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Steering committees: Community members keep communication open

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, February 14, 2006

If you choose to form a ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® (MRP) steering committee to oversee your organization through the process, you probably know that these committees come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, at Washoe Medical Center's main campus in Reno, NV, project leaders incorporated representatives from outside of the hospital into the facility's steering council. The group is comprised of community members such as

• the director of nursing for the Nevada Hospital Association
• a state senator who has nursing experience
• the executive director of Nevada's state board of nursing
• deans and directors of the area's local nursing programs
• a member of the hospital's board of governors

Hospital council members include

• a hospital administrator
• the CEO of Washoe Medical Center's healthcare system
• the CNO
• the project director
• the director of professional practice
• the director of clinical research
• a physician representative
• a director of nursing from one of the system's other hospitals
• a staff nurse who chairs the hospital shared governance council

The council's goals are to guide the designation process by supporting staff and community members, and to remove barriers to nursing excellence, such as a lack of communication or support for the journey. In addition to the steering council, the hospital created an internal team of five people who meet weekly to work on the finer details of the application process. The nurse administrator, CNO, director of professional practice, director of clinical research, and the project director work together on this team.

Source: The tip above is printed with permission of Wendy Merchant, MSN, RN, MRP coordinator, Washoe Medical Center, Reno, NV

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