom line ofthe organization because of
thinking differently about howthey practice and the relevance
and the importance of that.
We just finished this fourthdesignation.
I feel like wow, we're reallyon the top of our game.
But there's another one to planfor and now there's work to do
(10:14):
in partnership with the Cecilcampus for their Pathway to
Excellence application.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
You mentioned well-being and you also
mentioned the nursing innovation.
Both of those were highlightedby Magnet as one of your
exemplars.
Talk to us about what thosewere and what that really means.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
A few of our exemplars included our BSN rates
, which Michelle mentionedearlier.
We are above the benchmarknationally for where our BSN
rates are, so we're very proudof that.
We also had exemplars aroundpatient burns in our ambulatory
practices, meaning we had verylow incidents below the
benchmark, which is exceptionalquality and safety being
(10:51):
provided to our patients qualityand safety being provided to
our patients.
We also have done a lot of workwithin nursing over the past
couple of years with ourhospital-acquired pressure
injury rates, and so we have anursing quality and safety team
that partners at the system-widelevel and with
interprofessionals across theentire organization, because
magnet designation, while it isa nursing excellence designation
(11:14):
, it encompasses every singlecaregiver that works at
Christiana Care and that's aprime example.
How do we decrease pressureinjuries in our patients.
We also had the NursingResearch and Innovation
Fellowship as one of ourexemplars.
We also had our NursingIntegrative Care Program, and
that work is really led byStacey Noel, who Michelle
(11:35):
mentioned earlier, as part ofthe nursing excellence team.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
Two other points that I'd like to make is that one
while we have a nursingexcellence team, we don't do the
work of magnet in a silo right.
We are so fortunate that we'reable to partner very closely
with the nursing quality andsafety team as well as the
nursing professional developmentand education team, in addition
(11:59):
to others, those two teamsreally.
We pull together and find theexamples and challenge one
another for the best placementor the best evidence of the
programs that are mostsuccessful to drive outcomes.
And Paige mentioned before thevolume of interprofessional
projects that are encompassed inthe document and I just want to
(12:20):
emphasize that a little bit.
So, yes, we know this is anursing recognition, but this is
a recognition for the entireorganization as well, because
the examples that we write, thestandards that we write to and
the sources of evidence, many ofthose standards describe an
interprofessional team led orco-led by a nurse that improved
(12:45):
X or addressed a patientexperience outcome.
On those teams there areenvironmental care services,
caregivers, there arepharmacists, there are food and
nutrition, there are providerson those teams.
So it doesn't happen in a silobut it's led by a nurse, co-led
by a nurse and engaged nurses atthe table driving the process.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
We keep raising the bar on ourselves here, the rate
this has been going and we justgot our fourth one.
I would assume there's alreadya vision out there for that
fifth one in another four years.
What are you doing?
How do you start planning forthat?
How do you take that intoaccount now, even though you
just got this one, to startworking on the next one?
Speaker 4 (13:30):
So, true to our course, we strategically plan.
So our team has their ownstrategic plan and we look to
the future right.
So within probably a year and ahalf, we need to begin to
designate who are the magnetmodel component leaders that
will lead us through potentiallya brand new magnet manual.
We already begin to startcollecting Christiana Care Way
(13:53):
awards that engaged, involved orwere led by nurses.
We start looking at nurses whowere recognized in excellence in
nursing programs or projects.
We look at nurses who areleading in evidence-based
practice and nursing researchprojects.
We have our eyes wide open allthe time to identify those
potential nursing practiceefforts, projects, specific
(14:17):
clinicians in mind because ofthe work that they're doing and
the outcomes that they'redriving.
So we start to collect thatLike.
We're already in fifthdesignation mode.
That happened on April 1ststarted our new window.
So April 1st 2025 to April 1st2029, our new window.
So April 1st 2025 to April 1st2029, our new window.
So that process.
(14:37):
It happens naturally for usbecause we're so attuned to how
we go about embracing all ofthat work and enabling it to
shine and enabling then alsocaregivers to be recognized for
that work.
What would you add, paige?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I think you're spot on, michelle, when I think about
what we're doing to prepare.
You know, formally we're goingto do a gap analysis, which
means we're going to also take alook at what opportunities did
we have to strengthen, and weare going to work on making sure
that those areas of opportunityare strengthened over the
upcoming years.
So one of the things that I loveabout our team is that we get
(15:13):
to work with nurses across theentire organization, and so
usually when we haveopportunities, we get to work
and network and be with friendsfrom other departments and
colleagues and caregivers tomake sure that those things
happen.
So while we're alwayscelebrating, we're also always
looking to improve and we get tosay, ok, what areas are we
going to be focusing on for worknow?
(15:34):
And so that'll be one of ournext steps In the magnet
communities.
We're always networkingprofessionally with other
hospitals across the entirecountry and, honestly,
internationally as well, and sowe're looking to other
organizations and we havecolleagues where we'll say, hey,
we're going to be working onimproving our caregiver
experience what have you beendoing for that?
(15:56):
And we get ideas and then weget to bring them back here.
So that's an exciting part.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
If a patient is listening to this episode right
now, why should they care aboutnursing excellence and just
clinical excellence here atChristiana Care?
What is in it for the patient?
Speaker 4 (16:12):
I think what's in it for the patient reflects back to
those BSN and certificationrates.
You have expert nursingclinicians at the bedside here
and our outcomes demonstratethat right.
Not just the outcomes forcustomer service but your
clinical outcomes as a patientdemonstrate that.
That is how we outperform.
You must outperform for Magnet,those national benchmarks, and
(16:37):
we do consistently.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
I think it's really simple and it can be summed up
in trust.
If you are a patient and youare receiving care from a
Magnet-designated organization,you can trust that you are
receiving exceptional care.
We'll leave it there.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Michelle and Paige, thank you both so much for being
here today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Check out the show notes forthis episode for more
information on magnetdesignation and nursing
excellence at Christiana Care.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
You can always keep up with For the Love of Health
on social media.
Just search Christiana Care onyour favorite platform.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
We'll be back in two weeks with another great
conversation.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Until then, thanks again for joining us for the
love of health.
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