Executive Chief Nursing Officer Marilyn Dubree, MSN, R.N., presented the 2013 State of Nursing address to a packed audience in Light Hall Tuesday, and the key message was that all Vanderbilt nurses will play an important role in helping the organization navigate through the puzzle of health care delivery.
“This year, perhaps more than ever, we have seen changes that are long overdue but make things uncertain. There are many opportunities for nursing to make a difference,” said Dubree.
Dubree said that Middle Tennesseans view Vanderbilt as the best place to receive care and rate Vanderbilt nurses as the best. She also recognized the tremendous work done in key quality metrics that have resulted in significant decreases in falls and pressure ulcers.
“Nursing does ordinary things in extraordinary ways,” said Dubree. “As we touch one patient, one family, we have the ability to impact entire communities.”
She reviewed this spring’s successful Nurse Referral program that resulted in more than 150 referrals, the continued success of the Nurse Residency program with a new Adult Emergency Department residency track and the need to focus more on decreasing nursing turnover rates.
“We need to make sure we are doing everything we can because we need great nurses and team members,” Dubree said.
The bulk of her comments focused on pilot projects or new initiatives, such as the nursing leadership model that helps develop leaders, ensures performance accountability and improves team dynamics. Developing “The Vanderbilt Way” for handling transitions of care aims to ensure patients get exactly what they need, when they need it while being anchored in scientific evidence.
Dubree shared how VUMC Nursing is testing new ways of delivering care, including the contributions of increasing numbers of advanced practice nurses. Initiatives such as adding patient representatives to the Nursing Quality Council for ongoing input supports nursing’s commitment to understanding and improving the patient and family experience.
Vanderbilt nursing has also increased the number of poster and podium presentations and publications, supporting the dissemination of nursing knowledge.
“If Florence Nightingale could see us now, she would be delighted at our research, evidence-based approach and collaborative team efforts for this very sacred work,” said Dubree.
