I attended the Integrated Nurse Leadership Project graduation today. Not only did I attend, but I presented a slide show about San Francisco General Hospital and our staff nurse driven improvements related to Medication Administration safety.
I have never presented a professional presentation. It was nerve-wracking, yet deliriously fun. The pride I felt at the end of my presentation was overwhelming. I am still in awe that I spoke in front of 200 people.
The INLP was a project that I grudgingly embraced. When introduced to the idea of standardizing the med pass, I was an argumentative early adopter. I want to support best practice, I know we ethically owe it to our patients, but the real time translation of such Best Practice means a culture change for our hospitals that is humongous. I attended the seminars offered by Julie Kliger (http://futurehealth.ucsf.edu/Public/Leadership-Programs/MiniProfile.aspx?asuid=5130) and her team at the UCSF Center for Healthcare Professions. The 4B team and I tried some small Tests of Change and education processes to build the knowledge and frame the change. I spent hours in therapy, decrying my hectic schedule, grappling with the insecurity that comes with being in a new professional environment and not being secure in your role as culture change agent and early adopter of new attitudes about healthcare.
I am not sure when this struggle became easier, but it has. Obama has brought healthcare reform to the attention of our country, the state of California just visited my facility and our nursing staff received great reviews; whatever it its, the time feels ripe for continued work in bringing Evidenced Based Best Practice to the bedside.
The keynote speaker at today's conference was Dr. Kenneth Kizer, MD, MPH (http://rwjfpfsp.stanford.edu/nac/kizer.html). He really connected our work to the national healthcare reform and it was an intriguing discussion he led. I am hoping to build on his vision, to be "the invisible architecture" of the soul of healthcare reform and I will continue to be open to the opportunities my career offers me.
