Enhancing Patient Care through Effective Medical Staff Training

Imana Mo Minard, a seasoned healthcare professional, thinks outside the box to ensure exceptional outcomes. Prioritizing work-life balance for staff and coherent care for patients, Minard leverages the feedback from the team to improve the services at Corewell Health. 

This article is based on an interview with Healthcare Business Review, where Minard shares her insights on incorporating technology and different staffing models for improved employee retention.

Roles and Responsibilities at Corewell Health

As the director of nursing at Corewell, I oversee various emergency departments at the Farmington Hills and the Lavonia outpatient campuses. In addition, I also have oversight for our five north medical-surgical units, the nursing resource pool, and the hemodialysis unit.

Every day is different for me at Corewell, specifically because the process of providing patient care changes with every patient. We have many of them come to our facility with different concerns, as no patient is the same. The job entails numerous responsibilities, including leading projects, collaborating with other departments, ensuring patient care standards are met, and ensuring compliance with regulatory agencies. I also pay attention to improving the patient care experience and serve as a representative of Corewell on different administrative boards.

The Journey That You’ve Had So Far

I started my career as a paramedic in the Emergency Medical Services division of the Detroit Fire Department, and after working for over a decade there, I moved to nursing. I joined Corewell over five years ago, and it has been an extensive learning experience. I have worked in partnership with different departments, inclusive of areas outside nursing, which is incredibly gratifying. Refusing to say no to opportunities has made me a better leader.

Major Challenges in the Field of Nursing

The shortage of qualified professionals, specifically in the medical-surgical area, is a major challenge. The new graduates move to specialty areas such as emergency, critical care and labor and delivery rather than starting in on the traditional medical floors. Our current labor shortage allows new graduates the opportunities to go right into the area they truly feel a passion for, which is completely understandable. In addition, the lack of qualified faculty to ensure our students will have access to the education they are required to complete for licensure. One last critical piece for me personally is consistently wondering how we will examine and adjust the delivery of care in the future.

Strategies Implemented by Corewell to Overcome Existing Pain Points

Corewell plays an important role in getting licensed practical nurses (LPNs) back in the acute care setting. Many misconceptions prevail about the training they receive, causing hesitancy in employing them in acute care. We must understand that LPNs undergo a rigorous vocational training program.

We also implemented in one of our units a different staffing model through which we hire contingent personnel. This was necessary as this was a new area, and we were not getting candidates at the rate we would have hoped. We provide them with details of the shift timings and work structure. The staff can choose the day they want to work. This flexibility in scheduling proves we’re constantly working for our nursing staff to ensure successful patient outcomes. We empower our departments to implement measures that are out of the box with innovation and welcome all those ideas for improvements from our clinicians. At Corewell, we leverage technology and have designed a virtual nursing program. Our candidate pool for med surg nursing is not plentiful, and consistently improving is the key.

Ensuring Patient Safety at Corewell

This is a human-centric profession, and only a partnership between the health care providers and patients can ensure excellent outcomes. As leaders, we are committed to high-quality care being provided to our patients by our competent staff, which is trained on an ongoing basis. We have state-of-the-art medical facilities and use the finest equipment. It is also essential to collect feedback from the patients and the staff to engage them in the process to address concerns. At times, they’ll be able to draw your attention to aspects you might overlook as a leader.  

Advice to the Professionals in Your Field

Always stay true to your authentic self and lead with who you are. Try to improve when you notice an area where you need to be more efficient. We might think our staff will not know it, but they do. Team members are very smart and know when you aren’t engaged. Don’t ever lose your authentic self.