Consistently rated as one of the top four hospitals in the US, Cleveland Clinic would be unable to achieve that honor were it not for its commitment to the continuing education of nurses, which has such a significant impact on excellence in patient care. As a premiere institution that sees many kinds of patients with a broad spectrum of diagnoses, and which has a continually expanding plethora of new technologies and options for treatment, Cleveland Clinic has a constant ongoing need to add to the skills of the nurses who provide care.

Mission, Vision, Components of Nursing Education & Professional Practice Development

The Department of Nursing Education & Professional Practice Development is comprised of professional and advanced practice nurses who put patient care at the center of its Model of Care. With a constant focus on optimal patient outcomes, nursing education consists of these primary components:

• Initial orientation and skill training of new nurses
• Continuous staff development
• Career enhancement
• Professional practice development

Cleveland Clinic nurses hold advanced certifications in the following specialties:

• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
• Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)
• Critical Care Nursing
• Pediatric Nursing
• Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Oncology Nursing
• Geriatric Nursing
• Neuroscience Nursing

A Legacy of Education Initiatives

Continuous staff development is a critical part of patient care. To ensure nurses have the competencies and skills to provide excellence in care related to recent advances in research, technology and new treatment options, the department of Nursing Education & Professional Practice Development promotes a broad array of opportunities for professional growth. The department takes a leadership role in patient care excellence by its emphasis on continuous educational development that expands nursing knowledge and skill levels and impacts the practice of nursing.

Career Enhancement

Career enhancement offers an environment where nurses can grow in their profession and remain personally and professionally challenged. The Department of Nursing Education & Professional Practice Development provides a diversity of career paths in nursing that fulfill the desires of nurses for new and innovative opportunities that advance nursing practice All specialized education is done on site at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.

Facts and Figures

For a period of time, nursing education at Cleveland Clinic was decentralized, meaning that education was the responsibility of each nursing unit. Now, with its centralized location within the Division of Nursing, the Department of Nursing Education & Professional Practice Development has a 52-member staff, including

• 22 nurses who serve as Clinical Nurse Specialists, holding a Certificate of Authority for the legally protected title of CNS. They provide support and resources in the areas of clinical expertise, research in nursing practice and patient care, consultation and education.
• 4 employees are educators in advanced certifications through the American Heart Association, which acts as the credentialing body for the advanced certifications of BLS, ALCS, PALS and NRP.
• 25 nurses are nursing educators and serve as either 1) Clinical Instructors who have a bachelor’s degree, or 2) Education Nurse Specialists who are master’s prepared with a specialty in education.

Continuous Staff Development: Pushing the Edge of Excellence Forward

The Clinical Nurse Specialist practicing on the inpatient hematology unit had a question: Since chemotherapy is given in both inpatient and outpatient settings by a number of healthcare professionals, would preprinted orders on the specific and precise factors in chemotherapy delivery be helpful to both nurses and patients? The CNS met with physicians in cancer treatment and then created a set of preprinted orders for inpatient chemotherapy. She then shared the orders with her counterparts in the outpatient service areas. As a result, the delivery of chemotherapy has been standardized throughout the continuum of care for both inpatients and outpatients. Furthermore, nursing competencies in chemotherapy delivery have been created and new education courses have been developed to educate and train nurses in this patient-centered practice. Nurses in inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy delivery now attend the same competency classes. One question, in the mind of one CNS, combined with the availability of resources and the tradition of responsiveness from the Department of Nursing Education & Professional Practice Development have improved patient safety and advanced nursing practice.

Taking Patient Satisfaction Seriously

Recently, it became clear to the department that it was important to better communicate the plan of care to the patient population, particularly coordination of care among health care providers. As a result, nursing practice for patient care has changed at Cleveland Clinic. Now, when a patient is admitted to a unit, the nurse who does the assessment also creates an individualized patient care guide that is used consistently to discuss the patient’s plan of care. Patient and family members are invited to contribute to the care guidelines. All discussions with other health care professionals and subsequent discussions with patient and family members are based on these guidelines. As a result, patients report improved satisfaction related to their coordination of care.

Associate Chief Nursing Officer: Michelle Dumpe, Ph.D., MS, RN