Investing in continuing education: Using creativity to educate
Continuing education for nurses is vital for maintaining competence, adapting to new practices and ensuring the highest standards of patient care. Opportunities to reinforce foundational skills and knowledge as well as promote new learning are crucial in an ever-evolving healthcare environment.
In 2024, clinical education specialists Kimberly Howe, MSN, RN, CCRN, and Natalie France, MSN, RN, CCRN, SANE, NPD-BC, organized and launched the pediatric intensive care unit( PICU) Olympics at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Incorporating the excitement of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games into an educational event for registered nurses and clinical assistants, the team launched the event with a creative video showcasing the PICU leadership team running an Olympic-style torch into the hospital. The events were designed to help teams return to foundational practices, reinforce existing knowledge and acquire new skills. For three weeks, more than 90 % of PICU team members participated in various activities with themes such as back to basics, safe workplace environment, teamwork, clinical excellence and more. The event was a huge success and was shared with the system-wide Professional Development Council to enable other departments to adopt this creative approach that infused clinical education with a spirit of competition and fun.
Investing in our community: Public policy training
As an ANCC Magnet-designated organization, Children’ s Colorado embodies a robust professional practice model, including integrating public policy advocacy into its work. Nursing colleagues have a unique position to view how public policy can impact each patient’ s specific needs. Laura Pickford, MSN, RN, CPN, clinical practice specialist, Community Health Programs, recognized an opportunity to educate and empower nurses on this critical role to impact policy and improve health outcomes for children.
Pickford partnered with the Children’ s Colorado Government Affairs team to develop training to improve nurses’ skills and confidence in public policy advocacy. She strategically crafted an impactful and engaging day at the Colorado State Capitol Building that included a course on Colorado civics, a meeting with a senator, a review of Children’ s Colorado’ s policy priorities and a walk through of the Capitol to understand the legislative process. For this inaugural training, 15 nurse leaders participated in these events with plans to expand it to more team members in 2025.
Pickford noted that nurses who are trained in political advocacy are more apt to promote effective policy development in their departments, throughout the organization and in their communities. Her efforts to provide training, and the resulting increase in nurse participation in advocacy, will directly and positively impact health outcomes, address social inequities and improve and promote the advancement of the nursing profession.
Investing in career growth: Emergency transport team
After working for six years as a Children’ s Colorado neonatal intensive care unit( NICU) nurse, Kwang Soo‘ Sam’ Hong, BSN, RN, C-ELBW, RNC-NIC earned a coveted spot on the Children’ s One emergency transport team in 2024.
“ It’ s definitely a very difficult job,” Hong told KOAA News in a story spotlighting the life-saving specialty care the pediatric flight team provides.“ The reason why I keep coming back is for those families, the trust that they have in us.”
Children’ s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs NICU Associate Clinical Manager Kelsie Border, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, C-NPT, C-ONQS, former flight nurse herself, emphasized the flight position role requires a high level of skill and expertise, including at least four years of experience in a NICU, PICU, CICU, or emergency department, preferably in a pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center. With her previous flight nurse experience, she stepped in to mentor Hong through this process and offer guidance and targeted coaching to help him succeed in this challenging position.“ I am so proud to see him thrive as a flight nurse and look forward to watching his continued growth,” Border says.
The on-boarding process is about 6 months long. All team members spend time in the ICUs at Children’ s Colorado, Anschutz as part of their on-boarding before becoming a full member of the team. The flight nurses and respiratory therapists spend time in the operating room every quarter to maintain intubation skills, along with quarterly patient simulations, equipment check offs and education presentations at team meetings.
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