Action Plan to Improve Performance

      Because the data collected showed that the errors were in part due to nursing negligence, education of the nursing staff is a major part of the action plan to improve performance of antibiotic usage. Education will include the purpose of collecting the data on antibiotic administration, the importance of antibiotic administration and the consequences that arise when the medication is not administered or administered improperly. Each month the data will be presented in the performance improvement meeting and disseminated to all of the committee members. Either this data will show an increase in compliance, a decrease in compliance, or here have been no changes in compliance. This information will be posted on the unit to show how well or how poorly the staff compliance has been; hopefully this posting will spark a drive in the staff to be strive to do better. October’s data is the baseline for the months to follow, all data collected after October hopefully will show a decrease in errors of antibiotic usage.

Evaluation

      An evaluation of each month’s data will be discussed in the monthly staff meeting. No matter how well or how poorly the staff is doing, there will always be room for the staff to improve their performance. During this meeting attempts at nursing empowerment will be made by giving positive feedback and reiterating the necessary mindsets that are needed and welcoming the behaviors of staff that support quality and productivity (Marquis &Huston, 2009).

Conclusion

      It is extremely important for all disciplines in the hospital work together to provide excellent care to the veterans of the VAMC. For all staff members to actively take part in SCIP there must be a transformational leader who utilizes the many attributes needed to motivate the staff towards excellence, instill autonomy, and empower the staff to think critically. Gilkey (1999) suggested that “four major initiatives will be prominent in nursing’s journey toward to the future. They include nursing professionals’ relationships with physicians and other health professionals; the way the profession meets its accountabilities to the public, the composition, and development of the nursing workforce, and the adaptation of nursing science to changing practice” (p. 5).

      The changing practices include the CNL encouraging and pushing nurses to become actively involved in shared governance and becoming responsible for the roles that they play on their units. These nurses must recognize that nursing is changing from just patient care and many more tasks are being expected of the nursing staff to accomplish. Effectiveness in performance measures and excellence after performance improvement will paramount in the nursing leader’s role. The nursing workforce is made up of many cultures, ages, and educational backgrounds. Diversity will continue because nursing will be in the mainstream of education.

The incorporation of performance measures and quality outcomes in tomorrow’s basic nursing curriculum will only further prepare the nurse for a rewarding career. 
 

References

      De Pree, M.  (2003).  What is leadership?  Ch. 5.  The Jossey-Bass Reader on Business Leadership.  Jossey- Bass Publishers, Retrieved 5/1/08 from eBook Collection 

      Hall, L. M., Doran, D, & Pink, G. H. (2004). Nurse staff models, nursing hours, and patient safety outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration. 34(1). Retrieved November 15, 2008 from Oakland University, Moodle.

      Halverson, P., K. (1999). Leadership skills and strategies for the integrated community health system. The 21st Century Health Care Leader. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved 5/14/08 from eBook Collection.

      Krause, T. (2007).  The effective safety leader: leadership style and best practices.  The Magazine of Safety, Health and Loss Prevention, Occupational Hazards 69(12), 19.  Retrieved 4/10/08 from ProQuest.

      Marquis, B. & Huston, C., (2009). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

      Mills, S. (2007).  Adapt leadership styles to achieve objectives.  Fire Engineering.  Retrieved 4/30/08 from www.FireEngineering.com

      Piccolo, R. & Colquitt, J.A. (2006). Transformational Leadership and job behaviors:  the mediating role of core job characteristics. Academy of Management Journal 49(2), 327-340.  Retrieved 5/2/08 from Ebscohost

      Wheatley, M. (2000). Goodbye, command and control.  The Jossey-Bass Reader on Educational Leadership.  Jossey-Bass Publishers.  Retrieved 5/14/08 from eBook Collection

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