012 – The Building Blocks of Professional Pediatric Nursing Practice

A registered nurse job description and performance appraisal tool establish a professional practice environment fostering the delivery of quality care embracing the children and families receiving care within our community. The documents need to reflect current practice, contemporary theories, and professional standards of pediatric nursing care and practice. Tool refinement and standardization provide a foundation for consistency in professional practice across the organization. The purpose of abstract is to describe how this work was accomplished. The Design Team, composed of a collaborative, diverse multigenerational group of predominately bedside nurses from all levels and specialties within the organization, was charged with refining the registered nurse job description and performance appraisal tool. The team members conducted a literature review, researched nursing theories, collaborated with other facilities to review community standards, and explored professional pediatric practice standards. This information was then incorporated into the writing of the refined RN job description. The performance appraisal tool was created in alignment with this new job description and the organizational core values. The theoretical framework for the document utilized Patricia Benner's, Novice to Expert Theory providing a foundation for the professional practice descriptors, allowing for measurable outcomes. The new performance appraisal provided consistency and equity of engagement between bedside nurses and supervisors, allowing for mutual goal setting. Self and peer evaluation yielded a higher number of responses with more exemplars of actual accomplishments. Finally, the process allowed nurses to reflect upon their professional practice and the practice of their peers in relation to Benner's domains. The Design Team concept has been instrumental in the success of the development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation of the enhancements made to the foundational building blocks of professional nursing practice.