Friday, January 28, 2011

The Ultimate Unwavering Advocate

Last night, I attended our annual Friends of St. Joseph Dinner. Tim H. was exceptional as out Past President and I know that Steve B. will deliver the same effectiveness as our new President.


We had a real treat last night with Cynde G., our Chief Nursing Officer giving her presentation on Unwavering Advocacy. This is my 3rd time seeing it and the impact just keeps getting growing.


She reviewed some key information found in the Silence Kills study:


• 84 percent of physicians have see coworkers taking shortcuts that could be dangerous to patients.


• 88 percent of physicians work with people who show poor clinical judgement.


• Fewer than 10 percent of physicians, nurse and other clinical staff directly confront their

colleagues about their concerns.


The Silence Kills track teaches participants how to break this prevailing culture of silence by applying Crucial Conversations skills to the seven categories of conversations identified in the Silence Kills study:


1. Broken Rules

2. Mistakes

3. Lack of Support

4. Incompetence

5. Poor Teamwork

6. Disrespect

7. Micromanagement


After recognizing the inextricable links between quality of the work environment,

excellent nursing practice, and patient care outcomes, the American Association

of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) identified six essential standards for creating and

sustaining Healthy Work Environments.


The Healthy Work Environments track teaches participants how to apply Crucial Conversations skills to achieve the Healthy Work Environment standards identified by the AACN:


1. Skilled Communication

2. Authentic Leadership

3. Appropriate Staffing

4. True Collaboration

5. Effective Decision Making

6. Meaningful Recognition


Cynde finished with a story on how an Unwavering Advocate positively impacted her family.

She coined the term and we have adopted Unwavering Advocacy into our hospital's vision.


Who are the Unwavering Advocates in your life?

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