Connect

UVA Health has kicked off its new Press Ganey Nurse Leader Development Program with almost two dozen UVA Health nurse leaders in the first cohort. The eight-class series — offered quarterly — elevates the leadership acumen and professional capabilities of nurse leaders.

The program also can help nurses transition into new leadership roles — and help experienced nurse leaders focus on competencies or skills to strengthen or prepare for national nursing leadership certification exams.

Actionable Solutions

According to Press Ganey, the program’s main focus is on the operational framework essential for success, with one of the goals of helping “healthcare organizations take the data around their operational challenges — including nurse retention, turnover, and staff engagement and satisfaction, both at a staff and a leader level — and develop actionable solutions.”

“The Press Ganey curriculum provides a standardized approach to training and developing a strong nursing leadership team,” explains Drew Ellen Gogian, EdD, MSN, RN, Nursing Professional Development Specialist – Lead. “It provides a progressive and comprehensive learning journey to nursing professionals — ultimately empowering them to excel as influential leaders and positively impact patient outcomes and overall care quality.”

“Investment in nurse leadership development is a true gift to nurse leaders who feel passionate about their responsibilities and are striving to support their teams and their patients,” hails Kathy Baker, PhD, RN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, UVA Health University Medical Center. “It’s an absolute pleasure to see the potential in nurse leaders unleashed when we invest in their development and they obtain the skills and confidence they need to succeed in their roles.”

Raising the Bar

The program is earning rave reviews from the first cohort. Felisha Tyree, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Nurse Manager, Women’s Health Inpatient Services, says she’s grateful for the privilege of participating. “The curriculum is power packed with information that encourages me to reflect, reboot, and lean into what evidence tells us is best practice on how to show up in leading our teams.”

Tyree looks forward to each session thinking, “This is going to be my favorite class!” But then she finds out the next class also focuses on what she needs to learn. “The classes, information, student engagement, and incredible instructors add up to a refreshing bundle! UVA Health has raised the bar on lifting the vital role nurse managers play in developing our teams and each other. I’m humbled to be part of such an inclusive organization that lives up to its strategic plan initiatives of strengthening our foundation, and cultivating healthy communities and belonging for all.”

Tyree adds that “the investment and enthusiastic energy” dedicated by Baker to growing nursing leadership is evident in this program.

Empowering and Enabling

Christopher Henderson, RN, transitioned from a bedside nurse role into an assistant nurse manager role in the same UVA Health University Medical Center unit in fall 2023.

“One thing I’ve struggled with is being able to create boundaries, but the Nurse Leader Development Program has challenged me to not focus on the struggle of the promotion — but utilize this unique opportunity to connect and advocate for those on the ‘Transplant Tribe’ in a way that any other person in my position would not be able to, while also presenting tools to help understand the backend of management without overloading me.”

Henderson adds that the program packs a lot of information into each session. “Prepare to be a sponge and soak up as much as you possibly can. Learning about the differences between coaching and feedback, creating a vision for a unit, having crucial conversations, and bringing this new light to the care continuum helps me to refocus my sights on patient care through empowering and enabling those I lead.”

For more information on the Nurse Leader Development Program at UVA Health, contact Drew Ellen Gogian.