President, Professional Nursing Staff
I am honored to share the Professional Nursing Staff's (PNS) fiscal year 2024 accomplishments. Throughout the year, we celebrated 40 years since the inception of PNS. While nursing has evolved over the last four decades, our commitment to the guiding principles of PNS has not changed. RUSH nurses continue to advocate for their practice and strive to ensure that we provide high-quality care and that our nurses are involved in decision-making.
The COVID-19 pandemic will always be integrated into the history of nursing and has changed the vision of nursing and healthcare. As we continued to navigate our lives back to in-person, PNS emphasized the goal of re-engaging our nursing staff. We aimed to increase accountability and participation within committees by encouraging in-person attendance and involving nurses in the actionable items within the committees.
To arm nurses with knowledge and transparency around hospital operations, the PNS Staffing and Finance Committee worked to educate and deliver information on our hospital’s financial performance every quarter. Recognizing the incredible work nurses do across the organization; we aimed to connect nurses who presented through RN3 to other nurses doing similar projects. This led to increased participation within committees, collaboration across various service lines, and a sense of value and belonging for our nurses involved in these initiatives.
As PNS officer rounding continued to be a significant focus, we found an opportunity to grow the continuing education (CE) offerings through the PNS Education Committee and tailor them to the specific asks and needs of nurses. Abby Brandt, BSN, RN, CMSRN, PNS president-elect, spearheaded the initiative. She analyzed the learner needs assessment and collected insights from nurses across the organization. She organized live and recorded opportunities for nurses to receive CEs.
Community engagement and connection to our future healthcare professionals remain a priority for PNS. We welcomed the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls residents to an event designed to inspire them to pursue careers in healthcare. We presented a health and hygiene program at R. Nathaniel Dett Elementary School in our West Side anchor mission community. These opportunities allow us to continue to inspire the community and bring our Rush I-Care values outside of campus.
In addition to connecting with the community, we partnered with the Rush University College of Nursing to support Doctor of Nursing practice projects working to improve Shared Governance. We also collaborated with the Student Nurses Association on educational events and worked with a student to analyze and improve our professional practice model.
We ended the fiscal year with a momentous event celebrating the last four decades of shared governance. This event was a testament to the power and impact of the nursing voice. Attendees included new graduates and nurses who can share our 40 years of Rush history. We celebrated our accomplishments over the years and gained inspiration and pride in Rush's future.
While these are only some of the achievements this fiscal year, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge all our nurses' commitment to Rush and the profession. I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve as PNS president, demonstrating excellence and dedication to this amazing profession. I know that the future of Rush nursing is bright.
Sincerely,
Rachael Simoneau, BSN, RNC-NIC
President, Professional Nursing Staff