Creating an innovative educational structure to support best practice among novice nurses.

In today's complex health care environment, staff nurses are responsible for having the skills to analyze complicated patient situations, develop complex plans of care, and skillfully communicate with the health care team. The establishment of a new progressive care unit presented a unique opportunity to create innovative educational structures. Expert nurses developed successful strategies that can be incorporated on any unit to facilitate learning for all nurses.

Care model transformation: a necessity, not an option.

The authors describe the need for a new approach to the delivery of patient care in the acute care setting. The case for a different care model is proposed and provides information on how a new approach clarifies registered nurse (RN) responsibilities to maximize the valuable resource of professional practice, the nurse of the future. This model proposes the patient care work being allocated between 2 groups of point-of-care providers: the professional RN and the patient care technologist.

The language of business: a key nurse executive competency.

The ability to interpret fiscal data pertaining to patient outcomes, human resources, customer satisfaction, and financial positions is a vital evidenced-based nurse executive competency. The ability of nurse leaders to influence and contribute in health system executive decision making requires fluency in accounting, "the language of business." After examining challenges faced by nurse executives, faculty at the Loewenberg School of Nursing at the University of Memphis integrated intensive accounting education into a new executive MSN program.

Executive master of science in nursing program: incorporating the 14 forces of magnetism.

This is the second in a 3-part series describing an executive master of science in nursing program. Part 1 described program development built on the American Organization of Nurse Executive's competencies and distinctive features of the students' online and on-site learning experiences. This article presents how the 14 Forces of Magnetism are integrated across the curriculum and the unique criteria for program admission.

The executive master of science in nursing program: competencies and learning experiences.

This is the first in a 3-part series describing an executive master of science in nursing program. Part 1 describes program development built on the American Organization of Nurse Executives' competencies and distinct features of the students' online and on-site learning experiences. Part 2 will discuss how the 14 Forces of Magnetism are integrated across the curriculum and the unique criteria for program admission.

Using nurse leader development to improve nurse retention and patient outcomes: a framework.

With many factors converging, it is critical that nurse leaders have the knowledge and competency to develop outstanding relationships with registered nurses in order to retain them and thus improve patient outcomes. Senior nurse leaders of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, a 7-hospital system based in Memphis is addressing these issues through a comprehensive leader development framework. Through organizational commitment and supported by a federal grant, a program that focuses on creation of individual development plans, provision of development education, and one-to-one on-site coaching has been implemented.

The role of information technology in healthcare communications, efficiency, and patient safety: application and results.

The authors document the development and deployment of technology that serves to enhance healthcare communications, efficiency, and patient safety at an 881-bed, level 2 trauma center. This technology includes a patient-centric call process using real-time, rules-based task assignments and tracking software that guides personalized and timely response to the individual patient' needs and allows the mining of data for outcome analysis.