Driving Change: Providing frontline nurses with needed skills and tools

Driving Change: Providing frontline nurses with needed skills and tools

by Lori Wightman DNP, RN, NEA-BC, PCC, FAONL

Nurse Engineers

In an article by Oerther and Glasgow (2022) they called for the creation of nurse + engineers. They cited over 60 studies in which nurses and engineers collaborated in five general areas – patient safety, symptom monitoring and management, information systems, health education, and nurse-patient communication. These collaborative efforts have been successful. Examples of the success include the development of the pacemaker, computed tomography (CT) scanners, and slow-release medications.

Current nurse professionals expand their knowledge in business, research, or policy and work through interdisciplinary teams. The article calls for the development of a new profession of nurse + engineer. The new profession is supported by Virginia Henderson’s Theory Nursing Need and the National Academy of Engineering of the United States 14 Grand Challenges.

While I fully embrace the concepts of the article, I question the ability to fully integrate the nurse + engineer role at the bedside. Will there be enough of them and timely enough to help stop the healthcare tailspin today? Is it an “AND” not “OR” scenario? We grow nurse + engineer roles while upskilling the broader workforce on engineering principles like Lean and Six Sigma?

Let’s continue the pursuit of new, innovative nursing roles while empowering frontline nurses now. Give nurses the knowledge and tools they need to be curious, creative, and drive change. An organization in Saint Louis, Missouri is on that journey. In partnership with Washington University in Saint Louis, they are on a quest to provide Lean/Six Sigma knowledge and tools to 30,000 leaders and caregivers across the health system. The academic partnership helps resource the efforts of the system’s performance improvement leaders through curriculum development, an academic learning management system, and the provision of faculty.

Perhaps upskilling the frontline nurses will generate interest and ambition to become a nurse + engineer? Regardless, it may be the shot in the arm that health care needs today.

Call to Action

• Leaders: How can you equip your frontline leaders and workforce to problem solve, be creative, and drive change.
• Consider developing nurse + engineers for your health system
• Nurses: Learn more about A3 problem solving and Lean principles/tools to help you shape your work environment and impact care delivery.

Oerther, D. B., & Glasgow, M. E. (2022). The nurse + engineer as the prototype V-shaped professional. Nursing Outlook (70) 280-291.

Learn more about Washington University's online master’s of Health Care Operational Excellence degree or certificate. 

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