Employees January 22, 2009
RCAP: Celebrating Impactful Practice at YNHH
The hospital’s Recognition and Clinical Advancement Program (RCAP) is a voluntary, peer reviewed process for bedside nurses who want to advance as their clinical expertise increases. Last year, more than 150 nurses took advantage of this unique program and climbed the internal ladder that honors advancing nurses on a quarterly basis.
The hospital began to develop RCAP in 1988 and in 1991; the program advanced its first nurses. Today, approximately 1,100 YNHH nurses have attained at least the level of Clinical Nurse II or are currently advancing on the ladder.
“RCAP helps nurses realize that they can influence their practice and advance when they have made an impact,” said Sue Fitzsimons, RN, PhD, senior vice president, Patient Services. “Our program is internal but it has become a model for other hospitals that – like YNHH – want to give their nurses the opportunity to advance and recognize their contributions to practice.
The Professional Practice Review Committee, made up of nurses who have advanced to CN III and CN IV, reviews submissions four times a year. Applicants submit a portfolio that describes their practice in four domains: clinician-patient relationship, clinical expertise/problem-solving, collaboration/teamwork, and practice development/positive impact. More detailed information is available on the YNHH nursing Web site (http://nursing.ynhh.org).
“YNHH nurses make a tremendous impact on patient and family outcomes, and RCAP is an excellent way to recognize their efforts,” said Maureen Roussel, APRN, MSN, cardiothoracic clinical nurse specialist, Center for Professional Practice Excellence, and chair of the RCAP Committee. “RCAP encourages nurses to share the excellence of their work and is a terrific way to celebrate great practice at YNHH.”
Article originally appeared in the January 22, 2009 issue of the YNHH Bulletin (page 4)
http://www.ynhh.org/bulletin_archive/2009/012209_bulletin.pdf
