A report titled Nurses Involvement in Nursing Home Culture Change: Overcoming Barriers, Advancing Opportunities has been released by The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing.

The paper summarizes a 2008 expert panel discussion convened by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing in collaboration with the Coalition for Geriatric Nursing Organizations and the Pioneer Network.  PHI Director of Organizational Culture Change Susan Misiorski represented Pioneer Network and PHI at the discussion.

Written by a team of 10 expert authors, the report examines the direct impact on nurses of the culture change model’s dominant themes — e.g., autonomy in personal choices for the residents, consistent staffing, and a less vertical organizational approach.

“The goals and philosophy of culture change and the goals of nursing are highly compatible,” the authors announce in the executive summary, since the “fundamental principles of nursing care support and incorporate resident-directed care.”

They say providing effective clinical care according to a resident-centered model “requires intensive nursing participation,” and therefore “core competencies for nurses in a resident-directed environment, and articulation of the essential role nurses play in helping to lead culture change efforts, are necessary.”

Recommendations

The paper includes a set of six recommendations, two of them regarding practicing nurses in nursing homes and the other four aimed at academic programs that prepare professional nurses:

• Develop and distribute a Statement of Goals for Practicing Nurses in Culture Change Nursing Homes.
• Develop competencies for nurses practicing in culture change nursing homes.
• Conduct a comprehensive review of culture change content in pre-licensure (associate degree and bachelor of nursing) nursing programs.
• Disseminate existing tools/resources on culture change and nursing’s role in culture change to academic nursing programs, including strategies for incorporating this content into the curriculum.
• Create new tools/resources based on the competencies for nurses in nursing homes.
• Identify research priorities for examining the role of nurses in nursing home culture change.

The paper identifies PHI’s coaching approach to supervision as one model for moving nurses beyond the traditional autocratic leadership structure, thus enabling them “to be a transformational leader and move culture change closer to its goals.”

At the upcoming annual Pioneer Network Conference, August 12-14, Misiorski and other experts  involved in developing the paper will offer three presentations dealing with the role of nursing in culture change.

Misiorski says the conference sessions are designed to share more detailed information with nurses working in organizations that are implementing culture change. Sessions will explore nurses as person-centered care experts and role models, as team builders and leaders.  “The role of the nurse in culture change goes far beyond medications and treatments, and we are excited to bring forth the full value of the nurse in the care team,” says Misiorski.

For more about bringing the coaching approach to nursing and to learn about PHI’s customized training and skill development for nurses regarding person-directed care, visit PHI Training & Organizational Development Services .