Revitalizing Nursing Education Sharon Vasuthevan NEA 2009 Conference
Revitalizing Nursing EducationSharon Vasuthevan
NEA 2009 Conference
Discussion Points
• Concepts
• The Burning Platform
• Clarity
• Managing Change
• Collaboration
• Leadership
• Conclusion
Concepts
• Ignite– To cause to burn.– To set fire to.– To subject to great heat, especially to make luminous by heat.– To arouse the passions of; excite
• Revitalize– To impart new life or vigor to – To make more lively or active – Restore strength – Regenerate/renew - reestablish on a new, usually improved,
basis or make new or like new;
The Burning Platform
• Common wisdom is that you need a “Burning Platform” to cause change.
• A burning platform describes a crisis so painful that you are forced to act.
• The classic image is that of an offshore oil rig on fire. The prospect of jumping into the ocean is so perilous that the workers won’t jump until it’s clear that remaining on the rig means certain death.
Burning Issues
• Nursing shortage• New qualifications• Lack of midwives• Status of nursing
colleges & schools• Changes in education• Economic downturn
Burning Issues
• The ability to identify “burning” issues” and separate them from the routine challenges of the day will have a great effect on our willingness to accept change
• Learning anxieties are the basis for resistance to change • Survival anxieties, in contrast, are those painful
realizations that in order to succeed, we have to change. • Survival anxiety is greater than learning anxiety.
A GOOD CRISIS SHOULDN’T BE WASTED!
Opportunities for Revitalization
• Clarity
• Change Management
• Collaboration
• Leadership
• Nursing Activism
Clarity
• Have a vision of the end result
• What do we collectively want in nursing?
Clarity
• Do we have absolute clarity on our burning issues?
• Do we have a clear vision of our nursing education system
• Do we know what it is going to take to train an adequate number of nurses for our healthcare services?
• Is the training of enrolled midwives urgently necessary?
Focus
Nursing Resources
Quality practice
Success
Crystallize the issues
• Keep asking questions
• Check understanding
• Prioritize
• Have a game plan in terms of tackling issues
• Win the battle and the war
Change Management
What got us here, won’t get us there!
Change is disruptive
• Control became an issue• Fears are raised• Opportunities seen
Previous State
CurrentState
Effects of Change on Nurse Educators
Optimism
Shock
Denial
Anger Bargaining
Testing
Acceptance
Adapting
TIME
Nursing Qualifications
Future State
Previous State
CurrentState
Managing ChangeTowards a new nursing
education system
Collaboration
Unity of Effort
Collective action does not mean homogeny
Get Organized
• Share current information
• Lobby on relevant issues
• Make representations to top level persons
• Protect our interest• Encourage
participation
Information is power!
Be at the cutting edge!
• Education issues• Practice issues• Healthcare issues• Global issues
Get involved
• Present papers• Write about your
experiences• Set high standards for
yourself• Share success stories• Engage in research• Recognize good work• Strive for excellence
Leadership
3 Ts
• Nursing Leadership– Talent– Training– Trenches
If you stop learning,
you stop leading
Nursing Activism
• Hot and cold on nursing issues – rehashing the same issues
• Someone else job to take forward
• Too busy with activities
Nursing Activism
• Be moved to act on an individual, institutional, country basis
• Everyone should be an activist for nursing• Have a set of principles to which you
strongly adhere• Have an opinion or position on issues• Take a standCHANGE OURSELVES FROM ACTIVITIES
TO ACTIVISM!
Future Vision for Nursing
Conclusion
Making a Difference in Nursing Education
Doing different things
and
Doing things differently
Thank You