Charting the Future of SPN: The SPN Strategic Plan

Abstract

During the last two years the board of directors and membership of the Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) have been actively measuring our progress in meeting the goals set in the 2013–2015 strategic plan. During this time a membership survey also allowed the board to focus more clearly on the current thinking of the members and how to use this knowledge to create the next strategic plan. Therefore, the 2016–2018 SPN strategic plan is aligned with the data from a member needs assessment, feedback from the board's monthly reviews of the dashboard and formal reports, as well as the vision, updated mission, and newly developed core values. Strategic planning for 2016–2018 began in the summer of 2015. At the October 2015 face-to-face board meeting the plan was established and the first draft was created. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the 2016–2018 SPN strategic plan and how it will guide the decisions and activities of the organization for the next two years. The process of strategic planning and goal achievement in SPN has been in effect since the inception of the organization. Strategic planning has a long history of success in creating organizational development. Strategic planning has been defined as a disciplined method to produce decisions and actions that guide an organization, shape an organization's policy, and establish a plan for the future (Bryson, 1995Bryson J. Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA1995Google Scholar). During this past summer the SPN management company introduced the board to a successful and innovative strategic planning process with the board that was useful for the work of establishing goals for non-profit health organizations. The first steps in implementing this planning process began with a board reading assignment and a discussion of the process of strategic planning at a monthly board meeting. Following this exercise, each board member completed an electronic survey developed to focus the attention of the board on the future of SPN. This survey asked each board member to describe SPN's strengths and identify future directions for the organization to advance pediatric nursing. The survey questions tapped into the diverse talents, expertise, and critical thinking of each of the board members. At the October 2015 face-to-face board meeting our management team shared a summary of the board survey; the board revisited the SPN 2016 budget plan; and reviewed the SPN vision, mission, and core value statements. With this foundational focus, the SPN management team challenged the board with a variety of questions to discuss first in small groups and then as a full board. These facilitated group discussions identified priorities and condensed the plan to three strategic goals. All board members were committed to the goal of creating the strategic plan, participating in a lively discussion process, and working to reach consensus that was consistent with the vision, mission, and future advancement of SPN. With this activity, the first draft of the 2016–2018 strategic plan was created. Central to the discussions that led to the development of the first draft of the 2016–2018 strategic plan was the focus on the membership needs, the SPN 2016 budget, and the guiding principles established in the vision, mission, and core values. A published survey of professional nursing organization leaders identified that in directing the work of an organization, there must be adherence to common goals and values (Ross et al., 2014Ross E.R. Fitzpatrick J.J. Click E.R. Krouse H.J. Clavelle J.J. Transformational leadership practices of nurse leaders in professional nursing associations.Journal of Nursing Administration. 2014; 44: 201-206https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000058Crossref Scopus (24) Google Scholar). The vision, mission, and core values statements provided the foundation for the critical decisions that were made in the strategic planning process. The SPN board was vigilant in adhering to these guiding principles:•SPN Vision: To be the premier resource for nurses caring for children and their families•SPN Mission: To advance the specialty of pediatric nursing through excellence in education, research, and practice•Core Values: Commitment, integrity, leadership, and excellence The 2016–2018 strategic plan established three goals and the corresponding objectives that specify the actions that will lead to goal achievement. The strategic plan (including the proposed timeline for accomplishing the objectives and goals) can be found on the SPN web page http://www.pedsnurses.org/ and is outlined below.•Goal 1: Pediatric Standards of CareSPN will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of pediatric care through the development of care standards that are widely disseminated and accepted.To help us achieve this we plan to:oDevelop three to five clinical practice guidelines on priority issues in pediatric nursing care.oDevelop two to three care standards based on the clinical practice guidelines.oDevelop and execute a marketing strategy to ensure wide dissemination and acceptance of SPN clinical practice guidelines and care standards.•Goal 2: Continuum of CareSPN will improve the continuum of care for pediatric patients through education and identification of best practices for non-hospital based (ambulatory, home-health, rehab and community settings) nurses assisting pediatric patients and their families as they transition to adult care.To help us achieve this we plan to:oIncrease representation of non-hospital based nurses in SPN membership, defined by practice setting, by 20%.oDevelop a continuum of care tool(s) to address issues related to transitions into adult care.oDevelop a continuum of care tool(s) to facilitate transition from acute care into the community.