This year I'm excited to be here on behalf of the Canadian Nurse's Association, for the Expert Commission. This means sitting down with the board, and speaking to the national assembly. Most importantly I'm here to listen and engage students, which is reassuring. It means that CNA is taking student's opinions seriously, they value and want input from nursing students. It is encouraging and I hope we can excite students to take up this opportunity and galvanizes students to continue to engage with professional associations throughout their career.

This morning I was able to sit down with the CNSA Board of Directors for brunch to talk about healthcare transformation on behalf of the Expert Commission. It was a great discussion and it was exciting to hear from some of the future change makers in our profession.

Over the next few days I will get the chance to speak with more students and engage a wider audience. I can't wait to continue to hear from more students and to hear the excitement and their thoughts on how to move the health of Canadians forward.

I saw this on Twitter today and just had to share it here with you. There is a tie-in to nursing here…big time.

I think this video explains the huge missing link between hospital administrators and nursing. Nurses would love their job so much more if they were given the opportunity to be creative (create), find automony (self-direct), find purpose, and add meaning to what they do 8-12 hours a day. Right now their job is so filled with a set of prescribed tasks that they sometimes feel they need more money in order to “make it all worthwhile”. As a profession, I think we may be stuck back at the level of “carrot & stick” due to the fact that it *is* so task oriented. Although more money is a good thing, in this day and age, it’s also a hard thing to come by. It seems to me that patients (and indirectly, organizations) would benefit so much more from a nursing team who felt good about what they do, felt invested in their job, and were getting a great deal of satisfaction from the work they do. There is a way to get there. I’m sure of it, but it would require a cultural shift at the organizational level which is not an easy task.

Is there a way we can tap into this principle, expand upon it, and perhaps spread the word?

With regards,

Carolyn

Dr. Judith Shamian RN FAAN

Chief Executive Officer - Victoria of Nurses (VON)

Beginning her career as a clinical nurse Judith Shamian earned her way to the Chief Executive office at the Victoria Order of Nurses. Along the way she has learned many things and feels strongly about the importance of mentoring nurses in hopes of inspiring future nursing leaders. In our conversation how we discuss the inspiration for beginning her research and her advice for aspiring nursing students and nurses. Among her many words of wisdom Judith recommends nurses find their a purpose they feel strongly about and a passion to learn about how organizations work. Learning to make decisions based on available knowledge, learn from mistakes and constantly reflect on your work is another critical lesson she passes on to future leaders.

Resources Discussed

• Presentations given by Judith as CEO of VON
• Articles published by Judith
• Role responsibilities of head nurses in primary nursing and team nursing units. J Nurs Adm. 1988 May;18(5):7.
• Registered nurse and registered practical nurse evaluations of their hospital practice environments and their responses to these environments.
  Tourangeau AE, Coghlan AL, Shamian J, Evans S.
  Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont). 2005 Dec;18(4):54-69

Question

Dr. Judith Shamian: Do you have a plan of how to gain different experiences in the next 12-15 months? What would you like to explore or do?

Linda Silas

President - Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions - University of Toronto

Taking time at the Canadian Nursing Students Association's National Conference Linda Silas explains how she began working with unions and what she is working on now.

Resources Mentioned:

• LASCHINGER, S., RN, H. K., WILK, P., CHO, J., & GRECO, P. (2009). Empowerment, engagement and perceived effectiveness in nursing work environments: Does experience matter?.Journal of Nursing Management, 17(5), 636.
• Full Time Employment for 70 percent of Nurses
• ThinkNursing.ca
• My Better Medicare
• Nurses for Medicare

Questions

• Linda Silas

  Do you have any suggestions for how we can improve the nursing workplace?

• Robert Fraser

  Have you ever gone to a local union meeting?

Judith Oulton

Frances Bloomberg International Distinguished Visiting Professor - University of Toronto

Sitting down with Judith Oulton, the former CEO of the Internaitonal Council of Nurses. We talk about her experience and how she came to the role and her current work on global health human resources. She is an incredible nursing leader and this interview provides sage advice like on international like taking "the right attidue & an understanding that you gain so much as well."

Resources Mentioned:

• Judith Oulton's talk at University of Toronto on Health Human Resources [video]
• ICN Competencies of Nurses Specialists [PDF]
• ICN International Nursing Leadership Institute
• Joint Learning Initiative: Human Resources for health: Overcoming the crisis
• Global World Health Workforce Alliance
• Honouring the Human Rights to Health and Freedom of Movement
• Workplace initiatives: 80/20

Research

• Google Scholar Search for Lina Aiken's research on Nursing Skill Mix
• PubMed Search for Peter's Research

Questions

• Judith Oulton: How are you finding your clinical experience? Where are you and what can we do to help improve your clinical experience?
• Robert Fraser: Have you ever done international work, before or after being nursing school? Where and what was it and how has it impacted your nursing career?

