From left: Christine Jaslar, RN, co-chair in HUP’s Board of Nursing, Stephanie Beatty, and Sarah Wadsworth, MSN, CRNP, of Silverstein 7.
Stephanie Beatty, BSN, CBC, of Silverstein 7, was named this year’s recipient of the Joan Brettschneider Shared Governance Leadership Award, given to a nurse whose contributions exemplify excellence in many areas. Since 2012, Beatty has served in many leadership roles, including her unit’s quality representative, charge nurse, unit council chair, preceptor, falls champion, and Magnet champion.
According to her nomination letter, among her many accomplishments, she “collaborated with nursing leadership to implement a ‘commit to sit’ initiative in which staff sit with patients at the bedside to establish a better rapport.” Nursing Communication Scores in the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, a patient satisfaction survey) improved from 72% in 2015 to a sustained level of 85% in FY18. This improvement project has been presented at two national conferences and has been published in a national journal addendum.
Beatty also helped develop – and educate staff on – an “RN-driven, 24-hour, post-operative dressing removal protocol” for gynecology patients to decrease surgical site infection rates ((SSIs) and bolster nurse autonomy. In FY17, the unit recorded seven SSIs. Currently, in this fiscal year, there have only been two on the unit. Beatty is also a “dedicated preceptor and has a positive impact on her orientees, creating a meaningful learning environment by linking research to evidence-based nursing practice.
“Stephanie is continually facilitating positive change on the unit. Her extensive clinical knowledge, commitment to empirical outcomes and relentless leadership make her an exceptional candidate for this award.”