Dear Colleagues, 

I hope you all were able to enjoy "Nurses' Month" and its events, which were all intended to celebrate the many contributions that you make to our patients and their families every day.  

The highlight each year is our Nurse Recognition Dinner where we celebrate nurse colleagues who reflect the heart, science and essence of BWH Nursing. This year, we established an Essence of Nursing Leadership Award, and I was thrilled to announce that Nancy Hickey, MS, RN, former associate chief nurse, was our inaugural recipient. In addition, we celebrated our four Essence of Nursing honorees and our 2014 Essence recipient, Eileen McMahon Bowen, BSN, RN. This issue of BWH Nurse provides you with insight into their practice, enabling us to celebrate the rich contributions which often go unnoticed behind a cubicle curtain or exam room door.

In addition, with the full support of our senior leadership and Board, I announced at the dinner that we are on our journey to Magnet designation. In 1981, during a critical nursing shortage, the American Academy of Nursing appointed a task force to study hospitals that continued to attract and retain nurses, despite the shortage. When asked what made these organizations good places for nurses to practice, nurses identified pride in the quality of care that they were able to provide to their patients, an active role in decisions that impacted their practice, opportunities for professional growth and development, nurse leaders who were risk takers, and mutual respect and collaboration among all disciplines. Guided by these criteria, the American Nurses Credentialing Center subsequently created a voluntary certification that recognizes organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovation. Over the 33 years since the original Magnet study, evidence continues to mount regarding the connection between a positive professional practice environment for nurses and better patient outcomes, including decreased mortality, fall rates and complications, including hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

Many of you have asked me so many times why BWH is not recognized as a Magnet facility that I began to wonder. Our challenge on behalf of our patients is to invite the Magnet surveyors in to validate our practice. There is much evidence to collect, and that journey begins in this year of our BluePrint celebration, as we "dare greatly"  to craft our legacy for future BWH nurses.   

As I drafted the letter to be placed in the time capsule to be opened by the chief nurse in 2063, I shared this exciting news and ended with the following.  "With sincere appreciation for those who have gone before, and with great curiosity and excitement for those who follow, I wish you the wisdom to preserve what's good and the courage to extend it for the greater good of our profession." 

Happy Nurses' Month, and sincere thanks for all that you do.

With warm regards,

Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN

Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services