Professional Practice Model

• Lahey Nursing Professional Practice Model (overview)
• Components of Our Professional Practice Model
• Lahey's Guiding Principles
• Nursing Governance Structure
• Patient Care Delivery Model

Lahey Nursing Professional Practice Model

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The skill, dedication and job satisfaction of nurses at Lahey are the driving forces behind the Clinic's excellence in delivering compassionate, quality health care. By fostering a nursing culture that stresses nurse leadership and autonomy, career development, and sophistication of the nursing process, Lahey Clinic is working hard to position its Nursing Department for Magnet status.

One of the hallmarks of nursing at Lahey is nurse empowerment. Our nurses contribute substantially to our organizational policies and are empowered to take ownership of their practices by taking part in decision-making and governance.

Creating a Framework for Success

Our Professional Practice Model provides the theoretical framework and structure for achieving positive patient and staff outcomes. Benner's Theoretical Model is the framework for both our Professional Development Model (Pathway to Expertise) and our Professional Advancement Model (Novice to Expert).

Achieving Positive Outcomes

Both the theoretical model and structure result in positive nursing and patient outcomes. Nursing quality dashboards are posted on each unit/area. The dashboards show a visual representation of the nursing quality indicators listed below.

Nursing Outcomes

• Nurse work satisfaction
• Nurse turnover rates
• Nurse vacancy rates

Patient Outcomes

• Patient satisfaction
• Medication safety
• Reduction of patient falls
• Reduction in restraint usage
• Pain management
• Skin integrity
• Reduction in infection rates
• Documentation of patient care
• Patient identification
• Unit-based clinical benchmarking

Components of Our Professional Practice Model

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Please click here to view the key components of our Professional Practice Model.

Lahey's Guiding Principles

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In addition to following the Professional Practice Model, our nurses also work in accordance with Lahey's governing principles:

• Caring: valuing others' accomplishments
• Excellence: striving to exceed expectations for quality
• Respect: recognizing everyone's contributions and value
• Teamwork: sharing, cooperating and working together for success
• Personal Best: sharing integrity, performance and pride in one's work

Nursing Governance Structure

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Our nursing governance structure is a decision-making and communication model based on the belief that decisions made closest to the point-of-care delivery will result in positive patient, staff and system outcomes. Nursing staff are members of nursing councils and committees, as well as hospital-wide interdisciplinary committees. Nursing staff and team members are empowered when they have the authority, responsibility and accountability for making patient care decisions and recommending changes in unit management.

Our nursing governance is implemented through a council structure that includes the following bodies:

• Clinical Practice Council
• Nurse Physician Partnership Council
• Policy Coordination and Development Council
  • Nursing Informatics Committee
• Professional and Education Council
  • Nursing Research Committee
• Quality and Safety Nursing Council
• Senior Nursing Leadership Council

Patient Care Delivery Model

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The Patient Care Delivery Model supports our value of patient and family focused care.