Nurses Role in Culture Change … So What Is New?

Abstract

In October 2008, a meeting, supported by the Commonwealth Fund was held to address nursing’s role in culture change. The purpose of the October 2008 meeting was to foster dialogue, identify facilitators and barriers to nurses’ involvement in culture change, and to identify actions that the culture change movement and the broad nursing community might consider to promote competencies for nurses in a resident-directed care environment in nursing homes. From this meeting a recent publication was released that provides guidance for how nursing can and should be involved in culture change in long-term care. The Expert Panel included representatives from nursing academic settings, the American Academy of Nursing, the National Gerontological Nursing Association, several long-term care nursing associations, the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, and the AARP Nursing Institute, as well as social workers, physicians, and pharmacists. The paper, titled, ‘‘Nurses’ Involvement in Nursing Home Culture Change: Overcoming Barriers, Advancing Opportunities,’’ is available at http://hartfordign.org/policy/position_papers_ briefs. This paper, specifically developed through the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing, was created in collaboration with the Coalition for Geriatric Nursing Organizations (CGNO) and the Pioneer Network. It discusses the move toward culture change—a movement away from institution-driven models of care toward more consumer-driven models that embrace flexibility and patient self-determination. The recommendations of the Expert Panel in relation to registered nurses are presented in the Issue Paper in two parts: recommendations for the practicing nurse and recommendations for academic programs preparing professional nurses. The following recommendations have been suggested.