New Center for Nursing Excellence to Provide Support and Mentorship

Center for Nursing Excellence photo 2

By Heather Duge

Nurses now have a place dedicated to supporting their professional journey.

The new Center for Nursing Excellence offers a range of exciting opportunities to help nurses excel in their careers and promote overall well-being. The team will help nurses stay at the forefront of the field with ongoing learning opportunities, gain valuable guidance and support from experienced nurses on projects, and offer programs and resources tailored to nurses' well-being, helping them manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance. This team is dedicated to helping nurses elevate patient care and creating a first-class work environment for everyone, all while celebrating nurses every step of the way. 

The Center for Nursing Excellence is not a location; it is a comprehensive initiative that aims to empower our pediatric nurses, at every stage of their career and across Cook Children’s, to achieve outstanding results for themselves, our patients and the entire System.

“I am very excited for the ability to solidify the foundation for nursing research, evidence-based practice, and innovation,” said Cheryl Petersen, MBA, BSN, RN, NE-BC, Senior Vice President, Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer. “We have the right individuals at the helm of our team, and I am looking forward to seeing where they take this program.”

Supporting Nurses in Many Ways

The Center is dedicated to tenured nurses and those just entering the profession, such as those in our Nurse Residency Program. The team guides nurse residents through evidence-based practice and quality improvement projects – from planning, implementation and analysis to abstract writing and presentation.

This Nurses’ Week, the Center for Nursing Excellence has established an opportunity for nurses to build their professional portfolios. There will be a photographer available to capture headshots from 6-10 a.m. and 4-8 p.m.  on Thursday, May 9 in the meditation room near Goodies to Go on the first floor of the South Tower in Medical Center-Fort Worth

“We are looking forward to focusing on our nurses who are the most numerous providers in the hospital and touch every patient,” said Kaylan Branson, DNP, RN, CPN, CNL, Director of Nursing Quality and Magnet Program. “We are here to set the foundation for structural empowerment to help them perform the best they can.”

The Center for Nursing Excellence also assists in engaging our nurses in the Texas Christian University (TCU) Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Fellowship. Nurses who participate in the TCU EBP Fellowship receive formal training in evidence-based practice and protected time every pay period to work on their chosen project.

The team at the Center for Nursing Excellence is excited to support nurses who are working toward completing an advanced degree or considering implementing practice changes in their work areas. They encourage nurses who are completing quality improvement projects, evidence-based practice projects, or research studies to reach out directly in order to utilize their expert guidance and resources.

The Center for Nursing Excellence offers a variety of continuing education opportunities. They facilitate courses covering topics such as evidence-based practice, development of measurement tools, statistics, submitting abstracts, and writing for publication. 

The Center is delighted to be able to provide nursing scholarships with professional and educational opportunities for nurses. Recently, the Center awarded two bedside nurses a trip to the National Evidence-Based Practice Conference. These nurses were grateful for this opportunity and excited to return to Cook Children's with new insight and ideas. 

“Nurses are innovators – always fixing things and finding ways to work through problems,” said Julie Van Orne, MSN, RN, CPN, CNL, Director of Nursing Research and Innovation. “Our goal is to help them continue to innovate.”

Nursing Wellness

Ora Asheton, BSN, RN, CPN, CCRC, LSSYB, Nursing Excellence and Wellbeing Manager, said that she was drawn to her new role because it will promote nursing excellence by fostering nurse wellness and a culture of belonging and engagement. 

“This position was conceptualized by nurses for nurses and I’m excited about shifting to look at nurses as my patients,” Ora said.

Leaders in the Center for Nursing Excellence are collaborating with members of the Evidence-Based Practice and Research Council, which has been working on a project to develop an intervention designed to improve nursing wellness and investigate the impact of implementing a practical method of supporting our frontline nurses.

Ora will also be working directly with Kaylan to sustain Magnet designation standards.  

“We will apply for our fifth Magnet designation next year, and all components of the Center meet the model of Magnet, so we continue to work toward excellence in all we do,” Kaylan said.

A Bright Future for Nursing 

The team at the Center for Nursing Excellence looks forward to the future of nursing at Cook Children’s. 

“The development of the Center for Nursing Excellence is an acknowledgment of the impact nurses have on patient care and the work environment,” said Malorie Brooks, DNP, RN, CPN, CHSE, EBP-C, Director of Evidence-Based Practice and Implementation Science.

Kaylan added: “Since we moved from the bedside to a leadership position, it feels impactful to take care of those who are caring for patients 24/7. It is very fulfilling to see the outcomes from the perspective of the patients and nurses.”

Stan Davis, President of Cook Children’s, looks forward to seeing the Center for Nursing Excellence fulfill the organization’s mission for the countless patients who walk through the doors of the hospital each day.

“Our Promise should not just be a phrase on our walls, but also what we witness in our halls,” Stan said.