Joan E Mitchell MSN, EdD

jemitchell [at] cbahi.org

Nurse Consultant and Surveyor

Central Board of Accrediation for Healthcare Institutions - Jeddah [googleMap], Saudi Arabi

Sitting down with Joan Mitchell at the Sigma Theta Tau Conference in Indianapolis and discussing her work in patient safety and quality of care was very enlightening. After watching her presentation at the conference about her research on job satisfaction on foreign trained nurses in Saudi Arabia. It was a pleasure to learn about how and why she choose this topic to research.

Research

• Mitchell, JE (2009) Job satisfaction and burnout among foreign-trained nurses in Saudi Arabia: A mixed-method study. Ed.D. dissertation, University of Phoenix, United States -- Arizona. Retrieved January 20, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses: Full Text.(Publication No. AAT 3357443).

Resources

• Contact Helen Ziegler if you are interested in working in Saudi Arabia

Questions

• Joan Mitchell: Will this research be helpful to you, for personal or research reasons?
• Robert Fraser: Have you seen any advertisements recruiting nurses to international destinations? Have you thought about the factors that impact job satisfaction in those exotic destinations?

Peter Goossens RN PhD - email: p.j.j.goossens [at] saxion.nl

Nurse Expert - Dimence - Map

Professor in Mental Health - Saxion

Senior Researcher - Radboud University Nijmegen

Peter Goossens, a Dutch mental health nurse and researcher, and I sit down to discuss his research that helps bi-polar patients recognize on coming periods of mania and depression. We met at the Sigma Theta Tau 40th Biennial and discussed his fascinating research with mental health patients and their families. He has not only conducted excellent research he is allow a great ambassador for the profession of nursing, working to ensure the are able to fully able to support their patients and the nurses perspective is represented in national consortiums.

Research

• PubMed Search for Peter's Research
• Recognizing prodromes of manic or depressive recurrence in outpatients with bipolar disorder: A cross-sectional study (UPDATED SINCE ORIGINAL POST)

Peer reviewed articles

• Van der Voort T.Y., Goossens P.J.J., van der Bijl J.J. (2009) Alone together: a grounded theory study of experienced burden, coping, and support needs of spouses of persons with bipolar disorder. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing 18, 434-443
• Goossens, P.J.J., Hartong, E., Knoppert-van der Klein, E.A.M. & Van Achterberg T. (2008) Self-reported psychopathological symptoms and quality of life in outpatients with a bipolar disorder. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 44/4 275-284
• Goossens, P.J.J., Knoppert-van der Klein, E.A.M. & Van Achterberg T. Coping styles of outpatients with a bipolar disorder. (2008) Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 22/5 245-253
• Goossens, P.J.J., Van Wijngaarden B., Knoppert-van der Klein, E.A.M. & Van Achterberg T. (2008) Family caregiving in bipolar disorder: caregiver consequences, caregiver coping styles, and caregiver distress. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 54/4 303-316
• Jonker E., Goossens P.J.J., Steenhuis I.H.M. & Oud N.E., (2008) Patient aggression in clinical psychiatry: perceptions of mental health nurses. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 15, 492-499
• Goossens, P.J.J., Beentjes, T.A.A., de Leeuw, J.A.M., Knoppert-van der Klein, E.A.M. & Van Achterberg T. (2008) Nursing bipolar disorder outpatients: what nurses actually do. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 22/1, 3-11
• Van der Voort T.Y., Goossens P.J.J., van der Bijl J.J. (2007) Burden, coping and needs for support of caregivers for patients with a bipolar disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 14, 679-687
• Goossens, P.J.J., J.A.M., Knoppert-van der Klein, E.A.M, Kroon. H, & Van Achterberg T. (2007) Self- reported care needs of outpatients with a bipolar disorder in The Netherlands: Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 14, 549-557
• Goossens, P. J. J., Van Achterberg T. & Knoppert van der Klein E.A.M. (2007) Nursing processes used in the treatment of patient with a bipolar disorder. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 16, 168-177

International presentations, both oral and posters

• Goossens P.J.J. Self management in Bipolar Disorder; recognizing prodromes of manic or depressive relapse STTI 20th biennial convention. Indianapolis; nov. 2009
• Goossens P.J.J., Van Achterberg T, Knoppert – Van der Klein E.A.M. Nursing processes used in the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder. ISPN conference. Greenville; April 2009.
• Van der Voort T.Y., Goossens P.J.J., Van der Bijl J.J. Together-and-still-alone: Qualitative research on burden, coping and needed support of spouses of patients with a bipolar disorder. ISBD conference. New Delhi; jan. 2008

Questions

• Peter Goossens:  Who is performing an assessment and teaching of a client's ability to recognize early warning signs of their bi-polar disorder? Are you able to do this as a nurse?
• Robert Fraser: For nurses outside of mental health, do you have tools to self manage mental health disorders and support patient's self-care?

