Q. Can I really make a difference?
Yes! There are many examples of staff working to make a difference. ***Click here*** for an award-winning example from LeAnn Grimes, Charge Nurse on 4 East.
Q. What types of things can Unit/Clinic Boards make decisions about?
Typically Unit/Clinic Boards focus on evidence-based patient/family care and service issues; education topics such as staff development ideas and patient education concerns; quality of work environment topics such as staffing and scheduling, celebrating one another, and communication; and quality and safety topics. The manager of the unit/clinic should always be involved so that he/she can lend guidance and organizational perspectives.
Q. What is consensus decision-making and why are we to strive for that first?
A consensus decision is one agreed to after all perspectives are heard and understood. It is often a series of small agreements that the group agrees to support and to “live with.” The more people involved in a decision, the more time it takes, but the benefit of this is greater ownership and commitment.
Q. What if we cannot reach consensus?
This is always a possibility and should be planned for by having a “fallback mechanism” or a “Plan B” such as: 1) if we cannot reach consensus, we will then do a “yes-no” vote; or, 2) if we cannot reach consensus, we will give it to our manager to decide.