The Nursing Shared Leadership Council (NSLC) structure consists of councils at both the Nursing Department Hospital Wide and Patient Care Unit Based levels. The NSLC provide nurses at all levels with a forum to actively support and effectively operationalize the Miami Children's Hospital Nursing Philosophy and Standards of Pediatric Practice along with the mission and values of the organization. All councils report to the Nursing Executive Council (NEC) which oversees all aspects of nursing practice; it is chaired by the Nurse Executive SVP/CNO and now meets on a monthly basis. All chairpersons from the hospital wide committees report progress and outcomes to NEC.
Unit Based Councils, chaired by a staff nurse, consist of staff and a Nursing Leadership facilitator. The Nursing Leadership facilitator is responsible for mentoring and coaching the Chairperson on aspects of leading a committee, removing any road blocks, supporting the nurse leader and ensuring that the work is completed and communicated to the Hospital Wide Council.
Click Here to enlarge
Professional Practice and Service Excellence : The name of the governing body for nursing services that collaborates with presiding member(s) of Talent Management and Effectiveness (TME) department focusing to promote and facilitate: a) staff/employee recognition and rewards, b) professional development, and c) continuous preparation for Magnet re-designations. All members are voting members relying on service excellence measures to acquire the council’s outcomes for exemplary practice. This council’s outcomes are to increase employee recognition, decrease 1 year turnover rates, develop strategies to maintain staff development and exemplary practice, standardize service excellence measures for improving overall patient satisfaction scores, and to implement staff initiatives to increase overall organization satisfaction.
Finance and Operations Council : The name of the governing body for Nursing services which focuses on managing staffing processes, nurse-staffing ratios, and acuity scales for patient care assignments, standardize; unit based self-scheduling guidelines to meet the needs of the unit and patients, FMLA and floating guidelines, and any strategic goals that relate to the above. The Finance and operations Council is the catalyst for exploring “creative staffing patterns” as a measure to recruit and retain staff. All members are voting members. This council’s outcomes are to increase staffing efficiency and productivity by comparing yearly hours per patient day (HPPD), standardize and follow bed occupancy plan to meet HPPD and its goals, improve staff efficiency, and to increase staff accountability to decrease incremental overtime (OT).
Patient Care Delivery System & Outcomes Council : The name of the governing body for nursing services that alongside other disciplines focuses on patient care outcomes, error-free care, infection control practices and its strategic goals. This interdisciplinary team strives to optimize the use of meeting the quality and safety of patient care delivery by standardizing practices and sustaining clinical efficiency through information technology (IT). All members are voting members. Equipment evaluation is a component of this council with the goal of exploring and securing items that enhance and assure patient safety. They ensure that optimal care and outcomes are evidence based standard practices. This council’s outcomes are to implement the Pediatric Electronic Data System (PEDS) Electronic Medical Record (EMR) successfully, implement EBP data and tools associated with decreasing error incidences, implement ongoing preparedness and readiness for The Joint Commission (TJC) accreditation.
Research and EBP Council : The name of the interdisciplinary governing body, for which Nursing Services promotes, supports, facilitates, and conducts research studies and evidence based practice projects that change practices to assure quality outcomes and cost-effective care. In relation to research, the Research and EBP Council reviews and approves all nursing research proposals and makes recommendations as appropriate; develops and revises existing policies as practice is changed with new and existing EBP and as needed within Nursing Services; heightens awareness of research with EBP workshops that provide knowledge on the nursing research process; and provides consultation to potential researchers on the external IRB process (WIRB) in collaboration with MCH Research Institute department and its standing council members. All members are voting members requiring CITI training and EBP workshop attendance along with probate involvement with NACHRI/CHCA multi-site studies to obtain the council’s outcome. This council’s outcomes are to obtain data, foster projects that drive quality and safety outcomes and patient family centered care toward excellence.
