2021 TONL Annual Conference (Virtual) Summary

prepared by TONL Education Committee Chair Gretchen Hunt, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, NEA-BC

I am so excited to share highlights from our 2021 TONL Annual Conference. During 2020, we experienced numerous challenges and stressors never before felt in our lifetime as healthcare providers. The Education Committee felt the need to honor front-line teams impacted during 2020, plus provide content that assists in promoting resilience.

Our pre-conference workshop titled “Separate Realities: Beyond Thinking Outside the Box for Nursing Leaders” featured content and conversations facilitated by Nurse Executive Coaches Lyn McCright and Teresa Walding. Highlights included the importance of a resilience roadmap and how our individual thoughts can impact separate realities. Understanding the need to be present requires work from the inside out. This workshop offered tools to assist healthcare staff and leaders to focus on resilience and moving forward beyond this past year’s pandemic crisis.

Day 1: The Annual Conference opening keynote included a conversation around the impact and COVID experiences shared from the larger DFW metroplex perspective vs. the smaller rural settings. Steve Love and John Henderson described the importance of removing competitive barriers and promoting collaboration during the pandemic and the value in sharing people, knowledge and equipment resources.

COVID-19 Innovative Actions and Positive Outcomes included a moderator-led conversation with learning objectives highlighting best practices during COVID 19, discussions around leadership practices to support staff and maintain standards of care, plus an evaluation of lessons learned that can be sustained moving forward.

The next session included speakers from outside the walls of the healthcare setting. Two speakers from the Ft. Worth area who work with the area homeless provided insight into the pandemic impact. During 2020, their goal was to keep the homeless safe on the streets and develop strategies to feed and house them in shelters while limiting the spread of the virus. Lyndon B Johnson Hospital’s CNO and Director of Nursing analyzed financial and social implications of COVID-19 and the need for continued work around social disparities.

Day 2: TONL Talks is a popular session that we repeat annually where select poster presenters are asked to participate in a general session. This year we expanded into two sessions.

TONL Talks I:

Healthcare leaders discussed varied topics including: academic grace and acute setting partnerships during the pandemic; promoting Nursing Director resiliency; Meta-Leadership promoting blended teams of disaster contract staff and traditional staff.

TONL Talks II:

Healthcare leaders discussed limiting nurse burden during the pandemic with use of technology to connect isolated patients with their families. Best practices implemented included partnering with the family to define a designated contact for ongoing communication plus developing electronic record tools that optimize workflows and decrease documentation burden. The second poster panel presenter discussed the use of innovation and technology to connect leaders and staff virtually in addition to face to face moments to promote real time leadership and accountability.

Poster session: Virtual conference attendees had the opportunity to peruse ten posters from nursing colleagues and join face-to-face meeting rooms to ask questions about the presenters’ research, accomplishments and innovations. This year’s topics included:

• Managing nursing program during COVID hospital shutdowns and limited outside visitors, vendors and clinicians
• Meta-Leadership: Managing and Leading Blended Staff of Temporary and Regular Staff During the COVID 19 Pandemic
• Nursing Director Resiliency
• Policy to Change Skin to Skin Care During Cesareans
• Texas Health Frisco- WOW: Creating and Sustaining a Lasting Culture.
• Adversity, Innovation, Solution: A Hands-on Virtual Approach to Student Nurse Education During a Pandemic
• Answering the Call: Improving Communication during COVID-19 for Patients, Families & Healthcare Providers
• Pro-active Strategy to Improve Staff Engagement
• Real-Time Leadership in a Virtual environment in a VUCA World: Alignment, Accountability and Actions
• Resilience in Nurse Coaching Students: A Research Study

The conference closed with an uplifting session by motivational speaker Ed Archangel. Ed described the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and helped attendees understand our personal biases and our role as leaders in fostering diversity and inclusion.

Feedback from participants was very positive, and we are excited to have some ideas to launch planning for the 2022 event. Hope to see you there!

Respectfully submitted,

Gretchen L Hunt, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC, NEA-BC
Chair TONL Education Committee

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Additional in-depth session highlights from TONL Education Committee and Board Members:

Poster: Academic “Grace” during Pandemic Crisis: How a DNP-ENL Program met the Needs through a Unique Partnership – summary provided by TONL Education Committee member Gloria Loera, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Baylor University truly demonstrated client-centered care. However, in this case, students were the clients. As the pandemic began, healthcare providers rushed to obtain the necessary resources to meet the demand of healthcare services. Nurse leaders enrolled in Baylor’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Executive Nurse Leadership encountered additional obstacles. These individuals served in nursing leadership roles in various capacities from department director to chief nursing officer. Meeting their academic obligations while they were leading the charge against the pandemic posed additional challenges. Faculty collaborated with two cohorts of students by engaging in conversations regarding course curriculum and program progression. These discussions resulted with the following tactics implemented:

• Created a blog to share treatment protocols, best practices, and new processes.
  Initiated a group text with all students and course faculty to provide direct contact for peer support and engagement.
  Began daily journaling, as part of course curriculum, to capture all changes encountered in their work environments.
  Continue to leverage the use of technology within the program.

Through this collaboration, students experienced faculty support and flexibility to accomplish their academic goals.

TONL Talks Session I – summary provided by Nelson Tuazon, DNP, DBA, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, CPPS, CPXP, FNAP, FACHE, FAAN

The speakers during the first TONL Talks session provided insights on the journey of nurse leaders and executives toward the pursuit of their DNP amidst the pandemic; the promotion of resiliency and joy of work among nursing managers and directors; and leading a blended workforce – agency and regular staff – during a pandemic.

Sandy Haire, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE and Rita Haxton, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, faculty members, and Linda Plank, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, Interim Dean, Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing presented the topic Academic “Grace” during Pandemic Crisis: How a DNP-ENL Program met the Needs through a Unique Partnership. Using the Adam’s Influence Model (AIM), this DNP program emphasizes academic-practice partnership. One key strength of the curriculum is that nurse executives teach courses that promote innovative, real time modifications and strategies in response to the pandemic. DNP students who are full-time executives appreciate the emotional support provided to them and helped them rise above adversity. A significant outcome of the AIM model is the opportunity for the graduates to focus their efforts to achieve outcomes across practice, education, policy, and research.

Emily Weber, DNP, RN, CPN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, HCA Houston Healthcare Southwest shared practical and replicable strategies that she implemented at her facility. Dubbed as “Nursing Director Resiliency Program,” this innovative program focused on tactics that address burnout and fatigue among managers and directors as they led their teams during the pandemic. This program on promoting resiliency offers helpful recommendations that encompass self-care strategies and healthy workplace environment, along with the financial resources needed. Dr. Weber shared positive outcomes on the well-being of the managers and directors, the effect of the program on their own morale, and the resulting positive patient care outcomes.

Charles Reed, PhD, RN, CNRN, Vice President/Associate Chief Nursing Officer, University Health, shared his perspectives and experiences as he led a diverse workforce during the pandemic, particularly in regard to integrating agency staff with the regular staff. Dr. Reed’s presentation on “Meta-leadership: Managing and Leading a Blended Staff of Temporary (Travel/Agency) and Regular Staff during the COVID19 Pandemic” highlighted importance of focusing on leveraging the quality and safety culture of an organization during times of adversity. The presentation also showcases the lessons and pitfalls learned in the orientation, onboarding, and assimilation process of temporary (travel/agency) nurses during a pandemic.