Letter from CNO, SVP Mairead Hickey
Dear Colleagues:
Every day we come to BWH guided by our nursing vision of excellent care to patients and families with the best staff in the safest environment. This vision is our commitment as a Department of Nursing to make a difference in the lives of patients and families who come to BWH for care. It is so clear and direct in its language, yet highly complex in its implementation. It challenges us to make excellent care a reality for every patient every day in every setting and to make it possible for every nurse to deliver that excellent care across BWH.
This vision comes to life through our collective commitment to patients and families and the work we do together to develop practice and to develop and sustain a healthy and safe practice environment. From the eMAR roll out in Hematology/Oncology and this year’s Kravitz Award recipients, to the ongoing work of the committees and the Acute Care Documentation initiative, the “voice of the nurse” in all roles is shaping decisions about patient care and the practice environment. This issue of BWH Nurse also showcases the work of our care coordination nurses who work with patient care teams to insure patients and families receive the best care across the continuum. Their important contribution will continue to be shaped by patient care needs that shift more and more to the ambulatory setting.
We welcome Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Nabel to BW/F as our new president. Many of you may know her from her earlier days at BWH as an intern, internal medicine resident and research fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine. Her distinguished career as professor, chief of cardiology and researcher in vascular biology and molecular cardiology at the University of Michigan and, most recently, as the director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, are testaments to her deep commitment to clinical care, passion for discovery to improve lives and expertise to guide us through the challenges that face us in today’s health care environment. We look forward to working with her as we advance our work in patient care.
We move into 2010 guided by our vision of excellent care to patients and families with the best staff in the safest environment. We will be challenged to deliver on this vision given the challenges of the world in which we currently live. But I can think of no better partners than the nurses of BWH.
Sincerely,
Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN
Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services