•Goal 3: Transition to practiceSPN will improve the transition to pediatric nursing through the development of core competencies and education.To help us achieve this we plan to:oDevelop evidenced based core competencies in pediatrics that establish the educational foundation for: pre-licensure programs of nursing (#1) and pediatric nurse residency programs (#2).oDevelop pediatric concept-driven strategies for use in pre-licensure nursing programs to teach identified core competencies.oDevelop a pediatric nursing core-curriculum residency product. Once the SPN 2016–2018 strategic plan was approved, the SPN executive director Kim Eskew developed a project management plan to assist the board to envision a time table to accomplish the work and designate responsibility of the action items. The board approved the project management plan and will utilize this timeline to monitor progress toward achievement of the goals with the understanding that it is a fluid document and that it may change; however, the aim is to continually make progress toward achieving the three strategic goals. One of the first accomplishments the board realized was to identify a chair to lead the organization in examining the pediatric continuum of care (goal 2). Transitioning children with chronic and complex medical needs into adult care is an ever present concern identified through the SPN membership survey. Cecily Betz PhD, RN, FAAN answered the willingness to serve inquiry and volunteered to chair this task force of subject matter experts (SMEs) that will establish the evidence and action steps to accomplish this goal. Reaching out to expand the membership of nurses functioning in different roles and work settings will add valuable resources to this effort of embracing the full health continuum experience of the child and family and allow SPN to fully realize our organizational vision. Strategic goal 2 encompasses the vision of the organization by enhancing a greater understanding of the contributions made by all of the participants in the continuum of care experience. Aligned with the overarching need to increase the value of the membership experience, the board voted to initiate two special interest groups (SIGs): the Clinical Educator/Clinical Nurse Specialist SIG (Co-chairs Maureen LaTour MSN, RN, CNL-BC and Ashley Van Drunen MN, RN, PCNS-BC, CPN) and the Developmental, Behavioral, and Mental Health SIG (Co-chairs Sallie Porter PhD, DNP, CPNP and Greg Putnam MBA, BSN, BA, RN). SIG guidelines were developed and approved by the board. At this time both SIGs have members who are excited to organize and begin their journey. During this year SPN will trial the initiation of SIGs and examine how these groups bring member value. Progress in enacting the strategic plan into action continued as SPN placed a willingness to serve call for members to volunteer their interest in the work toward the transition to practice strategic goal 3. This process was successful in developing the continuum of care task force and was repeated to identify members to achieve this goal. SPN members interested in serving on the pre-licensure and nurse residency core competency task forces responded. Chairs were selected with Niki Fogg MS, RN, CPN and Sandra Mott PhD, RN-BC, CPN both designated to co-chair the pre-licensure core competency task force. Casey Benedetto MSN, RN, CPN and Jean Ivey PhD, CRNP, PNP-PC, FAANP were selected to co-chair the pediatric nurse residency core competency task force. These co-chairs and the task force members will create foundational competencies that describe benchmarks for both pre-licensure and residency programs. This work will help to articulate the essentials of pediatric nursing and set standards to demarcate the profession of pediatric nursing. In order to fully realize both the vision and mission of SPN our organization must identify the competencies and ensure their use in standards and guidelines for curriculum in pre-licensure and pediatric nurse residency programs. Nursing must continue to define, develop, and advance the science of the profession. Finally, the strategic goal 1 will soon be set into action in the same process as the others with a willingness to serve on a task force request. Prior to this call, SPN will initiate an assessment of the priority pediatric nursing clinical practice needs that require a standard of care. The work to establish essential standards of care in pediatric nursing aligns with the Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2001Institute of Medicine (IOM) Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. National Academies Press, Washington, D.C2001Google Scholar call to close the nursing research and practice gap in order for 90% of our clinical care decisions to be based on established evidence. Achieving this strategic goal aligns with our mission to advance the specialty of pediatric nursing through education, research, and practice. Designing the SPN 2016–2018 strategic plan does not insure success. Multiple factors will contribute to the success in achieving the goals of this strategic plan and sustaining organizational growth and development. As non-profit organizations are challenged to provide value to their members and generate programs and products to support the future (Whitney and Gale, 2015Whitney K.B. Gale S.A. Positioning professional membership organizations for success: Achieving sustainability.Nurse Leader. 