Nursing is Key to effective and compassionate healthcare.
Nursing plays a pivotal role at Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC), providing effective and compassionate care that stands at the core of our value-based healthcare approach. We’re fortunate to have an ever-expanding nursing program that impacts all levels of care at LCHC. This is due, in part, to an excellent nurse educator and a top-down approach to sustained learning and growth.
Our goal is to empower nurses throughout the region through hiring incentives, ongoing education initiatives, and a future focused on value-based healthcare.
Here’s how we make it happen.
Meet the Educator Who Shapes LCHC’s Nursing Excellence
Meet the expert nurse educator, Charlotte Badler, who shapes the nursing career opportunities at community health centers like ours. Charlotte joined LCHC in the spring of 2021, bringing a wealth of experience. With years of dedication to the field of nursing and a wealth of experience, Badler’s insights provide a glimpse into our organization’s exceptional nursing program.
“I try to push us in the direction of the Nursing Professional Development Specialist, which is the title that the professional organization now uses,” she says when asked about her position at LCHC. “This title emphasizes that the position encompasses more than just the individual teaching process.”
“My role is to manage the onboarding process, professional development, and ongoing education needs for all of our nurses and medical assistants.”
Badler explains that as a nursing professional development specialist, she oversees the nursing staff who train new nurses in appropriate patient care (to prevent serious injury) and overall process efficiency, which can influence federal funding or certification status. Her oversight pulls the individual pieces together to create a cohesive nursing program at LCHC.
Charlotte (left) stands proudly with her award alongside our CEO, Brenda, and other dedicated LCHC staff members, celebrating their incredible contributions.
“I might fill in gaps. So, if someone is struggling with a particular skill, I can pull him or her off the floor and do some kind of catch-up education. I work with our new grads and their transition to practice,” Badler says. “We want our nurses to know more about effective ways to counsel patients who are, for example, managing diabetes. I develop or find trainings and education programs for them.
“More broadly, I look at each staff member’s professional development. If someone is interested in wound care, I watch for opportunities that might interest them to develop their skills.”
Badler says that empowering nurses at LCHC is an ongoing process, and she’s quick to point out that she must provide value in a number of ways.
“Most community health centers can’t afford to invest that kind of money in training and professional development, even though it gives good returns in the long run,” she explains. She spent her first year at LCHC spearheading nurse competency during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she’s expanded opportunities ever since.
“In 2022 and this year, I’ve built more programs, have done some innovative things, and continue to seek funding for nursing tools.” It’s a challenge Badler has taken on with enthusiasm.
Empowering Nurses at LCHC
At LCHC, nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to provide exceptional care to the community. We offer comprehensive training and education programs—under Badler’s supervision. This sets the stage for nurses to excel.
From orientation programs to continuing education opportunities that keep nurses up to date with the latest advancements, LCHC invests in its nursing staff.
Recent initiatives that have helped shape our program include:
- Implementation of an evidence-based online clinical reference system
- Launch of an internal newsletter that revamps new nursing higher competencies
- Expansion of opioid use disorder treatment and education
- Growth of recent grad hiring and licensed practical nurse (LPN) hiring efforts
- Regular surveys of nurse satisfaction to gauge program success
- Partnership with Iowa Online Nursing Residency, enabling our new nurses to participate in and receive the support of a nursing residency cohort.
“And this is only the tip of the iceberg,” says Badler. Having a full-time nursing professional development specialist on staff allows for enterprise-level treatment and training opportunities. These are invaluable resources for LCHC and the communities we serve.
The Donna Wright Competency Model
One example of Badler’s influence on LCHC’s nursing program improvements is her adoption of Donna Wright’s nursing competency model.
“Donna Wright has been a nurse educator for decades, and she developed a competency system that says that if we need to innovate in health care, we need to constantly grow,” offers Badler. “We need our nurses to grow and evolve. If they become stagnant, they get bored and leave, or they get bored and it compromises patient care.”
Badler explains that, traditionally, nurses are given a checklist of competencies that must be completed only once every few years. Often, these skills are demonstrated in a health-fair-like setting—with individual stations for each competency. But during the interims, nurses develop their own shortcuts or lack additional support.
“Wright says if we develop competencies that ask nurses to show us the same skills every year over and over, then nurses and health-care organizations will do the same things over and over and never evolve,” says Badler. “Wright’s model, instead, says to the staff: ‘What are the things that are new in your practice this year? What has changed? What challenges you? What do you do that could cause serious harm if it’s done wrong?’”
Wright’s competency model involves:
- Clear competency definitions
- Assessment and validation
- Continual learning and development
- Individualized development plans
- Patient-centered care
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Ethical and legal considerations
- Ongoing quality improvement
Badler’s team uses Wright’s method to develop a targeted scope of competencies and to focus on these in a more comprehensive way. She explains that demonstration of competency goes far beyond a checklist-based approach and, instead, places the emphasis on enhanced comprehension and a broader value-based care system.
Learn more about getting the treatment you need at Lynn Community Health Center
Become a Part of Our Exceptional Nursing Staff
LCHC’s nursing department stands as a beacon of excellence within the communities it serves.
It empowers our nurses, provides patient-centered care, and drives innovation. Lynn Community Health Center is a place where nurses can thrive, make a difference, and continue to shape the future of healthcare in the region.
Consider joining the LCHC team whether you’re a recent graduate, licensed practical nurse, or you’re looking to be part of a dynamic nursing program that makes a difference in the community.
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