AADNS member, Cody Campbell, LNFA, provides insight into his take on inspirational leadership as the key to being a successful nurse leader and how directors of nursing can inspire and lead their teams.

Your facility needed a new director of nursing (DON), so you stepped up to the plate to give it your best shot. You went through the selection process, feel confident in your leadership skills, and are ready to lead a team to success.

But you have a small confession to make: you’re not sure where to start!

Being a new DON can be challenging, so here is some advice to get you going.

Purpose of these resources This is a comprehensive, but not all inclusive, list of resources that may be helpful for nursing homes as they work to ensure that residents who are trauma survivors receive culturally competent, traumainformed care in accordance with professional standards of practice and accounting for residents’ experiences and preferences in order to eliminate or mitigate triggers that may cause re-traumatization of the resident (per §483.25(m) requirement that will be implemented beginning November 28, 2019).

Who should use these resources? Nursing home leadership teams may assign responsibility to a person, such as a social worker, to review the resources below, identifying those that might be helpful for a) leadership, staff, and/or resident/family education, or b) behavioral/emotional care policy or program development or revision. 

Why this is important? The included resources provide information that will help nursing homes to build capacity among interdisciplinary team members to deliver holistic resident care, being sensitive to how a range of experiences over the resident’s life may relate to their current physical, emotional, and behavioral health status. Trauma is common throughout human experience, and we need to respond with empathy and understanding. Providing trauma informed care can help staff to avoid re-victimization of those who have survived trauma and create an environment where the individual feels safe and secure. 

EVS personnel play a critical role in preventing the spread of germs and healthcare-associated infections

“EVS and the Battle Against Infection” is an interactive graphic novel illustrating the important role of EVS personnel in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. The online version of the training tool features real-world infection prevention and control scenarios and allows participants to choose options that affect the outcome of the story.