Read the complete text of the successes of the Nursing team.*
The Alice Girard Award from the ORIIM/L
Congratulations to Valerie Frunchak, Clinical Administrative Coordinator, Professional Practice and Academic Affairs, who recently received the Alice Girard Award from the Regional Order of Nurses of Montreal/Laval. The award was presented by Luc Mathieu, President of the Order of Nurses of Quebec, in recognition for Ms. Frunchak’s exceptional career.
Over 200 people attended the Nursing Recruitment Fair
On September 28, our CIUSSS welcomed more than 200 nursing students or those seeking new professional opportunities. Initiated by Stephanie Klingman of the Human Resources Team, this activity allowed participants to familiarize themselves with a career in nursing in our CIUSSS.
Congress of the OIIQ: Coup de cœur Award for a CIUSSS poster
Congratulations to Sonia Boccardi and Denise Bédard, Nursing Clinical Consultants in Surgery, who won a $500 award for their poster “Early Detection of Patient Deterioration: A Step Towards Better Care.” It received the Coup de cœur Award in the poster session at the most recent Congress of the Order of Nurses of Quebec on November 5 and 6.
Partnership with Héma Québec
In March 2018, the Jewish General Hospital became one of nine provincial partners contributing to Héma Québec’s umbilical cord blood bank, the first and largest such bank in Canada.
Recognition by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
The JGH was recognized in May by the CNA for its exemplary support of the certification program for registered nurses. The Rossy Cancer Network received an honourable mention for promoting nursing certification in McGill University-affiliated hospitals through the Nursing Skills Enhancement Grants.
Telephone triage tool in Oncology
A symptom management hotline for cancer patients who receive active IV therapy is the current subject of a pilot project by the nursing team in the Outpatient Oncology Clinic. This telephone line is meant to improve the patient experience and access to care, while optimizing healthcare resources.
Care and breastfeeding of newborns
Two educational videos for new parents have been developed: Baby’s Bath Time and How to Place Your Baby in a Car Seat. Nurses are encouraging parents to view these videos and are suggesting that they give their baby his/her first bath, with assistance from the nurse, if necessary. With the implementation of a new breastfeeding project, a nurse was released to train the post-partum team in breastfeeding. Practices have been reviewed to provide quality care.
A heartfelt memento for grieving families
At the request of bereaved families, the staff of the JGH Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit can create a special memento: a heart-shaped pillow bearing the painted imprint of the hand of a loved one who has passed away while in the hospital.
Reduction of Independent Workforce (MOI) in rehabilitation
To improve the quality and safety of care, priority has been given to strengthening and stabilizing the nursing team by eliminating the MOI. Hours worked decreased from 15,044 in 2016-2017 to 10,078 in 2017-2018, a reduction of 33%. The complete elimination of the MOI is planned for 2018-2019.
Stroke continuum improvement
Since the introduction of the Stroke Code in the Emergency Department on March 30, 2015, the time required to perform brain tomography and thrombolysis has decreased drastically. Door-to-CT has dropped from 43 to 22 minutes, while door-to-needle has fallen from 91 to 53 minutes.
Positive impact of the musculoskeletal Integrated Practice Unit (IPU)
A team of multidisciplinary professionals and two patient representatives are reviewing the trajectory and experience of care for elderly patients with hip fractures. Key areas of improvement were identified: nutrition, hospital discharge process to rehabilitation, and the pre-operative information session. These initiatives have been started over this past year and all have shown positive outcomes. The length of stay for patients has decreased from 7.43 days (2016-2017) to 6.08 days (2017-2018).
Precare.ca: an initiative of our CIUSSS
Originating at the JGH in collaboration with Nursing, Precare.ca makes a series of guides available to patients ahead of a medical or surgical procedure. These short, animated guides have been produced in multiple languages and are easily accessible on any smartphone, tablet or computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The up-to-date documentation is evidence-based, to allow for optimal planning and to reduce anxiety and complications.
Leap-in: Leadership training for nurse managers
As part of the Ingram School of Nursing McGill Collaborative, a Leadership Advancement program in Nursing was designed for the CIUSSS in 2017. The Leap-in program aimed to strengthen individual leadership competencies and the nursing practice community. The program took place over nine months and included 12 workshops and 11 “booster” sessions. Twenty-five nurse managers across the healthcare network participated.
Ministerial targets exceeded: Health Assessment Training
Approximately 67% of CIUSSS nurses received 25 hours of teaching and mentorship in assessing the physical and mental condition of a symptomatic person (child, adult or senior). The MSSS’s target requires all healthcare institutions in Quebec to train or exempt 50% of nurses who meet the program criteria by March 31, 2018. As of August 31, this figure was at 72% for the CIUSSS.
$2 million grant for a nursing research project
The Nursing Directorate is an integral part of a groundbreaking research project, Transforming Nurses’ Work Environments Through a Strength-Based Leadership and Management Training Program. In addition to involvement by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, this project will include several collaborators, among them Christina Clausen, Nurse Coordinator at the JGH.
Appointment to the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University
Congratulations to Jessica Emed, who was recently appointed Assistant Dean, Health Professions Education, in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. In addition to lecturing at the Ingram School of Nursing, Ms. Emed was a Senior Nursing Counselor in our CIUSSS. She previously served as Assistant to the Director of Nursing and Clinical Nurse Specialist, Acute Medicine, and was part of the Thrombosis Team at the JGH.
JGH Evolution Program
This transition program is aimed at supporting new graduates and nurses during their first months of work on a new unit. Developed by Isabelle Bilodeau, Nursing Consultant Manager, and supported by unit clinical educators and nursing managers, the program offers a safe learning environment in which to develop new nurses’ clinical skills and advanced knowledge as they integrate into the nursing team.
Six expert mentors in Nursing
More than six members of JGH Nursing staff have participated as “expert mentors” in the Nightingale Fellows Mentorship Program, developed by McGill University’s Ingram School of Nursing, in collaboration with the JGH and the MUHC. The objective of the Nurse Peer Mentoring Project is to facilitate the transition of students who are enrolled in a nursing program, and to meet the needs of graduating students.
22nd International Congress on Palliative Care
The work of JGH Palliative Care staff was showcased during McGill University’s International Congress on Palliative Care this past October. Some professionals explained how strength-based nursing care has been integrated into their practice and what the outcomes have been for patients, their families and themselves as professionals.
Improving access to health care
Two new Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners (PHCNP)
The Nursing Directorate is proud to promote the role of the PHCNP. The CIUSSS has 20 frontline PHCNPs (at FMGs) and two in Cardiology (at the JGH). Two new PHCNPs in Adult Care joined the Internal Medicine-Hematology team this past October.
Prescriptions by nurses
As of August 2018, 235 nurses from our CIUSSS had obtained the right to write prescriptions, authorized by the Order of Nurses of Quebec. This right is recognized by the Regulation Respecting Certain Professional Activities That May Be Performed by a Nurse, adopted in January 2016.
*The success stories of seven additional directorates will be presented in 2019.