Marla E Salmon ScD, RN, FAAN

Dean & Professor - University of Washington School of Nursing

A conversation with Marla Salmon ScD RN FAAN, current Dean and Professor at the University of Washington and former Chief Nurse of the United States of America. We discuss her experience working with Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and her career moving from patient to nation care. This interview was a fun and candid conversation that was made possible thanks to the kind introduction by Carla Hall and Jane Palmer from Sigma Theta Tau International, both of whom were the first live audience for a taping of Nursing Ideas.

Marla became a nurse "to make a difference in peoples lives."

During this interview our discussion ranges from how she sent a letter to the World Health Organization to how learning etiquette and being grounded by the people around her helped her along the way. In this brief interview I got just a glimpse of the amazing leader and kind person she is. Hopefully, you will learn from her and be inspired by the simple yet very meaningful insights from her experience as a international leader in nursing.

Links

• Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing
• World Health Organization
• Emily Post's Etiquette Website
• Nurse: A World of Care [Book] - Dedication of Nurses Around the World

Question

• Marla Salmon: The next generation of nurses need to do a much better job of caring the nursing profession forward. How are you going to use web 2.0 and social networking as a way of advancing the profession and reaching people that were not possible before?

Irmajean Bajnok RN PhD

Director of International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines - Registered Nurses Association of Ontario

Sitting down with Irmajean Bajnok we discuss her experience and how she came to be Director of the IA-BPG. We talk about how the BPG came to be but also about how she hopes that they are able to support nurses in the workplace and create a health work environment for them to practice in.

Recently the RNAO won the an award from Sigma Theta Tau International, for Practice Academe Innovation Collaboration, below I posted a short video I took in Indianapolis of them accepting their award. Enjoy!

Links

• RNAO Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Professionalism in Nursing
• Health Work Environments Best Practice Guidelines
• RNAO PhD Fellowships
• Condensed Guidelines for PDA's
• Video on Kingston General Hospital implementation of BPGs
• REISS Project
• Submit Idea for BPG & Sign up to be a BPG Stakeholder

Question

• Irmajean Bajnok: Do you have any ideas for BPG that you would find useful? How many of you have downloaded the PDA version of the guidelines?
• Robert Fraser: What format of information is best for you to use knowledge in practice (i.e print, video, audio, PDA, etc)?

Sioban Nelson PhD

Dean and Professor - Lawrence S Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

After starting the MN at the University of Toronto, I have had a few readings from Sioban about understanding the history of Nursing. These articles really helped my understanding of nursing. Being young in the profession this historical analysis helps to ground and better understand nursing. During this episode we talked about Dr Nelson's background and how she integrated her understanding of historical analysis into her academic work.

Links

• Nursing (wikipedia) Timeline of Nursing
• Sioban's latest book: Complexities of Care

Research

• Nelson, S. & Gordon, S. (2004). The rhetoric of rupture: Nursing as a practice with a history? September/October Nursing Outlook, 52, 255-261.
• Nelson, S. (1997). Reading nursing history. Nursing Inquiry, 4: 229-236.
• Nelson, S. & McGillion, M. (2004) Expertise or performance? Questioning the rhetoric of contemporary narrative use in nursing, Journal of Advanced Nursing. 47(6).

Question

• Robert Fraser: How have you learned about nursing history? Do you understand how it might give you insight into the profession?

Esther Green - RN MSc

Provincial Head of Nursing & Psychosocial Oncology - Cancer Care Ontario

I had the privilege to sit down with Esther Green, who is working at Cancer Care Ontario. We had a great discussion on how she came to her role and what she is doing there. She brings up interesting insights into how she is integrating research on advanced practice nursing, recruitment and retention and patient safety in her current role.

