Press Release May, 12 2008

More than 1200 licensed Nurses at SKMC

Nurses Week Celebration at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City from 11 – 15 May 2008

On Sunday, May 11th thru Thursday May 15th, 2007, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), managed by Cleveland Clinic, will participate in the International Nurses Week Event celebrated around the world.

 The theme that SKMC adopts for this event is “Making a Difference Everyday”. The Nursing Department at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has planned a week long schedule of events to be held at the organization premises celebrating SKMC’s nurses’ contributions towards nursing excellence. These events will include activities such as presentations from different nursing sections within SKMC, a nursing educational posters and leaflets designing challenge, several competitions as well as some social activities to continuously strengthen the relations between Nursing staff. In addition, a presentation is arranged by a patient that has been through the SKMC healthcare system. Moreover, during the week, the new established Nursing Research Council at SKMC will be introduced. This new council was set up in November last year to promote research and evidence based practice as a regular practice within SKMC delivery of care. The council will talk during Nurses week which will be their first public forum to introduce themselves to all nurses at SKMC.

Mrs. Diane Presley, Regional Director of Nursing at SKMC, stated that the Department of Nursing at SKMC is staffed by more than 1200 licensed professional nurses. Many hold academic qualifications such as a Master of Science in Nursing, Masters of Science in Health Care, Bachelor of Science in Nursing/Nursing Education, and certifications in specialized areas. SKMC Registered Nurses are required to do annual mandatory competency training and those nurses working in the Critical Care Areas hold certificates in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advance Life Support, and other unit based competency training. Education and professional development of all nurses is part of the Nursing leaderships strategy to ensure that nurses are empowered and supported to provide safe quality care to the residents of Abu Dhabi who seek care at SKMC. It is worth to mention that SKMC Nurses participate in mutual goal setting with patients, families, and groups in health promotion and health maintenance.

 She added that the SKMC Division of Nursing Services supports and facilitates the care of patients along with the Medical City’s educational and research endeavors.”

 Mrs. Linda Haskins, Director of Nursing at SKMC, avowed that “our Nursing Division has initiated Shared Governance principles since almost two years. Shared Governance involves giving the opportunity to the nurses in the lower level of the clinical setting to participate in patient care decision-making processes. The focus of empowering nurses, encouraging their voices, enhancing their careers and championing their autonomy has created an environment whereby nurses are active in activities that involves patient care. The nurses are approaching all projects in a positive way. They are excited about the opportunity to implement programs, policies, procedures and projects that will improve their work environments and nursing practice.

She added that “The Nursing Leadership and the Magnet ** Entertainment Task Force members alongside the eight (8) Chairs of Shared Governance Workgroup have successfully launched their Magnet Recognition journey at the end of October 2006. This recognition program is from the American Nursing Credentialing Centre (ANCC) in the USA. It provides facilities to attain accreditation as a Centre of Excellence in Nursing Service. However, as healthcare and nursing are always evolving, there is a need to ensure that nursing excellence is current and focused on all the trends required. It is a must to the ANCC too to ensure that changes are implemented in line with the current and up to date demands. The ANCC has, after statistical analysis of the Magnet Appraisal System, restructured the Forces of Magnetism which included 14 elements into a 5 Model Process which illustrates that changes and challenges in nursing and healthcare needs to be considered for success in reaching excellence in care delivery. This new model now requires nurses to adapt to the future changes that are essential to the continued development of the nursing profession and to quality outcomes in patient care.”

 “Nurses were new to the concept of Magnet Accreditation and in order to promote the program, a series of programs during the last two years were organized”, Mrs. Haskins explained. “It is worth to mention our nursing team continuous efforts to promote the Magnet Recognition. There will be presentations and events every other week in SKMC where nurses and staff can learn something new and begin to understand the idea of the Magnet Recognition program”.

  **What is Magnet status?

Magnet status is an award given by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC), an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, to hospitals that satisfy a set of criteria designed to measure the strength and quality of their nursing. A Magnet hospital is stated to be one where nursing delivers excellent patient outcomes, where nurses have a high level of job satisfaction, and where there is a low staff nurse turnover rate and appropriate grievance resolution. Magnet status is also said to indicate nursing involvement in data collection and decision-making in patient care delivery. The idea is that Magnet nursing leaders value staff nurses, involve them in shaping research-based nursing practice, and encourage and reward them for advancing in nursing practice. Magnet hospitals are supposed to have open communication between nurses and other members of the health care team, and an appropriate personnel mix to attain the best patient outcomes and staff work environment. We encourage all nurses to learn more about the principles of Magnet certification, and to consider appropriate nursing certification programs for their hospitals.

About SKMC

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, named one of the top three hospitals in the USA by U.S. News and World Report. SKMC is owned and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, recently established to oversee operations of all public hospitals in the Emirate.  It is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence,' and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive health care services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.

SKMC consists of a 550-bed Acute Care Hospital, a 120-bed Behavior Sciences Pavilion and the 90-bed Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation Center, in addition to more than 12 specialized outpatient clinics and ten primary healthcare centers around the city of Abu Dhabi.