Nurse Presentations

The Nurse Residency Program helps to transition newly licensed nurses to professional pediatric nurses. During the 12-month program, nurse residents orient to their unit and specialty areas, gaining valuable knowledge and clinical experiences in pediatric nursing. Cohorts begin twice a year in February/March and July/August. An evidence-based quality improvement project is one requirement of the program.

Many nurses at Children's Mercy Kansas City go on to contribute new knowledge to their profession, to serve their professional associations, to advocate for children's health and safety, and to improve the quality and safety of pediatric health care. The following presentations represent some of this work.

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Antimicrobial Stewardship

Lauren Delay, Mary Catherine DiGiacinto, Hailey Hoisington, Sydney Lowe, and Hannah McDonald

Describes a project to increase nurse awareness of the patient's antimicrobial course in Children's Mercy PICU.
Antimicrobial Stewardship

Morgan Hudson and Hannah Eisele-Miller

Describes a project to increase the value of the nurses' role in antimicrobial stewardship.
Central Line Buzz

Sarah Hightree, Rachel Lawson, and Danielle Sharkey

Describes a project to increase the percentage of nurses discussing central lines in detail during shift hand-off.
Chloraprep Dry Time

Nikki Jones, Chelsea Dennison, Becca Millard, and Kristin Sapp

Describes a project to increase the dry time compliance for solutions used in general surgery in the operating room.
Hand Hygiene

Sami Hopkins, Lyndsey Dusanek, Emily Filley, Chandler Durkee, and Katie Johnston

Describes a project surveying multiple provides in the PICU and how they felt about their compliance with hand hygiene.
Kangaroo Care in the ICN

Taylor Disper, Johanna Moore, and Nicole Westlie

Describes a project focused on improving Kangaroo Care rates in the ICN.
Safe Sleep

Taylor Bishop, Rachel Bryant, Austin Howard, Karli Katzer, Olivia Parkhurst, Paige Pruitt, and Sydney Smith

This team focused on increasing the compliance with safe sleep on two floors of CMH.
Safe Sleep

Katie Tracy, Sarah Valentine, Sophie Weyers, and Krystal White

Describes a project focused on the non-compliance of safe sleep practices in the ICN.
Trauma Informed Care

Grace Allen, Samantha Brown, and Regan Schoeman

This team studied whether the application of trauma informed care minimizes Secondary Traumatic Stress and impacts the rate of compassion satisfaction and burnout.
Trauma Informed Care and Nurse Resiliency

Macy Allred, Shannon Bertrand, Lauren Estes, Angela Honer, Randi Meyer, and Katie Tetrick

Describes a project involving nurse participation in and effectiveness of a nurse-led wellness team on nurse compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress in PICU nurses.
Visitor Infection Prevention

Rachel Rittinghouse, Alyssa Stone, and Tamara Wall

Describes a project focused on increasing the number of visitors properly using PPE based on the isolation precautions of the patient.
Acquiring Blood Pressures on High Risk Sepsis Patients in the ED

McKenna Scharlau and Jacob Schneider

Describes a project to improve use of the Sepsis Tool in the Emergency Department and to improve documentation of blood pressure measurements in high risk sepsis patients under three years of age.
Decreasing Unplanned Extubations by Taping Technique & Creating a Culture of Safety

Karishma Rao, Beckie Palmer, Christopher R. Nitkin, Christian Anthony Schneider, Brandy Huitt, Molly Terhune, Ashley Orwick, Dianne Wilderson, Sarah Carboneau, Jenny McKee, Kerrie A. Meinert, and Eugenia K. Pallotto

Describes strategies used to decrease the unplanned extubation rate in the Level IV neonatal intensive care unit to less than 1.0 event per 100 ventilator days by December 2018.
Human Trafficking and Today's Youth

Rachel Whitfield

This presentation is designed to help health care providers
- Dispel myths around US domestic trafficking
- Define the different types of human trafficking
- Understand the contributing factors for trafficking
- Understand the effect of pornography on the developing brain
- Recognize risk factors and signs and symptoms of trafficking
- Know how to report human trafficking and where to find local resources
In the Pocket with Kangaroo Education

Brett Butler, Carly Creekmore, and Skylar Suppes

Describes a quality improvement project to deliver timely kangaroo care education that empowers parents.
Minimizing Unplanned Extubations in the Intensive Care Nursery