Links

• Denise Bryant-Lukosius
• PEPPA Framework (Particapatory, Evidence-Based, Patient-Focused, Process for Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) Role Develompent, Implementation and Evaluation)Framework
• de Souza Institute

Research

• Cummings G.G.,Olson K.,Hayduk L.,Bakker D.,Fitch M.,Green E.,Butler L.&Conlon M. (2008) The relationship between nursing leadership and nurses' job satisfaction in Canadian oncology work environments Journal of Nursing Management16, 508-518
• Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Browne, G., & Pinelli, J. (2004). Advanced practice nursing roles: developing, implementation and evaluation. The Journal of Advanced Nursing, 48(5), 519-529
• Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., (2004) A framework for the introduction and evaluation of advanced practice nursing roles, Nursing and Health Care Management Policy, 48(5) 530-540.

Question

• Esther Green: What do you think the core areas that would help you develop your leadership skills? What type of courses would you like to see for oncology nursing leadership offered?
• Robert Fraser: Do you understand how your oncology unit fits into the larger system picture?

Chris Salgado RN, BN, MA

Program Leader - Children, Youth & Families Program

Vancouver Coastal Health

I really must apologize to Chris about this podcast. We had a great conversation in January last year (2009). We met at the Canadian Nursing Association - Nursing Leadership Conference. She had a very interesting idea about how to engage with nursing staff. She works in public health who have their fingers on the pulse of what familes, clients and communities partners need form nursing leadership. Using the World Cafe approach she was able to engage and pull ideas from key stakeholders of her nursing practice. Below are the pictures of what resulted from this approach.

Links

• The World Cafe

Research

• Standielf, R. B. (2000) The art of focused conversation: 100 ways to access group wisdom in the workplace. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society

Question

• Chris Salgado: What are your ideas that work for leading teams for changing practice?
• Robert Fraser: What was the last conference you were at that you had an opportunity to exchange ideas and share thoughts with others?

Dr Michael Gardam

Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control - Agency for Health Protection and Promotion

Director of Infection Prevention and Control - University Health Network

An experienced and passionate physician in the field of infection control, Dr Michael Gardam is now working with the Agency for Health Protection and Promotion on provincial issues of protection and control. After hearing him give a talk at Princess Margaret I knew I needed to speak with him. In this talk he shares major insights into how Ontario began to public reporting, what they are reporting, how that is perceived and the many issues around hand washing in hospitals.

Research

• Dr Gardam's publications (PubMed Search)
• Infection Prevention and Control in the Design of Healthcare Facilities
• The Changing Face of Critical Care
• Influence of Roles Models and Hospital Design on Hand Hygiene of Healthcare Workers

Links

• Ontario Public Reporting of MRSA and VRE
• Positive Deviance - The Basics
• Positive Deviance Article by Fast Company

Question:

• Dr Michael Gardam: What do you think about this (Positive Dieviance)? Are you interested in taking part?
• Robert Fraser RN: Did you know Ontario is reporting these infection rates? Do you know if your province or state is reporting any infection rates?

Dr Mary Jane Esplen - Part 2

Director - de Souza Institute

This is the second half of the interview with Mary Jane. In this portion of our conversation we move from psychosocial oncology to how she has evolved from nurse to her current role as Director of the de Souza Institute. Mary Jane shares her development as a researcher and scientist and how her skills of learning, research and grant writing have helped her take on the steep learning curve she is on.

Links

• The Brazilian Ball
• de Souza Institute & de Souza Institute Steering Committee

Questions:

Mary Jane Esplen: Do you have any suggestions for what de Souza should offer?

Rob Fraser: How are you learning and informing your nursing practice (journals, online videos, google, powerpoint, etc)?

Dr Mary Jane Esplen RN

Clinician Scientist and Professor - University of Toronto

Area of expertise: Psychosocial Oncology

Dr Mary Jane Esplen has an extensive career in clinical oncology practice that has evolved over the years to include research as major part of her role. Her ability to drive research strongly tied to clinical practice and how she managed to stay in both academia and practice is part of what we talk about. More recently she has been appointed Director of the de Souza Institute for nursing oncology knowledge transfer for the province, and is planning to take this international. We discuss how her career evolved, why she loves psychosocial oncology and how others might learn from her experience.

Research

• Some of Mary Jane's research Search Results
• Quality of Life Tools for adult patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy
• Literature Search: Body Image + Cancer
• Profile: Jimmie Holland MD - Pscyho Oncology
• Effects of psychological interventions on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer

Other

• Definition of Nursing Intervention Model
• Research profile of Mary Jane
• Dr David Spiegel - Psychosocial Researcher
• de Souza Intitute
• Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
• Oncology Nursing Society

Questions:

Mary Jane Esplen: What is the impact of new technologies on practice? Who should be involved in helping families involve these technologies? How can they change clinical practice? What can my role be in this?

Rob Fraser: Are you seeing cancer starting to come into your area of practice? Are you aware of the research that is happening in oncology and how it might improve your practice?