Nursing Newsletters

Briefings on Evidence-Based Staff Development (formerly The Staff Educator) HCPro's Advisor to the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® Strategies for Nurse Managers

This newsletter is your monthly resource for the latest news, tips, and trends regarding staff education in healthcare

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

Briefings on Evidence-Based Staff Development (formerly The Staff Educator)

Issue 12, December 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Practical strategies for filling staff development vacancies

  When a staff development professional leaves your  organization, do you simply assume that a...

• Evaluating outcomes demonstrates value of education

  Nursing professional development is a specialized nursing practice that promotes the professional...

• Collaboration and teamwork facilitate integration of the Synergy Model into acute care practice

  The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ (AACN) Synergy™ Model is based on the...

• Assessing the link between certification, patient outcomes, and nursing behaviors

  As educators, we place great emphasis on the effect of continuing education and training and on the...

• Subscriber letter

  Subscriber letter

Issue 11, November 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Mandatory madness:  Transforming training from a burden to a pleasure

  It’s that dreaded time of year again. All staff members must complete annual mandatory...

• What is it you do? Explaining the role of staff development

  When asked to report on staff development activities, many staff development specialists (SDS) use...

• Performance gap or knowledge deficit? Investigate before you educate

  Staff development specialist (SDS) time is a valuable yet scarce commodity, so we must identify...

• Take advantage of online resources

  For busy staff development professionals, it’s useful to stay up to date with the latest...

Issue 10, October 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Enhancing brain function, facilitating learning, and improving outcomes

  As educators, we are asked to enhance outcomes, demonstrate results, and provide evidence of return...

• What is it you do? Explaining the role of staff development

  Have you ever had a colleague ask you, “What is it you actually do?” Have you been able...

• Hot topics from the 2010 NNSDO convention

  NNSDO is the professional association representing more than 3,000 staff development specialists...

• Revisions to the Nursing Professional Development Scope & Standards of Practice

  An updated edition of the Nursing Professional Development Scope & Standards of Practice was...

Issue 9, September 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Helping nurses climb the clinical ladder

  Does your organization have a process for clinical advancement? Do many nurses pursue advancement...

• Keeping it real: Standardized patients bring training  to a whole new level

  Are you a staff development educator who uses simulation techniques? Do you sometimes wonder how...

• Orientation tips for proficient staff development specialists

  I recently had a conversation regarding the orientation and professional growth of proficient staff...

• Resources for patient safety information

  Patient safety initiatives are critical to all aspects of patient care. The Joint...

Issue 8, August 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Seeing the big picture: Facilitating critical thinking in new nurses

  Critical thinking is the ability to recognize problems and raise questions, gather evidence to...

• Characterizing staff development specialists according to Benner's levels of expertise

  There are several reasons for characterizing staff development specialists. Clinical nurses are...

• Using benchmarks to evaluate continuing education

  Benchmarking is a systematic process of evaluating the work processes of organizations based on...

• Improving the tracer process

  The word “tracer” is sometimes interpreted negatively by staff. They perceive it as a...

Issue 7, July 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The verdict is in: Mock trials are guilty of teaching learners

  Mock trials are similar to debates since learners must review literature, gather evidence, and...

• Importance of nursing professional development specialists to implementing shared decision-making

  Whether your organization is new to shared governance or is trying to revitalize a current program...

• Improve communication with these teaching strategies for the classroom

  Have you ever heard any of the following? Did you see the e-mail that the manager just sent...

• Joint Commission readiness: Improve the focus of your PPR

  The Periodic Performance Review (PPR) is an annual self-assessment process designed to enhance...

Issue 6, June 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Professional development: Professional growth and development of educators

  As staff development specialists, we generally focus our time and attention on the continuing...

• Patient safety: Facilitating the establishment of a just culture

  Just culture refers to a values-supportive model of shared accountability. It’s a culture...

• Teaching strategies: Staff development challenge: Best practices for dealing with resistant learners

  All staff development specialists face the challenge of motivating learners who are reluctant to...

• Joint Commission readiness: Pay attention to subtle changes in Survey Activity Guide

  The Survey Activity Guide (SAG) was last updated by The Joint Commission in February. According to...

Issue 5, May 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• A vision for staff development: Is a vice presidency in your future? 

  Staff development specialists have always believed in the intrinsic value of our services. We know...

• A culture of trust: Staff development?s role in enhancing organizational culture

  As an educator, how many times have you been asked to participate in changing a culture? The...

• Practical strategies for delivering education about ethics

  Ethical dilemmas occur with increasing frequency in the healthcare environment. Examples of...

• Patient education: Preparing written materials at the appropriate reading level

  Patient education remains a problematic standard. Many, if not all, healthcare organizations rely...

Issue 4, April 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Credibility: Strategies to enhancing your influence

  Author’s note: I am the director of employee and organizational development at Aurora Health...

• Staff development on the evening and night shifts:  Tips for providing meaningful learning experiences

  Providing learning opportunities for evening and night shift staff requires innovation and...

• Recruitment and retention: Combating the nurse shortage

  Market-savvy healthcare organizations have implemented workforce development strategies to address...

• Follow these tips to meet requirements for most-cited standards

  Staff development specialists are essential to Joint Commission preparedness. We...

Issue 3, March 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Orientation: Incorporating legal  perspectives into orientation

  You probably address legal concepts when talking about documentation, medication administration...

• Teaching/learning strategies: Growing the emerging field of simulation in healthcare

  Author’s note: I have worked in staff development and academic teaching as a nurse educator...

• Survey preparation: Every day is a Joint Commission day

  Author’s note: I am the director of accreditation and clinical professional development at...

• Joint Commission readiness: Complying with medication storage requirements

  Joint Commission experts identify medication storage as a problem, even though storage requirements...

Issue 2, February 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Dear Staff Educator Subscriber

  Dear Staff Educator Subscriber

• Passing the professional development certification exam: Tips for success

  Becoming certified in professional development is a way of gaining professional recognition while...

• Meeting challenges when building and implementing a successful orientation program

  Author’s note: My name is Diana Swihart, PhD, DMin, MSN, CS, RN-BC. I am the director of the...

• The importance of establishing a mission, vision, and values for staff development

  We are often so busy with the daily tasks of staff development that we may forget the importance of...

• Crash cart checks: Over-interpretation can lead to citation

  According to experts, certain standards are continually cited. Sometimes these citations are due to...

Issue 1, January 1, 2010 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Do your orientees need help with critical thinking skills? Try concept mapping

  Helping nurses develop and enhance their critical thinking skills is part of the staff development...

• Developing the next generation of leaders

  It takes a special person to be a mentor, as being one requires time, energy, and commitment to the...

• Perspectives of adult education: Strategies for tailoring training to meet adult learners’ needs

  Theoretical perspectives of adult education serve as useful guidelines for educators by helping...

• Prepping for surveys: Dealing with the most frustrating standards

  Maintaining a constant state of readiness is a challenging prospect. The following are some tips...