Partnerships for population health: the neighborhood health network.

Health reform is a major driver in shifting the focus toward population health. Partnerships between nurses, neighborhood health coaches (NHC), and families, linked by technology and extended over time, are key to enhancing neighborhood health. Including faculty practice and students in this work creates a new platform for nursing education in primary care; everyone wins.

Developing 21st century models of care for seniors in challenged urban settings.

This is an account of the revitalization of an urban area as its hospital closed but was replaced by community involvement, business, and new healthcare services to meet the needs of the aging people in the surrounding community.

Organizational culture: the silent political force.

Organizational cultures are affected by, and affect, organization politics. Underlying all cultures is the values of the individuals in the organization. These need to be identified and understood by anyone who seeks to influence or change behaviors. This article describes a series of studies done to increase the understanding of values of professional nurses. The results point out differences between specialties, organizations, and communities that can help leaders make better decisions in areas ranging from staffing to leadership styles, while assisting colleagues in the expression of their authentic selves.

Crisis in the workplace.

Experienced nurses and other allied health workers will be in gravely short supply in the very near future--every board must make it a priority to address this looming crisis.

Blending clinical and technical skills at the bedside.

The brave new world will find a richer blending of clinical and technical skill development as scenario-based simulation training emerges on the web. The benefits of competency assessment, standards-based education, and just-in-time decision-making support will help organizations serve the patient with greater skill. This is the bridge to crossing the quality chasm that exists today. And, it is the promise for a safer tomorrow.

Open exchange as a model for continuing education.

The Global Nursing Exchange is a unique, annual opportunity for a select group of nurses to confer with each other and learn in an unstructured, nonrestrictive forum for free uncensored exchange of ideas. It is an unusual "conference" in that both the structure and process have been designed to encourage spontaneity, creativity, and group sharing. Relaxation and work comingle. Networking, dialog, and inclusiveness are operating themes at all times. Started in 1988 by 9 nurses with a mix of backgrounds and experience, the Global Nursing Exchange has expanded to include international participants. In 2003, over 60 nurses joined in celebrating the 15th year of this group gathering. Examples of outcomes that have resulted from this unique "conferencing" experience are described.

The virtues of the virtual world. Enhancing the technology/knowledge professional interface for life-long learning.

Nurses are quintessential learners. Nested between the fields of science and technology, the professional mandate for life-long learning has never been greater. The expanding demands for performance and quality coupled with the reality of diminishing time and resources increasingly frustrate and challenge providers in the field. By blending the best of current training and education with the emerging potential of virtual learning, new models for enhancing clinical reasoning and performance will simplify the challenges of complexity, moving it to higher order. In this transition lies the key to restoring the joy and commitment of professional practice while enhancing the capacity to care with competence.