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Getting Better with Age: Improving Geriatric Outcomes at an Acute Care Facility through ANCC Board Certification in Gerontological Nursing and NICHE Designation

Saturday, 29 October 2011

Matthew C. Clerc, RN, MSN/ED
Department of Clinical Education, Banner Boswell Medical Center, Sun City, AZ

Learning Objective 1: Stating the two desired activities to transpire as a result of the GNLA project.

Learning Objective 2: Identifying the patient outcome improvements to result from the project components.

Banner Boswell, a geriatric acute-care medical center, chose to participate in the 2010-2011 Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy (GNLA) Fellowship. The GNLA involvement necessitated a project implementation which would cultivate leadership attributes in the participating Fellow, position the Fellow to have an impact on the organization and the profession and improve outcomes for geriatric patients. The solution and consequent GNLA project became focused upon improving education and gerontological competency with organized campaigns, resources, and classes to assist and encourage the facility’s nursing staff through national board certification in Gerontological Nursing.  Certification review material was available to the staff free of charge and reimbursement for exam fees was secured through fiscal planning.

Boswell consequently developed two goals as a direct result of the GNLA Fellowship:

  • Board Certification of 10% of eligible nursing staff in Gerontological Nursing
  • Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders (NICHE) designation

It is anticipated that by increasing the geriatric competencies through increased numbers of board-certified Gerontological nurses and implementing the quality improvement processes of NICHE, significant reduction will be noted in lengths of stay, rates of hospital readmissions, hospital acquired pressure ulcers, and patient falls.  In addition, improved patient experience scores and Core Measure compliance are anticipated.  

All of these anticipated improvements have been metrically quantified as they currently exist against projections of the anticipated future improvements following the attainment of staff certification objectives and NICHE designation goal.

This poster will describe the how the GNLA fostered leadership development skills needed to engage in this educational project, the strategies used to enhance the gerontological nursing competency of staff nurses and the ways in which the GNLA experience has leveraged influence within the Banner Boswell organization.

See more of: Poster Session I - Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy Invited Posters
See more of: Invited Posters