The Journey of 10,000 Miles Begins With 1 Step

The journey to providing world-class health care can be gauged by various metrics: some are more tangible and concrete, such as patient satisfaction scores, whereas others aren't necessarily readily seen or felt. Nursing identity, role clarification, and owning nursing practice are all less measurable, yet immeasurably vital elements of a journey to excellence. In our world of immediate gratification with instant everything from messaging to downloads to “show me the results…now,” the world of professional nursing practice challenges the perceptive norms of our health care world. Things that take time, such as cultural change related to how nurses see themselves as professionals, elbow to elbow with their interdisciplinary colleagues as well as their peers, doesn't happen overnight. Developing and nurturing professionalism in nursing takes time, authentic presence of leaders, engagement of colleagues, and somehow creating a feeling of value in the contribution of each nurse from the bedside to the boardroom. So how does that happen? Not an easy answer, but the professional practice team at WellStar Cobb is on a mission to make it happen. This is the story of a team's vision to define themselves and become owners of their practice.