Lindsay Barrosse, Blaire Collins, Cassidy Horton, Jodie Seitzer, Brittney Hunter, and Jenny McKee

Describes a project to ensure compliance with a standardized process for endotracheal tube management in the intensive care nursery in order to reduce the number of unplanned extubations and their consequent adverse effects.
Risk Factors for VTE in Orthopedic Surgery

Kellie Musick

Describes a project to halt the rising incidence of venous thromboembolism in pediatric surgery patients and the underuse of sequential compression devices in the operating room.
Sepsis: Identification & Recognition

Shelbi Ethington, Lakisha Irwin, Jodi Cramer, Victoria Roell, and Mindy Von Elling

Describes educational interventions to increase confidence of pediatric nurses on a medical/surgical unit in their recognition and treatment of sepsis.
The Journey of Implementing a Pediatric Essential Oil Program

Elizabeth Edmundson and Tiffany Kim

Describes use of essential oil patches for specific indications with pediatric patients greater than 3 years old or greater than 20 kilograms. Lavender, peppermint, mandarin, or spearmint inhalation patches are used.
Timely Interventions in Patients Developing Sepsis within the PICU

Lindsey Bloom, Ashley Bramel, Kelsey Cumpton, Christopher Damrat, Emily Lingo, Grace Sexton, and Breton Struble

Describes a project to increase the number of sepsis interventions completed within one hour in the pediatric intensive care unit, and to improve the documentation (COW Cards) of rapid interventions.
VTE Risk Factors: SCD Education and Compliance

Kaly Hayden, Shari Gardner, Baleigh Haag, and Alex Wofford

Describes a project to increase the use of sequential compression devices in post-operative patients to prevent venous thromboembolism.
ABCs of Safe Sleep

Alyson Hill RN, Jennifer Markey RN, Bailey Ritter RN, Ashley Smith RN, and Aaron Smithson RN

PICO Question

Does education and teaching to parents and family regarding safe sleep practices increase the compliance of safe sleep for infants 0-12 months on 4 Sutherland compared to the current practice?

Aim Statement

The objective of the evidence based practice project is to increase Safe Sleep compliance by improving education given to parents and family from 20% to 90% by February 2018
Baby Got BAC

Tina Histand BSN, RN; Heidi Mustapich BSN, RN; Brittany Parks RN; Mallory Potter BSN, RN; and Melanie Traynham RN

PICO Statement

• Population: 6 Henson patients who qualify for Safe Sleep Practices according to the Safe Sleep Policy.
• Intervention: Signs will placed in high patient care areas to provide awareness and reminders to 6 Henson patient caregivers of correct safe sleep practices.
• Comparison: Current standard of care
• Outcomes: Increased compliance with safe to sleep practices

Aim Statement

The objective of this evidence based practice project is to increase Safe Sleep compliance on the 6 Henson unit by 10% by March of 2018
Chasing Never: Unplanned Extubation

LeeAnna Gaspers BSN,RN; Brittney Gerber BSN,RN; Madison Hersma BSN,RN; Erin Keith-Chancy BSN,CCRN; Audrey Knodell BSN,RN; Jordan Miller BSN,RN; Liz Morrow BSN,RN; Tara Otterson BSN,RNC; Chantal Rogers BSN,RN; and Abby Slaven BSN,RN

PICO Question

• P:In the Intubated neonate
• I: can the bundling of potentially best practice recommendations (tube location documentation, 2-person handling, and management of positioning and secretions) and standardized hourly assessment with documentation of compliance
• C: current standard of practice
• O: decreased unplanned extubations

Aim Statement

Decrease the rate of unplanned extubations in the ICN from 1.38/100 ventilator days in 2016 to 1 event/100 ventilator days in 2017.
ED Staff Morale

Madison Wilkins RN, Tonya Cross RN, Brittany Schmalzbach RN, Noah Olla RN, Fred Richards RN, and Emily Pendleton RN

PICO Question

PICO Question & Aim Statement

• (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes Measures)

• P: ED Nurses and Support Staff

• I: Huddle Recognition and prizes

• C: No recognition

• O: Improved nursing morale

 To increase the median morale of nursing and support staff from 74% to 80% as measured by Daily Pulse by March of 2018