hese were some of the words we heard when rounding this past spring as part of the Department of Nursing Health Taskforce. Try as we might to communicate often and effectively, in a 24/7 organization with a department of over 6,500 professionals, it’s clear we need a better way to stay connected.
Building a Nursing Community of Practice
We have developed a dedicated Community of Practice to support the vast communication needs of the Department of Nursing.
Communities of practice (CoP) are an evidence-based method for professional learning. CoP’s bring together groups with a shared interest—virtually and in-person—to learn from each other and improve over time.
Here's what you can expect:
Better, more frequent updates. We’ll share must-know updates in our monthly department-wide email newsletter: “Nursing Community of Practice.” All issues will be archived here on Pulse. Updates will be bulleted and linked directly to details—no hunting for information! We’ll also include 1-pagers and materials to support in-person meetings and discussions.
Peer insight sharing. Partnering with Accelerate Learning Community, we will continuously develop and share articles that explain complex topics, highlight teams and individuals from throughout our department, and learn together by exploring topics in health care equity, improvement, leadership, and resilience.
Department of Nursing-led development. Anyone in the Department of Nursing is welcome to contribute articles, team highlights, and/or best practices. An editorial team of frontline experts with communications talent will help identify topics, provide peer review, and guide content development.
Trust and Transparency
The Department of Nursing is large—we span 18 hospitals and clinics all over the Wasatch front. 6,500+ nursing professionals and clinical support team members represent over 200 different roles— the engine behind nearly two million patient visits every year. Connection across this group is no small feat, but we’re committed to you.
Real teams know each other, trust each other, and wouldn’t want to let each other down. Our goal is to increase transparency through our communications and build greater connection across our department.
Stay tuned and look forward to our “Nursing Community of Practice” newsletter every other Friday.
Bridgette Maitre
Expert communicators Emily Izzo and Bridgette Maitre share how to ask open-ended questions to encourage conversation and promote meaningful connection.
Chris Fairbank, director of organizational development, gives practical advice for using feedback from the Hospitals and Clinics WellCheck survey as a springboard for dialogue and growth, rather than a yardstick of personal leadership.
Chief Wellness Officer Amy Locke shares practical strategies for leaders to address the real tension we’re feeling between the desire to take a break and the increasing workload.
