Professional nursing practice at Lourdes is guided by our
mission, vision and values; Philosophy of Nursing; the American Nurses
Association (ANA) Standards of Clinical Practice; and the ANA Scope
and Standards for Nurse Administrators. Our theoretical framework
is built on Benner's stages of nursing expertise.
The Lourdes Nursing
Leadership Team encourages shared decision-making. Nursing staff
hold key leadership roles and potential leaders are mentored. The
nursing leadership structure facilitates staff engagement by
utilizing the expertise of those who provide patient care. A
registered professional nurse chairs each nursing committee and
Registered Professional Nurses represent each area where nurses
work, as appropriate.
Nursing committees include: Nursing Professional Practice
Council, Nursing Quality Advisory, Clinical Practice,
Documentation, Patient Care Services Policy and Procedure, Nursing
Education, Professional Nurse Recognition Program, Medication
Management and Magnet. The achievements of these committees are
outlined in our Nursing Annual
Report.
The Unit Based Practice Councils provide staff nurses with a
voice in the delivery of care. The Practice Councils are a forum
where nurses have the authority to make decisions that will
influence care delivery at the unit level. Unit Based Practice
Councils are responsible and accountable for the decisions they
make.
We encourage certification in a specialty and reimburse our
nurses when they achieve certification. All board certified nurses
automatically are eligible to apply for professional recognition at
the proficient level.
Lourdes also values Advanced Practice Nurses (APN). APN dinners
are held quarterly to discuss pertinent topics that include the
role of APNs at Lourdes, practice issues, peer review and
continuing education.
Lourdes has been fortunate in attracting talented, dedicated and
caring professional nurses at all levels of our organization. We
strive to provide our nurses with opportunities and incentives to
be creative, continue their education and innovate. Each nurse's
contribution is valuable and plays an important role in achieving
the high quality of care provided by our organization.
