Hartford Hospital Emergency Department

Hartford, Connecticut

In the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department, staff engagement has been a leading priority in order to drive best practices and ensure meaningful avenues of staff support. To promote shared governance, the department-based ED Professional Nursing Council was established, developed around the tenets of the hospital’s professional practice model and existing hospital-shared governance councils. The ED Nursing Council is completely staff-led, holding autonomous monthly meetings to discuss opportunities for improvement in the department and develop action plans or projects to mitigate these opportunities.

This council’s work has led to measurable success in improving staff workflows, recognition programs, development opportunities, and supply waste reduction in the department. To provide an additional layer of support to new nurses on the team, the ED Nurse Mentoring Committee was also developed in recent years. In order to become involved in the Mentoring Committee, an RN with at least one year of experience within the department must express a personal interest and commitment to teaching, coaching, and mentoring new RNs. The purpose of the mentor is to serve as an additional resource outside of the RN’s assigned preceptor, as well as encourage development and socialization of the new RN within the emergency department.