The SOWEGA AACN Chapter hosts an annual clinical conference for members. The president, Linda Lowe, selected the theme for the conference based on our strategic plan. She was impressed with AACN's Healthy Work Environment Initiative and wanted to promote the standards to the community. As a Darton College nursing educator she felt the program would benefit practicing and student nurses.
Chapter members distributed copies of the HWE initiative to nursing leaders at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and Palmyra Medical Center, who supported the initiative. Southwest Georgia chapter leaders of the Emergency Nurses Association, Southwest Georgia Organization of Nurse Leaders, Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, GA PeriAnesthesia Nurses Association, Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nursing, and Oncology Nurses Society recognized the benefits and partnered in a collaborative for HWE.
The goal was to sponsor a conference for nurses and a dinner program for physicians and senior leaders at local hospitals. Utilizing the collaborative model for conference planning learned from Region 6 (12 chapters in Georgia and Alabama host an annual conference), each chapter was given assignments: AACN - coordination, finances, speakers; ONS - venue, catering; AWHONN - vendors; SWGONL - registration; AMSN - fundraising; ENA - marketing; and GA-PNA - hospitality.
Speakers included Connie Barden and VitalSmarts "Crucial Conversations" authors. We also contracted with Susan Gordon and Lisa Hayes for "Bedside Manners," a play illustrating communication dynamics between nurses, physicians and patients. The audience had the opportunity for a Q&A panel discussion with community nurses, physicians, leaders and an educator. It was incredibly powerful for nurses to hear from their leaders and respected physicians that bad behaviors were not to be tolerated and nurses would be supported.
We exceeded our goals: 200 nurses attended, all chapters benefited financially from the collaborative and the evaluations indicated it was the chapter's best conference ever (95.7% good to excellent).
