Exceptional care without exception

During a recent successful review of Boston Medical Center (BMC) by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, one patient they surveyed said this: "BMC nurses walk on water without special shoes."

That's a sentiment echoed by Kathy Davidson, vice president for nursing services. "The BMC staff did a fantastic job in articulating and presenting the high quality and compassionate care we provide to our patients," she says. "The surveyors were so impressed by the staff's competence and their ability to meet and many times surpass the standards. Each day they were here, the surveyors communicated examples of how BMC employees live the mission."

The hospital's successful reaccreditation is testimony to the organization's commitment to recruiting and retaining the finest nurses in the profession. Nursing leadership at BMC strongly supports an environment of professionalism, growth and development, and collaboration- all in the spirit of delivering quality patient care. As a result, BMC boasts of having one of the lowest turnover rates for nursing in Massachusetts.

A leader who leads

Leading the hospital's vision for nursing is Davidson, whose expertise and leadership-along with strong management and a registered nurse (RN) staff of more than 1,300-continues to advance the practice of nursing. Her leadership framework includes three pivotal elements: visibility, mentoring, and communication.

Accessibility to everyone from the CEO to the staff nurses is one of Davidson's top priorities. Davidson, or "Kathy" to her nurses, is seen regularly visiting the different nursing departments at BMC in order to talk face-to-face with employees.

This high level of visibility has set the standard for her executive team, whose openness enhances staff awareness of issues affecting their work and promotes the nurses' input in decision-making.

The availability of the nursing executives is the foundation of the mentoring environment that exists in the hospital's nursing division. Of equal importance is Davidson's belief in leading by example. She supports professional growth and decision-making throughout the New England Medical family.

Through the development of an aggressive and high-level support program, Davidson has fully engaged her leadership team, whose skills, strengths, and dedication strongly complement hers. This theme is equally apparent on the management and staff levels, as nurses mentor one another to share best practices and clinical expertise.

The power of communication

Another component of Davidson's effective leadership framework is communication. It is important to her that she remains connected to the everyday activities of the nursing division. She makes regular rounds to the clinical units and holds so-called town meetings throughout the year to update the staff on hospital initiatives.

The nursing division strives for the continuous improvement of patient care. The pursuit of Magnet Accreditation, which recognizes hospitals that do a good job of attracting and retaining nurses, is an opportunity to showcase nursing excellence at BMC.

Davidson's belief and support has had a great impact on the acceptance of this enormous project by various stakeholders at the hospital.

Magnet Recognition is the highest award given to a healthcare organization by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The hospital is working to achieve this prestigious honor, so far awarded to fewer then 1 percent of hospitals nationally. It will be yet another seal of approval for Boston Medical Center.