A Personal Welcome
from Judy Husted, RN, MS
Executive Director, Patient Care Services, Operations
Welcome to the Southern California Region of Kaiser Permanente. Our Patient Care Services Department is committed to ensuring that nursing is valued as a strategic resource within our organization. We’re committed to providing opportunities for professional growth and leadership development among our nursing staff. And we’re committed to fostering a work environment and nursing culture that will enable you, as a Kaiser Permanente nurse, to fully realize your professional potential.
At Kaiser Permanente, we constantly strive to become the Organization of Choice for Nurses. The work of Patient Care Services is integral to our organization, and the role of the individual nurse is pivotal to the work we do. The skill, commitment, and heart that each of you bring to our members and patients are what will make Kaiser Permanente a worldwide leader in the profession of nursing. In everything we do, our focus is always on service, quality, and patient safety. Here is an overview of just some of the many initiatives we have under way:
Caring as a Priority for Nurses – Surveys show that the experience of having a warm, caring, compassionate nurse is what patients will remember most about their hospital stay. The Caring Model is a region-wide effort to strengthen the nurse’s personal connection with the patient.
Enhancing the Maternal Child Health Care Experience – As part of the Caring Model, we’re working closely with our physician colleagues to improve first impressions on our Labor and Delivery units.
IHI Collaborative – We are deeply involved in Kaiser Permanente’s partnership with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Currently we are participating in the following IHI Innovation Communities: Implementing an Idealized Model for Critical Care, Improving Flow through the Acute Care Setting, Leadership Community, Operational and Clinical Improvements in the Emergency Department, and Transforming Medical Surgical Care.
Five Million Lives – Our regional commitment to preventing harm for five million patients through participation the IHI Five Million Lives Campaign includes a goal, among others, of zero hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.
Nurse Knowledge Exchange – All of our Southern California hospitals will be using the Nurse Knowledge Exchange (NKE) as a means of transferring shift-change patient information through a standardized process at bedside. NKE was developed by Kaiser Permanente nurses and piloted in Southern California. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has expressed interest in replicating the NKE model throughout the country.
JCAHO Core Measures – In an ongoing effort to improve quality and patient safety, we are actively working to meet all of the Hospital Core Measures outlined by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO).
Nursing Research – Our Nursing Research Committee and dedicated local research teams at each of our medical centers are currently overseeing nearly 20 active nursing research studies and 10 evidence-based practice projects throughout Southern California.
Clinical Information Systems – As Kaiser Permanente’s nationwide electronic medical record system goes live across the Southern California Region, we’re evaluating every clinical content system that touches the patient to ensure seamless collection and integration of patient information.
Predicting Future Needs – We’re developing models to predict nursing retirements over the next five years and our need for nurses to staff new facilities. By matching educational programs with training needs, we’re taking a proactive approach to meeting future staffing requirements.
Academic Partnerships – Through partnerships with Mount Saint Mary’s College and Azusa Pacific University, we’re providing student loans to new nurses who in turn commit to working at Kaiser Permanente for at least two years.
Pre-Hire Intern Program – In an effort to attract more new nurses to Kaiser Permanente, we’re offering students in their last semester of nursing school an intern position and a new grad RN position following graduation. To date, we’ve maintained 100% hiring and retention through this program.
Specialty Certification – In collaboration with the American Nurses Association, we’re offering training programs for registered nurses to receive national specialty certification as a way of promoting professionalism among our staff. In partnership with the University of Indiana, we offer training and career development opportunities through online specialty education for PICU and NICU nurses.
Nursing Leadership – Through the Nursing Leadership Academy of the Advisory Board in Washington, DC, we’re providing staff education and training opportunities to build leadership among our nurses.
As you can see, we have a very dynamic nursing organization. There are so many opportunities for you to become directly involved in designing the future of the nursing profession while helping to forward Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to quality and service. We count on every one of our nurses to help make our patient care the best in the world. We invite each of you to become actively involved in every way you can. |