Magnet Task Force : All nursing units will have a unit based magnet task force. The chairperson and co-chairperson on the unit based council will be the magnet champions. Each unit has two magnet champions, one day shift and one night shift champion. Unit based task force members are to meet monthly. The Magnet Program Leader will chair the hospital-wide magnet task force. This is the platform for all magnet champions to bring unit level task force progress and updates to the Magnet Program Leader. This also provides an opportunity to share successes with other champions for possible hospital-wide implementation. Magnet task force members are expected to maintain and update unit magnet boards, “wall of excellence”, educate staff on nursing Professional Practice Model (PPM) and it’s conceptual framework of The Comfort Theory, create a magnet culture on unit levels utilizing various methods of staff engagement, participate in the planning of for magnet events such as magnet kick-off event and magnet fair, and prepare staff for site visit. This council’s outcome is a culture of excellence created on all units, staff able to speak to the magnet components and sources of evidence, PPM and comfort theory, successful site visit and magnet re-designation.
Nurses’ Week Task Force : The name of the group of nurses responsible for planning Nurses’ Week. This team plans, coordinates, and hosts the events of Nurses’ Week, including breakfasts, dinners, and learning activities. The Nurses’ Week Task Force is responsible for choosing the gift for Nurses’ Week, as well as distributing the gifts that week. They are responsible for creating and posting unit based posters in the display windows during Nurses’ Week, to bring awareness about each unit. They are responsible for collecting ballot nominations for Nurse of the Year. This group votes on the unit winners to determine the MCH hospital-wide winner for each of the six categories, including Nurse of the Year. The chairperson reports to the NEC.
In addition to the above mentioned councils, there are Nursing Leadership councils in place for Advanced Practice Nurses and Nursing Managers which remain the same for 2012. These councils are Hospital-wide. Both the Advanced Practice Nurses and Nursing Managers councils report to NEC.
- Nursing Executive Council (NEC): The purpose of the NEC is to provide oversight and support for decisions being made by nursing staff in the Nursing and Unit-Based Councils. The NEC is chaired by the Senior Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer. Membership includes Nursing Leadership and Chairpersons from each of the Nursing Councils. The premise for decision-making is based on the Scope and Standards for Nurse Administrators, Scope and Standards of Pediatric Nursing Practice, and Evidence-Based practice, as well as The Institute for Family Directed Care; Scope and Standards of Family Centered Care. The Mission and Vision of the hospital and the Nursing Philosophy are key references for decision making. Action items/ decisions made at the councils are brought forth by the Chairpersons of each council for ratification or veto with explanation. NEC Council meetings are held monthly.
- Advanced Practice Nursing Council (APNC): The APNC provides a forum for collaboration and information dissemination for Advanced Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Specialists who serve in various roles throughout the organization. The council is open to all master’s prepared nurses. The council’s mission and vision is to support and guide advanced practice nurses in fulfilling Miami Children’s Hospital mission and strategic plan by:
a) Articulating the standards of practice, procedures and protocols with which APNs practice.
b) Monitoring and communicating credentialing, licensing, practice requirements/regulations.
c) Advocating for education, research, evidenced based practice, and quality improvement /
outcome standards.
d) Improving patient/family/medical and nursing satisfaction with APN services.
e) Promote collaboration with medical and nursing staff to provide the knowledge and
expertise to support and enhance patient care delivery across the institution
- Nursing Manager Council (NMC): The NMC promotes the collaboration of Nurse Managers from all patient care departments in problem solving, professional development and operations management. The Council addresses issues that are pertinent to patient care delivery and the Council disseminates and discusses information that is common to all departments. Quality indicators are reviewed that are correlated with worked hours per patient day (WHPPD) are cardio-respiratory code occurrences, medication errors, customer complaints, customer satisfaction, sick calls and other indicators. Unit/Department Budget performance is monitored and the variances are analyzed. This committee provides feedback for the development of the fiscal capital and operating budgets within the Nursing Services Departments. The Council is chaired by a Nurse Manager and meets monthly.