The Greater Boston Nursing Collective (GBNC) was first conceptualized in 2013 by Michele Mittelman and nurse leaders from Dana Farber Cancer Institute (Pat Reid Ponte as CNO and Carolyn Hayes as ACNO at the time), Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Jackie Somerville as CNO and Carolyn Hayes as ACNO at the time) and Boston Children’s Hospital (Laura Wood as the then and current CNO). The group had gathered to review options and feasibility of programs being developed thanks to a generous gift to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Department of Nursing from the Mittelman Family Foundation.
Florence Nightingale
These three institutions share patients across the treatment continuum, therefore exposing nurses to similar philosophies of care and educational offerings was important to transform practice and improve the patient experience with cross-institutional synchronicity. Exquisite nursing practice was happening at all three institutions, but it was acknowledged that leadership is essential to ensure the practice environments continue to support and advance that practice. To practice what we preach, that should be done mindfully.
What ensued was a discussion about the challenges to Nursing today and hopes for what Nursing, as a discipline, was going to bring forward into hypothetical, but inevitable, new health care delivery systems. The quadruple aim of cost reduction with improved quality outcomes and patient satisfaction, and joy in practice is woven into attempts to create successful and healing practice environments as described by multiple professional organizations and government challenges such as the IOM report of 2010, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. We pondered what would Nursing look like in ten years and what should we do now to ensure we are bringing forward our maximum contribution to patient experiences, including outcomes, and collaborative practice. We asked, how are we caring for the caretakers to promote their wellbeing and joy in practice. The dialogue also included the ongoing the benefits of sharing nursing practice and patient experiences across institutions and a desire to open the dialogue to the Greater Boston Nursing Community to transform nursing practice and by doing so, improve health in our area.
It was clear that nurse leaders from academia and nurse leaders from care delivery institutions should partner in an institution-neutral forum to enrich the dialogue and share practices. These area deans and chief nurses together are the nurse leaders accountable for nursing practice and the future of Nursing in the Greater Boston Nursing community. There was an inaugural dinner on December 15, 2015. The first gathering included two esteemed guests, Drs. Jean Watson and Mary Jo Krietzer, who facilitated the dialogue.
The GBNC, was legally established and launched in January of 2018 with the area deans and chiefs elected as the inaugural Board of Directors. There is a Program Committee consisting of representatives from founding institutions who take direction from the Board of Directors. A 4-hour work session was held on February 14, 2018 to launch the Program Committee.