…best staff…
Dear Colleagues:
In the spring, we took a look at the state of our Nursing department and who we are. On average, the BWH nurse is age 42, with an average length of service of 11.7 years. Approximately 93 percent are female, and 24 percent work full-time. More than half have bachelor’s degrees, and nearly 10 percent have master’s degrees.
While our demographics are important to know, we are much more than numbers, and we are far from average. We are a department of award-winning caregivers who strive not for awards or reputation, but to provide each patient with the best care possible. We are a department that is never satisfied with the status quo, and we constantly look for ways to improve care and make every patient’s experience better.
As I’m sure you have heard, our hospital once again landed a spot on U.S. News & World Report’s Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals. We moved up one spot this year to number 10. Brigham and Women’s Hospital is known nationally for its quality of care and patient safety. Our work in nursing is vital to this reputation.
So many of our nurses participate in and drive pilots and tests of change throughout the year in the quest to improve care. In the last year, we had two hospital-wide pressure ulcer surveys, piloted a successful restraint reduction program and sustained a low patient fall rate, thanks to your efforts.
As you’ll read about in this issue, Tower 8AB, our cardiac step down unit, is rounding to ensure nurse participation, making nurses central to the process. This change was spurred by staff nurses’ feedback and already is making a positive difference in patient care.
You’ll continue to hear about the many initiatives that nurses are a part of in coming issues of BWH Nurse. All initiatives are to improve patient safety and the care environment. We look forward your participation on these initiatives.
Sincerely,
Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN
Chief Nursing Officer and
Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services