2024 Nursing Conference Grant Winning Essays

The questions for this year’s application cycle were as follows:

Please describe how you will share what you learn at this conference with colleagues.
How will you incorporate what you learn from this educational offering into your practice?
How will this conference advance your long-term career goals (beyond the attainment of continuing education hour requirements)?

Essays were lightly edited for grammar, flow, and readability.

Johanna Forrester

Essay 1: Through my work with the Engagement and Recognition Committee, we will use the HWE assessment tool to identify areas in need of improvement on specific units. We will then work with each UBC to focus on the areas specific to that unit. I will work with my unit to implement interventions based on the results of the assessment tool. I will then propose to the foundation a request for funding to support the individual needs of the unit. Aside from the HWE information I will bring to the organization, I will create learning modules for my unit. I work in CVICU, and as a Nurse Clinician and UBC chair, I have created several learning power points to advance the knowledge base of our staff. I have also supported and encouraged others to take on various education topics. I will use the content from the critical care sessions to continue with these learning modules for CVICU staff. I will incorporate some of what I have learned at NTI into our annual nurse competencies. I am one of the unit validators and an instructor for CSU-ALS, and I will use some of what I learned to suppprt the knowledge of our staff and increase the knowledge base in our unit to improve patient safety and satisfaction.

Essay 2: We recently restructured our Professional Governance, and we now have a committee for Engagement and Recognition. The committee will oversee all types of recognition, including the Daisy Award, Magnet, Nightingale Awards, and unit-based recognition. I am chair-elect of this new committee since I worked over the past five years to help re-establish and grow our Daisy Program through my work as NPC chair. I attended NTI and especially focused on the sessions about the Heathy Work Environment (HWE). One of the six standards of HWE is "Meaningful Recognition." I have already presented what I learned about HWE to the committee, and we plan to use the HWE assessment tool to identify areas in each unit that need improvement. We plan to identify what is "meaningful recognition" for each unit, as it can mean something different for each unit and each individual. Studies have shown when the six standards of the HWE are implemented, nurses are more satisfied, burnout rates are lower, and retention rates are higher. Improved staff recognition and satisfaction lead to improved quality of care and patient satisfaction. I am also part of the Chief Nurse Executive (CNE) Advisory Council, which is a group of bedside nurses who communicate directly with our CNE about what is happening in the organization. We recently met with our foundation?s fundraiser who would like to invest in nursing. I plan to propose the HWE standards for funding.

Essay 3: I am passionate about creating a Healthy Work Environment. Work is a place where we should want to be. Our patients rely on us to bring our best version of ourselves to care for them, and our attitude towards work is reflected through our care. If we can create an environment where nurses are overall satisfied and feel recognized and supported, the quality of patient care and satisfaction will naturally improve. I attended a session that exemplified the implementation of meaningful recognition on a unit in Los Angeles that showed overall improvement in staff satisfaction, Through my work on the CNE Advisory Council, I will have access to foundation funds that can directly impact meaningful recognition and nurse satisfaction. I also enjoy educating others and sharing knowledge to improve the knowledge base on our unit. Whether long-term I move into management and/or education, we can all continue to learn and share that knowledge with others. Whenever there is a patient experience, diagnosis, device, or event that comes up that is not what we are familiar with, I educate myself and then share what I learn with everyone on the unit. My colleague and I have already discussed submitting an abstract for NTI 2026, and I hope to continue my path of growth through knowledge and education.

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