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2024 Nursing Conference Grant Winning Essays

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

  1. Please describe how you will share what you learn at this conference with colleagues. 

  2. How will you incorporate what you learn from this educational offering into your practice? 

  3. 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.  

 

Tacia Bullard

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Essay 1:  I will share learnings from the conference with colleagues through presentations, discussions, professional governance, or informal meetings. To share conference learnings, I will take the following steps: compile key insights, prepare summary information for sharing (utilizing multi-modal approach), incorporate into existing presentations, facilitate discussions, share best practices, and support colleagues in their quality improvement/nursing research/nursing evidence-based practice. There are 3 focuses of interest for me: nurse retention, professional governance and unit practice councils, and hospital growth and expansion. Lessons learned on nurse retention I will bring back and share with our nursing retention, recruitment, and recognition shared governance committee. The coordinating council for our shared governance structure would be the primary place that lessons learned on professional governance will be taken to better inform and lead the refresh to a professional governance structure and implementing unit practice councils in all areas. Lastly, the focus on our hospital growth and expansion, lessons learned will be shared through discussions and meetings where we are bringing in another hospital and working to embed the Magnet culture of nursing excellence. Using this structured and inclusive approach to sharing conference learnings with colleagues, I will not only contribute to others' professional growth but also strengthen teamwork and collaboration within my healthcare environment. This collaborative approach ultimately enhances patient care outcomes and advances my specialty practice.

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Essay 2: I would integrate learnings from the ANCC Magnet Conference into my specialty practice of serving as Magnet Program Director. There are 3 current focuses that come to my mind as I think about my role to serve my hospital and the hospital needs: 1. nurse retention 2. professional governance and unit practice councils 3. hospital growth and expansion. Nurse retention is an area for improvement demonstrated by our nurse engagement scores and retention rates. We are also focused on a refresh of our shared governance to rename to professional governance as well as implement unit practice councils in all areas. Lastly, hospital growth and expansion is a focus for our academic medical center that continues to grow and build. These 3 focuses align with the objectives of the ANCC Magnet Conference. In addition, this conference is an excellent opportunity to develop my own professional development and ability to serve my hospital. More specifically, in the last few months I have been charged to lead nursing awards and recognitions including The DAISY program. Our hospital has incorporated The DAISY program for many years and I am excited to be a part of this process and learn best practices/processes from others through this conference.

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Essay 3: I have 17 years' experience serving as a nurse in various roles, at the same hospital. Attending conferences is especially beneficial for me to learn and bring back best practices and innovative ideas to my hospital. In addition, networking with nurses from other organizations and developing relationships for exchanging advice and guidance will help beyond the time spent at the conference. As I continue in my own professional development, I would like to contribute to the advancement of my field of nursing (specifically my role as Magnet Program Director). One way in which I hope to contribute is by sharing a poster(s) or presentation(s) at a future ANCC Magnet Conference. In addition, I hope to contribute to the advancement of nursing by writing and adding to the published literature. Another way in which I hope to contribute to the advancement of nursing is by fostering the professional development of others. More specifically, I will bring back lessons learned as I serve as a mentor in a new mentorship program designed for our hospital nurse leaders. By attending the ANCC Magnet Conference, I will be supported in my 3 focuses (nurse retention, professional governance and unit practice councils, hospital growth and expansion), goals of professional development, and contributing to the field of nursing.

 

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