~9 minute read

Hair For You: Children’s National Hospital

This project is one of only ten projects that received a grant from the American Nurses Association to address culturally competent care in nursing. The project is founded on the principle that all patients should have the ability to receive care for their hair that aligns with their cultural practices and informed by the biologically based needs of their hair texture. Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) change methodology, we will test policies, practices, and processes to create structural change in support of all children and adolescents.

Nurses on Boards Coalition

Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) is an initiative to increase the number of nurses represented on national and state boards. Their mission is to, “improve the health of communities through the service of nurses on boards and other bodies (Nurses on Boards).” Initially in 2014, the primary focus was to have at least 10,000 board seats (corporate, health-related, panels, commissions, etc.) filled by nurses. Twenty-one national organizations (including AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) and 19 national nursing organizations recognized that nurses were underrepresented on boards and in rooms where major health care decisions were made. They joined forces and I’m happy to announce that their original goal has since been surpassed! NOBC now maintains a database of board positions filled by nurses. If you want to be added to the list to receive notifications of new positions, visit their website and tell them you want to serve! If you're already serving and want to be counted, tell them here https://www.nursesonboardscoalition.org/be-counted/.

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NOBC Ten Years Later

The NOBC continues to strive to improve health outcomes by promoting and supporting nurses on boards. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the NOBC who has more than 26,000 nurses in their database! Their 2022-2025 Strategic Plan calls for:

(1) Board placements where nurses can directly impact Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) policy initiatives.

(2) Publish and disseminate outcome measures of success, barriers to objectives, and the value of nurses filling board positions.

(3) Continue be the leading organization driving nurse board placement

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The Nurse Impact

Nurses bring a holistic perspective to boards based on our training, education, and experience of caring for the entire patient and their family. We have an intimate understanding of patients’ social determinants of health and how their physical, psychological, social, financial, and spiritual stressors impact care, the patient’s health literacy, and their buy-in. While the term shared-decision making is fairly new, the concept has been a critical thread in nursing care from the beginning.

Nurses invest the most time in building patient trust. In turn, patients have welcomed us into their lives allowing us to become experts in human behavior, vulnerability, and communication. These experiences and skills enhance boards aiming to meet objectives that improve efficiency, safety, cost, and the time it takes to accomplish them.

Nurses know how to collaborate with disparate groups and identify common goals. We bring humanity, relatability, and common sense into the room along with our extensive years of experience and education. We think about the human experience across the lifespan whether we are caring for patients or partnering with colleagues in the industry. Regardless of the board’s position, success comes down to relationships and the ability to nurture those relationships, and hold everyone accountable without fear of rejection or sense of failure. Nurses biggest impact on boards is taking visions from ideation into reality and making sure everyone is represented at the table.

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My Work with NOBC

I discovered NOBC during nurse practitioner school at the George Washington University. After learning about their mission, I signed up to be notified about potential board opportunities. Fast forward two years later, while managing my own DNP Project, I signed up to be a participate in my classmate’s DNP project. Dr. Amy McCarthy, DNP collaborated with NOBC for the Nurses on Board Pilot Mentorship Program. Dr. McCarthy, DNP is currently the Texas Nurses Association President-Elect. Please check out her work, listen to her podcast (The Texas Nurses Podcast), and tell her I sent you!

I had the opportunity to choose to be a mentee or mentor. I chose to be a mentee and was matched with a mentor who was a registered nurse specializing in fertility. We ended up having a lot in common and overall, it was a great experience. We were given access to modules and a companion workbook to guide our mentorship sessions and increase our knowledge about the importance of serving. At the end of our work together, she was inspired to return to grad school.

Whether you are the mentor or mentee, we all can learn something new and be inspired regardless of the dynamics of the mentor-mentee relationship.

How it Works

You can sign up to receive notifications of new board positions. Similar to a job vacancy, you’ll be provided the title of the position, the mission of the organization/initiative, the responsibilities, time commitment, compensation, and length of the appointment. You have the choice to apply or not.  Each month, NOBC notifies subscribers via email of new board seats that have been filled. They have a plethora of resources, including:

-Companion Workbook

-Empowering Nurse Leaders to Impact the Community through Board Service online education modules

-Board Core Competencies

-Boardroom Readiness Assessment

-Preparation and Education Resources

-NOBC Board Competencies Model NOBC Board Readiness Model

It’s been an honor to see my name on that monthly notification list of new board appointments and to see that I’m part of a larger mission. How and where will you serve? If you need some inspiration or are curious about learning more, I invite you to sign up so you can be notified of the different opportunities available to you based on your knowledge, training, and expertise as a nurse.

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As Nurses' Month comes to a close, I am reminded that this blog exists to show nurses and the public all that it means to be a nurse. I appreciate you. I see you. I thank you for your commitment to serve, to sacrifice, and to keep showing up. Remember, you can keep showing up whether it's at the bedside or the boardroom, just make sure you keep showing up as yourself. You are enough.

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Kimberly Madison, DNP, AGPCNP-BC

I am a nurse practitioner with a passion for writing, entrepreneurship, education, and mentorship. I created this blog to share my journey as source of motivation and as a blueprint as you embark on your journey. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to increasing access to dermatology education and clinical training for aspiring and practicing nurse practitioners. I invite you to view the mission and vision statement on the homepage to see how we can best partner to make our dreams align.

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