The NICU Education Committee is made up of six extremely talented staff nurses and a nurse education safety specialist. The main focus for this group is to improve the care of the neonatal population through education and hands-on example. This committee goes above and beyond when planning educational opportunities for staff. The NICU Education Days that were held in the spring of 2019 were a prime example of the great work they do. The title of the 2019 activity was "Play It Safe" with a focus on patient safety and helping our tiniest patients. We dressed up in baseball gear with the nurse educator as the umpire to add fun to the day. We all brought in food to have at our "Concession Stand' so staff could eat and enjoy the day while learning. Staff learned a new way to secure and tape endotracheal tubes (ETT) that are smaller in diameter than a straw. Our rates of unplanned extubations decreased dramatically as we also taught ETT management. Other topics for the day included: induced hypothermia where staff answered questions and could practice with the cooling machine, neonatal hypotension and effects on the neonate, thermoregulation and how to keep our babies warm, and blood gas interpretation which gave staff a better understanding of blood gases and how to manage acidosis and alkalosis. As part of the education days, we also included a simulation of neonatal resuscitation and a hands-on review of the code cart using a scavenger hunt to find items needed for resuscitation. We incorporated documentation of a neonatal code in Epic via a WOW we brought with us to Knowles Hall. We included an Epic question and answer period for issues staff have had with Epic and the staff is much more skilled in their documentation. Last but not least we had an evacuation relay race using the evacuation equipment that we would use to evacuate our babies in a real emergency. The team bought prizes and candy for the staff as a reward for a job well done. This team works so well together. We all respect each other and have each other's backs. When some of us had to miss an educational session, other team members stepped in. One of the team members celebrated a birthday during one of the days and we all celebrated with her.
I have never been a part of a more caring, dedicated, and supportive team as this committee. When they see a chance to do education, they jump right in. They created our Education in a Minute face to face education with various current topics every other month. Staff really appreciate the face to face education. We started planning our 2020 Education Days in September 2019 with a Mardi Gras theme. Our newest member who joined in 2019 has worked tirelessly on a drug compatibility chart for the neonatal population with the help of our NICU pharmacist. She is also at the forefront of helping institute bolus from the bag for some of our narcotic drips which will help with neonatal pain management. Staff have really enjoyed the education they receive which in turn benefits the patients.
Comments from evaluations given at the end of our 2019 event when asked - "What impact do you predict participation in this educational experience will have on your professional development, practice, and/or patient outcomes?" Better care. More knowledge and skills. More confident in emergency situations, familiar with code cart and evacuation equipment. Improved charting/notes. Gas interpretation - better understood = better patient outcomes and education given to families. Will help with all aspects of NICU care. This had a positive impact on my nursing practice, thank you! Good refresher. Epic. Always great to reinforce/remind us of the skills we don't utilize often. Will improve my recognition and practice. Reinforces our daily tasks and reminds us of things we haven't done in a while. Feel more comfortable taping an ETT. More confidence in caring for infants in various situations.
Other comments: - Well done. Excellent job again all members excellent in their presentation and knowledge. Great program; learned much. Presenters were great. Very fun and educational. Very informative and fun! All provided with positive reinforcement. Fun, safe learning experience. Great job! Great teamwork focus. Everyone was very knowledgeable Learning was made in a fun and positive way. The education team always makes learning fun and topics are presented so thoroughly.
This team exemplifies the Cares values and Standards of Respect. Specific examples include:
Consistently provides patient-centered care by choosing topics to improve current patient care issues and improve outcomes (neonatal hypotension and medications we use very infrequently, induced hypothermia and improving how we give care, pressure injury identification and prevention, neonatal resuscitation and improvement in the documentation, blood gas interpretation and how we resolve problems, etc.).
Acting with integrity and building trust with the NICU staff. This team is always available to answer questions about patient care for staff and will go out of their way to help address issues with patients. The staff knows they can count on our team members to do what they say they will do (creating a how-to guide and poster for different safety needles/syringes that replaced our non-safe supplies - no more unintentional needle sticks).
Respecting one another by showing they care. This team goes out of their way and highlights what the standards of respect are about. They are always willing to listen and acknowledge the voice of others. We focus our education on what the staff needs and want based on staff suggestions and feedback. They share information based on the best evidence available. This team shows the staff that they are important, and they have a voice in what happens in the unit and are encouraged to give us suggestions. This team knows the value of sharing information with others and spends time with all the staff. The NICU Education Committee shares information in a friendly manner even though some staff gives them a hard time. They don't give up and are very patient even with the most difficult staff members.
Effecting Change through teamwork. This team works collaboratively to set goals at the beginning of the year for the sole purpose of improving patient care and giving the staff the tools they need to do that. Since the start of Epic, our education days have included question and answer sessions related to Epic issues our staff has had. The nurses had to go from paper documentation to Epic. All of our team members were superusers and this has helped staff and improve what happens at the bedside. We are currently in the process of making our flowsheet rows and documentation easier for the bedside nurse. Along with the flowsheet row upgrade, we are creating a documentation guide to help the nurse tell the patient story in Epic.
Supporting diverse communities. Our team recognizes diversity and treats everyone as an individual. We have highlighted aspects of care that include cultural differences (basic baby care, bereavement care, ethical dilemmas, etc.) when we create educational materials. When we create education for families, we get input from our NICU PFAC (Parent and Family Advisory Committee) so we can better serve what the families need.
One last note regarding the NICU Education Committee - We were all excited to plan our 2020 Education Days. It was going to be the best one yet and my last one as their nurse educator. We had a Mardi Gras theme because it was going to be a celebration of all the good we did throughout the years. We all purchased Mardi Gras outfits and other Mardi Gras themed items. Each station was going to include fun and games and lots of beads. We were even going to have varied drink stations (non-alcoholic of course). All the planning was complete. Then COVID-19 happened and destroyed all of our plans. Our team was devasted but worked hard to help keep our babies, parents, and staff safe during the pandemic. We had to look at education differently as the whole world changed around us. We decided as a team that COVID-19 was not going to defeat us. We are going to use our KEVIN (Keeping Education Visible in the NICU) cart to house various educational materials for this year. We will decorate the cart using some of our Mardi Gras items to help make learning more fun. The NICU Education Committee has a new-found strength, endurance, and flexibility and defines what it means by "Everyone Everyday".