Mission Health nurses share successful leadership approach at national conference

Press release:

Nine nursing leaders from Mission Health traveled to Baltimore, MD last month to share the organization’s innovative and successful approach to engaging its nurses, focusing on their unique, individual strengths to enhance their wellbeing and ability to provide compassionate, high quality care.

The group presented to attendees of the American Organization of Nurse Executives’ (AONE) at its annual meeting sharing how Mission Health transformed its organizational structure to ensure that nurses are represented in multiple levels of its leadership team. The group also shared with other nurse executives from across the nation how Mission Health’s successful implementation of a workforce performance tool, StandOut, uses weekly conversations between leaders and their team members to enhance communication and improve staff engagement.

At a time when nurse burnout and compassion-fatigue is attracting national attention, Mission Health shared how it has committed significant resources to improving nurse wellbeing and satisfaction. Executive Director of Nursing Practice, Education & Research Laurie Zone-Smith PhD, RN, NE-BC – along with Nancy Critcher-White, BA, Director Human Resources Engagement Team for Mission Health, and Rhonda Robinson MSN, RN-BC, ONC, CNML, Director of Education Programs for Mission Health – presented Mission Health’s StandOut program, a workforce engagement tool developed by the Marcus Buckingham Company, that has helped to significantly improve nurses’ connection to their work, their teams and local leaders.

“Since our leaders began weekly check-ins with their teams to discuss successes and challenges in their daily work and dedicated teams have joined front-line staff to identify and remove hassles and scale joys, the percentage of fully-engaged staff has increased from 17.5 percent in 2014 to more than 34 percent in 2016,” said Zone-Smith. “That unprecedented 83 percent improvement indicates that our staff’s feel and know that their work is both appreciated and meaningful, not just by their patients but also to the organization’s overall success. The 34 percent of fully-engaged staff ranks Mission Health at almost twice the national average of 18.7 percent of fully-engaged employee. That feeling of connection to their work transfers to the patients they care for.”

The national conference provides an opportunity for nursing leaders to highlight their work and share successful models with others across the nation. “The AONE conference is one of the best in the nation for nursing leaders to network and share best practices,” shared Zone-Smith. “I was very proud to be among the amazing Mission Health nurse leaders who presented podium or poster presentations on our strengths based culture and our system leadership approach – both areas where we lead the nation.”

In addition to Mission’s work on nurse wellbeing, Kathy Guyette, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and President of Mission’s Regional Member Hospitals, shared with AONE participants how Mission Health’s rapid expansion from three hospitals in 2012 to six by 2014, and its continued growth in outpatient services presented an opportunity to place numerous nurses in executive roles, overseeing the regional hospitals as combined clinical and administrative leaders. “We created the unique, dual role of president and chief nursing officer for our nurse leaders to improve credibility and collaboration with the nursing and medical staffs, with the communities and with the local Executive Boards,” she said. “Through this new role, these amazing nurse leaders also have gained a deep understanding of governance, regulatory requirements, analyzing local market needs and have been involved with system-level strategic planning.”

Guyette presented along with Blue Ridge Regional Hospital’s President and Chief Nursing Officer Becky Carter, MSN, RN, FACHE, and Angel Medical Center President and Chief Nursing Officer Karen Gorby, MSN, RN, MBA, CENP, FACHE. Also representing Mission Health at the conference were Mission Health Chief Operating Officer and Mission Hospital President Jill Hoggard Green, PhD, RN and Vicki Lynn, RN Administrative Manager of Clinical Operations at Angel Medical Center.

“We’re proud to share Mission Health’s successes with nursing leaders across the U.S.,” Dr. Hoggard Green said. “It’s exciting to showcase innovative models that promote the strengths of each team member while enhancing communication and engagement.