2015; 1: 55-61https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mn.2014.11008Crossref Google Scholar), one of the strategies that SPN has been actively pursuing is to identify subject matter experts (SMEs) from within the organizational membership. Each strategic goal requires our organization to bring together members with expertise in the specific content/concept area. Organizing task forces comprised of SMEs allows SPN to bring together both expertise and professionals that are knowledgeable of research, evidence based data, and current practice standards related to the goal. As the strategic goals are accomplished, guidelines and resources will be developed by merging input from nursing experts with a variety of experience related to the goal. This work will lead to the development of standards, tool kits, and other educational products that will provide evidence based materials for pediatric nurses and establish SPN as a premier resource for pediatric nurses. Other factors that contribute to the success of a strategic plan are having a clear vision and destination (Coerver and Byers, 2011Coerver H. Byers M. Race for relevance. ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Washington, D.C.2011Google Scholar). The board is comprised of a group of professionals that bring multiple areas of expertise and perspective. During the past two years work has been accomplished to revitalize the governance structure, mission, and established statements about the SPN core values. With the re-structuring process, the committees have identified and invited SMEs to join in the work to accomplish the committee objectives and goals that align with the organizational plan. In this process SPN has: opened opportunities for members to demonstrate their expertise; increased the participation of members; and enhanced our knowledge of those within our organization that can bring very specific talents and skills to create products that support the delivery of pediatric nursing care. This new structure allows SPN to become a more transparent organization. It also prepares a cadre of individuals for potential leadership positions within the organization.There is an imperative to embrace change in today's professional nursing organizations. In 2014 the restructuring process established outcomes that gave evidence that SPN was able to accomplish the work of the organization in new ways. SPN is an organization that is undergoing change to become more relevant to the current membership and to create a solid foundation for the future in order to advance pediatric nursing. Within the process of change, we are cultivating our capacity to respond to data, to operationalize a strategic plan that advances pediatric nursing, to gain consensus in care coordination across the continuum, and to develop core competencies for academic learning as well as the transition to patient care. In working together to achieve the strategic goals from the past, our organization has launched and sustained the following achievements:•Developed and sustained an on-going webinar series that provides quality continuing education to membership.•Reviewed and revised policies that give direction to our organization.•Launched a novice author program to support members in professional writing and publication of clinically relevant material focused on key pediatric nursing content.•Established SPN member representatives on four interdisciplinary national panels to promote quality and safety for pediatric health/illness care.•Achieved accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission (ANCC) to be a provider of continuing nursing education,•Co-authored the Pediatric Scope and Standards of Practice in collaboration with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).•Increased our membership. This is not a complete list of the achievements experienced over the past two years; however it provides knowledge of how we continue to sustain and develop SPN as an organization. It also sets the stage for SPN to successfully accomplish the goals for 2016–2018. At the end of the 2016 annual conference in Minneapolis, MN several board members will have fulfilled their terms of office and leave their positions of service to the organization. These offices will be filled by new board members recently elected by the membership. These newly elected board members will transition into their new responsibilities with the support of those who are leaving; however they will also bring new energy and perspective. The ongoing influx of new ideas, skills, and experiences is another successful strategy for charting the future of SPN. As we grow as an organization it remains essential to bring a variety of members onto task forces, committees, and the board. As we enhance our knowledge of members within the organization we will pave the way for additional growth and creative innovation. For members who complete their service on task forces, committees, and the board there will be new ways to serve and to continue to work to establish SPN as the premier resource for nurses caring for children and their families. As members read about the SPN 2016–2018 Strategic Plan it is important to examine ways to become involved with the process and to work within the organization. Chapter and SIG involvement are ways to network and serve to strengthen the organization and promote the profession of pediatric nursing. The SPN discussion board has been enhanced on the SPN web site to provide additional avenues to share knowledge and experience and to ask questions and learn from others. There will continue to be calls for members who are willing to serve and share their expertise to assist in achieving the strategic goals and objectives. Recently the board approved the Leadership Competency Guidelines for elected positions in the organization that were developed by the SPN Nominating Committee. Service within the organization promotes the development of leadership qualities and creates a network of professionals that will bring new aspirations and achievements to SPN. The 2016–2018 SPN Strategic Plan provides direction, challenges, and opportunity for pediatric nurses to chart the future of SPN and pediatric nursing.