The Integrated Health and Social Services University Network for West-Central Montreal (CIUSSS West-Central Montreal) is tremendously proud to accept the Nightingale Challenge 2020! Our nursing department aims to promote an engaged and compassionate nursing workforce that fosters a strength-based approach in providing person-centred nursing care.
With support of the McGill Nursing Collaborative (Newton Foundation/JGH Hospital Foundation) in 2019, we launched the Leadership in Action Program in Nursing Education (LEAP-IN ED), a customized nursing leadership development program for nurse educators and advanced practice nurses, focusing on teaching and learning, managing change, systems knowledge and project management competencies. Guest speakers (from the within and outside the healthcare domain), senior nurse leaders and nurse researchers provide most workshops, as well as advising outside workshop time. The program, supporting over 50 participants (including 20 under age 35), continues into 2020 with a quality improvement project reflecting the organization’s strategic priorities, where participants will have an opportunity to showcase their work and receive feedback from colleagues.
This builds on the original 10-month LEAP-IN program, launched in 2017, where nurse managers received an attestation in Health Leadership Development in partnership with McGill University. One of the most valuable outcomes reported was the creation of a nursing leadership community of practice. We continue to provide protected time for this group to meet regularly, through a reflective practice initiative facilitated by external experts.
The organisation also supports a youth committee composed of 11 young nurse leaders (under 5 years’ experience). This year, the committee will present a white paper on the integration of the new generation of nurses and is preparing a full-day workshop, Nursing Horizons, on April 2nd for young leaders to showcase their clinical projects.
More globally, to complement the LEAP-IN programs, our Department of Nursing has invested in a Design your Career program (www.designyourcareer.ca), where a full-time career planning advisor is dedicated to providing career advice and helping open doors to opportunities. And for all health professionals, the institution provides a leadership development program for emerging leaders, in partnership with Université Laval, which can also be used towards a graduate degree.
20 nurses and midwives have been enrolled in the leadership development programme.
