At Parkview, we’re always thinking about ways to support the education, development and comradery of our co-workers. Quality Understanding Engagement Satisfaction Teamwork (QUEST) is a system-wide committee of the Parkview Nursing Coordinating Council aimed at increasing communication and understanding. We spoke with Sam Baker, BSN, RN, assistant nurse manager, Inpatient Neurological Patient Care, Parkview Regional Medical Center, about the goals of the committee and how it benefits our nurses.
What inspired the creation of QUEST?
We recently combined the Quality of Life and Nursing Engagement and Satisfaction Team (NEST) to create Quality Understanding Engagement Satisfaction Teamwork (QUEST). The merging of these two committees made sense, as they both focused on work-life balance and the ownership of our nursing practice.
Who can join QUEST and which nurses participate?
Nurses (clinical, leader, NPD) from every area of our health system are welcome. QUEST membership is almost 90% clinical nurses, plus select nursing leaders serving as mentors and a representative from the Coworker Experience Team.
What are some key initiatives of QUEST?
The committee is responsible for reviewing high-level Parkview data on nurse retention, including trends in vacancies, turnover, engagement survey results, etc. Members meet monthly and maintain a list of creative interventions to address nurse engagement needs. There are multiple opportunities to join workgroups.
National Nurses Week is probably the most robust project we work on each year. We put a lot of effort into collecting the wish list of the nurse body. A subcommittee reviews all suggestions and looks at what’s feasible. They come back to the full committee to discuss options for celebrating our nurses, while also making the observance meaningful. Our goal is to include all Parkview nurses, from our hospitals to those working remotely, to those in community outreach areas.
Another project we are working on is understanding the financial side of the health system. We, like many health institutions, are still recovering after the pandemic. It’s important for us to understand our nurses’ role in that recovery process and what we can do to support the health system from a financial perspective.
We’ve reached out to various departments (Dietary, Talent Acquisition and Retention, Human Resources) to discuss things like compensation, benefits and how other areas support financial resiliency and recovery. This has yielded great discussion between QUEST attendees and department leaders. We plan to continue these talks with other departments.
How does QUEST support professional growth and development for nurses?
QUEST offers a platform for some of our councils to pose questions and get feedback for their current initiatives.
What impact has QUEST had on patient care and nursing practices?
Happy nurses mean happy patients. It’s as simple as that. The evidence supports that, when nurses are more engaged and happier in their workplace, evidence supports that it leads to better patient outcomes.
What are the biggest challenges facing nurses today, and how does QUEST help address them?
Work/life balance and safety aren’t necessarily new challenges, but QUEST offers new sets of eyes, so to speak, looking at them.
Burnout has also been a long-standing issue in nursing. QUEST helps us check the current temperature of burnout. We look at the trends and potential causes, as well as discuss resources and education to combat the effects of professional fatigue.
QUEST continues to gather and provide feedback on these challenges to the appropriate councils to help be a part of the solution and the growth of Parkview nursing.
How can nurses get involved with QUEST?
We’re still a work in progress, but I’m proud of the attendance for each meeting. We’ve grown from 15 or so to 35 or more. This is where the voice of the nurse can be heard. Keep coming to the meetings and speaking up! We’d love to hear from you.
Parkview nurses interested in joining QUEST, can reach out to me, April Nelson or Erin LaCross.
