TONL Monthly
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April 2020
TONL News & Updates
  
By Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, CSP, CEO & Founder, Healthy Workforce Institute
 
There is an epidemic of bullying and incivility in healthcare that not only affects morale and turnover, but it also affects patient outcomes. The problem is that front line leaders do not always understand how to deal with the bad behavior of their employees, especially the employees who are so clinically competent.
Dear Colleagues,
 
Thank you for attending the Texas Organization for Nursing Leadership (TONL) conference. Your support for our conference and sponsors consistently generates an early sell out of available seats and sponsor space.
Keynote address by Renee Thompson:
 
Renee challenged the entire room to relish the reasons we all became nurses in the first place. While we are frequently referred to as angels and/or heroes, as nurses we downplay that thought because this is what we do. Instead we need to embrace that and use our powers to influence others in positive ways. She also challenged us to have our “game” face on whenever we walk across the threshold into our place of work. Continuously learn and educate ourselves so that we can enhance our colleagues professional life. Lastly, we need to take care of ourselves and have some fun. Renee demonstrated through her personal stories how honorable and respected nurses truly are and that we need to conduct “laugh yoga” during our daily huddles. We really are heroes by choice and need to celebrate all of our successes.
By TaTaka Perry-Johnson, MSN, RN-BC, CCM, Tracy Cotner-Pouncy, RN, TCRN, & Nelson Tuazon, DNP, DBA, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, CPPS, FNAP, FACHE
 
Abstract
As the largest group of  healthcare professionals, nurses at all levels and in all specialties have the opportunity to become active participants in the life-saving campaign known as Stop the Bleed (STB). This poster highlights the journey of a group of professional associations (The San Antonio Nursing Consortium – SANC) in partnering with the University Health System Trauma Services Department to promote the STB campaign. Using the prescribed teaching outline, training materials, and equipment, nurses joined forces to educate the public from being by-standers to becoming first responders before the healthcare professionals arrive. Statistics, actions, and recommendations are provided to communicate the urgency and significance of the STB.
TONL will be posting COVID-19 Resources for TONL Members at the following link: https://www.texasnurse.org/page/covid-19-resources.

Check back often for additional information as it becomes available.
Dear TONL members,

Nurse executives in a senior management position within an acute care facility including Chief Nursing Officers, nurse directors, nurse managers, and executive nursing officers with at least one year of experience in this role are requested to participate in a survey for a research study titled “Qualifications of Executive Nurses for Service on Hospital Boards.” The nature of this study includes the utilization of a quantitative survey focused evaluation of senior level nurses’ abilities and qualifications using The Center for Healthcare Governance (CHG) assessment tool through voluntary participation of American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL), Texas Organization of Nurse Leaders (TONL), and Texas Nurse Practitioners (TNP) members.
  
Dr. Paula Webb, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, is the Associate Professor at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Nursing in Lubbock, Texas. Dr. Webb was recently honored for her contributions as a preeminent nursing leader through her induction as an inaugural Fellow for the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. She is an active volunteer board member of professional and community organizations and has led numerous initiatives to improve nursing practice and healthcare in Texas.
Summary of session “State of Healthcare and Trends” by Steve Love, President/CEO of Dallas-Ft. Worth Hospital Council.
 
Mr. Love started his presentation with a look at Medicaid in Texas and how 20% of Texans rely on Medicaid for their health insurance (about 4 million people). In 2016, 40 billion was spent on Medicaid programs, but despite this, Texas still has the highest uninsured rate in the country (about 20% of Texans) while only about 25% of providers in Texas accept Medicaid. Mr. Love highlighted the need to consider Medicaid spending on addressing social determinates of health, citing some staggering statistics about Texas having some of the highest maternal death rates in the nation.
  
By: Nancy Crider & Cindy Plonien
 
Re: State Survey on Nurses’ Experiences with EHRs
 
The TONL/TNA HIT Committee has launched a Repeat HIT Survey to re-evaluate and incorporate changing needs of Texas nurses in usability, interoperability, safety and quality of the electronic record in caring for patients. At present, 1,000 responses have been received. Rural proportions continue to be low, but they are improving at 12%, was 20% in 2015. Responses not proportionate for known EHR providers, specifically of concern is the missed feedback from nurses using Cerner EHR – currently underrepresented at 8%.
UTHealth
Nursing Leadership
Nurse.com
Just as patients rely on nurses for accurate information, nurses are relying on their leaders to help meet their needs during this time.
HealthLeaders
Representatives from a dozen nursing organizations have weighed in with administration officials on issues related to nurses and COVID-19.
Nurse.com
One key to being an effective leader is to listen effectively to staff.
HealthLeaders
A new organizational approach focusing on empathy has yielded some positive results.
Education and Events
Dear NOBC Member Affiliates,
 
Nurses serving on boards contributes to improved health and healthcare for individuals, families and communities. In order to prepare nurses for these important roles, the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) is proud to offer “Empowering Nurse Leaders to Impact the Community through Board Service” created by the Texas Healthcare Trustees, a state-wide organization dedicated to inspiring excellence in health care governance. This newly developed, innovative, and free resource is a series of five videos with accompanying workbooks that cover essential content in preparing for board service. Although much of the content refers to hospital examples, the concepts and skills are applicable for nurses in any setting. Please access the new training website here.
Scholarships were awarded to the following recipients for the TONL Annual Conference held in Dallas.
 
Ronda Crow
Golda Manalili
Angie Ross
Mercedes Lopez
Rebecca Foster
SuLynn Mester
Lauri Schisel
Shawntay Harris
Michael Turturro
Ashley Autrey
SuLynn Mester
Allen Overturf
Kristine DeButy
  
The American Nurses Association (2019) has estimated an alarming and ever rising number of seasoned nurses leaving the work force within the next three years, calling for organizations to reface and reframe their retention and recruitment strategies to prevent turnover and vacancies. I myself, as a nurse leader, am faced with this alarming fact, not just a statistic, the challenge very palpable, in my current workforce, it is essential that I take the opportunity to assist in developing strategies and innovative means of combatting staffing issues that keep most nursing leaders awake at night.
Healthcare Industry
Reuters
Across the country, home healthcare providers are struggling to deal with the implications of the coronavirus pandemic for their industry.
Practice and Patient Care
NPR Shots
Nurses around the country are doing what they can to remain supplied with personal protective equipment in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Daily Nurse
A new study has found significantly higher levels of burnout among nurses who work 12-hour shifts.
Members in the News
Dallas Morning News
In light of the existing nursing shortage in Texas, several nurse leaders have welcomed the nursing waivers announced recently by Governor Abbott.