Banner - University Medical Center Tucson

Banner – University Medical Center Tucson (BUMCT) values and supports nurse autonomy, professional growth, and the generation and implementation of new nursing knowledge through evidence-based practice and nursing research. BUMCT nurses are recognized for their contributions to patients, the nursing profession, and society at large. 

Contribution to Patients: BUMCT nurses provide patient-centered nursing care using process improvement and evidence-based practice methods to achieve excellence in patient outcomes. Nursing care delivery is based on the principles of human caring, defined by Joanne Duffy’s Quality Caring Model.

Examples include:

• Sea Bands to reduce post-op nausea & vomiting in the PACU
• Care coordination across the healthcare continuum for patients with Cystic Fibrosis
• Process changes to reduce door-to-treatment times in acute CVA patients arriving in the Emergency Department
• Implementation of a program to reduce length of stay in infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Implementation of a new external urinary catheter for females to reduce indwelling urinary catheter days and catheter-related complications
• Clinical nurse involvement in improvement teams to reduce hospital-acquired complications, such as patient falls, pressure injuries, and central line and urinary catheter-related complications.
• Nurse staffing adjustments are made based on patient populations and acuity

Contribution to Profession: BUMCT nurses are supported to practice at the highest level within their scope of practice. As such, professional development is valued and promoted, and nurses create and implement innovative practices based on empirical data. BUMCT nurses collaborate with the interprofessional health care team and are recognized internally as well as externally to the larger community.

Examples include:

• Tuition assistance and scholarships support nurses to advance their formal education, with 65% of the BUMCT nursing workforce prepared at a BSN or higher level
• Financial and study support is provided to facilitate nurses obtaining national certification
• BUMCT offers a Clinical Ladder to recognize direct care BUMCT nurses for their level of expertise and advancement in contributing to patients, profession, and society.
• Continuing nurse education is offered through online and in-person platforms, including Lippencott and monthly Nursing Grand Rounds, respectively
• Shared Leadership councils drive department- and organization-level improvements such as Interprofessional Journal Clubs, Central Line Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) and Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) reduction
• BUMCT partners with the DAISY Foundation to recognize nurses who go above and beyond in providing compassionate, excellent patient care.
• BUMCT RN satisfaction performance, reported by the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI), outperforms the national mean for all subscales on the Nurse Manager Leadership and Support of Nurses, RN-RN Interactions, Interprofessional Relationships and Nurse Autonomy measure.
• Implementation of an OB Emergency Response Team to respond to all areas of the hospital and provide care as needed
• Dissemination of nursing research and evidence-based practice to the greater nursing community through robust presentation and publication portfolio

Contribution to Society: BUMCT Nurses collaborate with internal and external partners to influence healthier patient populations.

Examples include:

• Internal process improvement projects to ensure timeliness of care, such as:
  • Roving Discharge Nurses to facilitate timely discharges
  • Daily Bed Meeting to focus on care coordination and flow of patients throughout the continuum of care
  • Restructure of process to improve timely administration of surfactant to neonates
  • Creation of hospice beds to provide comfort care at end of life and decrease stress on caregivers
• Nursing research and evidence-based practice are at the core of BUMCT nursing. Ongoing projects in both have changed practice within Banner Health, as well as the larger nursing community through projects such as:
  • Research study to identify Compassion Fatigue in Nurses. Subsequent evidence-based practice interventions to address/ offset Compassion Fatigue
  • Research study to identify patient outcomes and environmental stress in acute care
  • Research study on nurses’ perception of decision making in a shared governance culture
• Nurse-driven protocols, such as indwelling urinary catheter removal, oral care to reduce mucositis in oncology patients
• BUMCT nurses promote healthier communities through various projects and partnerships:
  • BUMCT Trauma outreach programs, including distracted/ drunk driving program and bicycle safety for children
  • Arizona Opioid Assistance & Referral Line operated by BUMCT’s Poison and Drug Information Center
  • March of Dimes fundraising
  • American Heart Association fundraising
  • Partnership with Ben’s Bells and Arizona Donor Network to provide emotional support to families considering organ donation