Here in Nursing

Holly Chignolli, associate director of nursing evidence-based practice and standards at OSU Wexner Medical Center, and Samantha Warren, staff nurses at Ohio State’s Ross Heart Hospital, join us for our ongoing series on evidence-based practice and the important role nurses play in using research and learnings to improve care and outcomes for both patients and clinicians. Tune in to listen more about the educational programs available at Ohio State to help nurses incorporate best practices into their everyday role at the bedside. 

Nursing has always been centered around patients and their families, but the pandemic shifted us to more of a public health focus. Listen in as one of Ohio State’s clinical nurse specialists outlines key interventions nurses and other healthcare workers can implement as part of a self-care plan: breathing, intentional conversation and movement. Tune in to learn more about how crucial it is to build these skills and sustain resilience as nurses and frontline healthcare workers around the globe continue to practice through this pandemic.

The recent UN Climate Change conference (COP26) brought health care’s role in reducing emissions to the mainstream for the first time. Clinicians may not always see their potential impact on sustainability in health care, but all team members can be a part of the movement to fight climate change where you work. Listen in as two of Ohio State’s nurses speak to a recent sustainability project where staff implemented the use of reusable tubs to decrease single-use plastic bag usage for patient belongings. Tune in to hear more about this project and programs are available Ohio State to help other nurses get involved with the fight against climate change.

Since 2009, the Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center assists healthcare professionals through specialized training before traumatic exposure happens, and it provides direct, temporary emotional support to professionals when needed. Listeners will learn about STAR's Brief Emotional Support Team (BEST) program - the program introduces evidence-based techniques to equip professionals in effectively responding in a crisis while also engaging in skills that build resilience to cope with chronic exposure to stress. Tune in to hear more about how this peer-support model creates a culture of compassion and helps staff learn to care for each other in the demanding, difficult, harrowing and crucial work they do each day.

Listen in to learn more about the important role of nursing evidence-based practice (EBP) and how it’s changing patient care at the bedside. Listeners will hear how these learnings are brought to the bedside and what the benefit is for patients. On the fence about getting involved in EBP work? Tune in to hear advice directly from two of our Buckeye Nurses and learn about potential opportunities to become involved in EBP.

With the COVID-19 pandemic drastically limiting in-person contact and appointments, healthcare providers had turn to a new tool—telehealth—to deliver care. It is no doubt that telehealth has had multiple benefits during the pandemic by expanding access to care, reducing disease exposure for staff and patients, preserving scarce PPE supplies and reducing patient demand on facilities. Listen in to hear more about the benefits and obstacles of this new avenue of care as well as its impacts on the future landscape of health care.

Listen in to hear directly from two of Ohio State's most recent Nursing Government Affairs fellowship participants. Learn more about the advocate and fellowship program, some of the projects completed through these programs, and why it is important for bedside nurses to be involved in advocacy work. Listeners will also learn about various ways to become involved in the program and additional avenues of advocacy. 

Listen in as Ohio State College of Nursing Dean Bernadette Melnyk, the lead author of this recent study, shares how the evidence shows nurses’ physical, mental health is connected to preventable medical errors. This episode covers the ins and outs of the study itself and also showcases how the research supports the movement toward organizational cultures placing more focus on employee wellness and personal well-being. Dean Melnyk continues on to highlight some of the important work happening to support the well-being of our clinicians here at Ohio State. 

March 19 marked one year since the Ohio State Medical Intensive Care (MICU) team cared for their first COVID-19 positive patient. Every day since, the team has been caring for our most critically ill COVID-19 patients. To mark this milestone in the battle, several members of the team took time out of their regular MICU duties recently to honor their one-year COVID-19 journey to help with the vaccination efforts. The team wanted to see the pandemic come full circle and do their part by administering vaccinations to the community that could have saved the lives of patients they lost.

Listen in on our conversation around how our nurses continue caring for the community outside of the hospital. Whether it's providing health screenings at community events, giving advice on diet or exercise, or educating the public on the importance of hand washing and vaccinations - nurses everywhere help improve community health in their capacity as engaged community members. While the majority of this occurs after the end of their shift, nurses just see it as all in a day's work. That's the calling of nursing.