The NCH Nurse Practice Council empowers clinical nurses to implement and maintain standards of nursing practice and patient care consistent with evidence-based practice and requirements of regulatory agencies.
Meet the NCH Nurse Practice Council
Nurse Practice Council
Goals for 2023-2024
- Mentorship Program
The Mentorship Program is in full swing this year. Mentors and mentees have been matched up and are meeting and touching base when needed. This year, we had more mentor volunteers than mentees! That means we have mentors available if the need arises. And what about nurses who transfer to a new unit? They could also benefit from a mentor. The group will begin to recruit mentors for newly transferred nurses as well. - Preceptorship
Currently, NPC is working to help preceptors within our organization. We are gathering information from current preceptors and brainstorming ways to offload some of the burden they may feel. We acknowledge how challenging it can be to precept one nurse after another and our goal is to alleviate some of that challenge, thus helping with nurse satisfaction and retention here at North Country. - Nursing Code of Conduct
The Nursing Code of Conduct continues to be a goal of the Nurse Practice Council. Work on this initiative will continue into 2024. - Aligning NPC Goals with the Nursing Strategic Plan
The Nurse Practice Council’s purpose is to empower and inspire nursing professionals while providing quality care through evidence-based practices. The Nursing Strategic Plan’s 4 pillars support this initiative. Aligning the Nurse Practice goals with the Nursing Strategic Plan will ensure everyone is on the same page, working towards the same goals. As part of the Employee pillar, the Nurse Practice Council will once again deliver cookie platters to all units and practices throughout the organization! You can look forward to that in February/March, after the holidays. This activity gets the word out about the Nurse Practice Council, bringing awareness to the group, and a special treat for the week!
Member Responsibility:
Members will be responsible for attending meetings and reporting activities and disseminating minutes/ information to their respective unit. If a member misses a meeting, it is the responsibility of the Council member to obtain information from the missed meeting and disseminate this to the department they represent.
Have Questions? Feel free to contact NPC people listed below:
Katrina Bennett/Co-chair – kbennett@nchsi.org
Rebecca Clarke/Co-chair – rclarke@nchsi.org
Denise Carter/Chief Nursing Officer – dcarter@nchsi.org
Kathy LaFratta/Executive Assistant – klafratta@nchsi.org
Nursing Strategic Plan
NCH Nursing Practice Council Mission:
The Nursing Practice Council empowers clinical nurses to implement and maintain standards of nursing practice and patient care consistent with evidence-based practice and requirements of regulatory agencies.
The NPC is comprised of nurse representatives from all areas where nursing care is practiced, including inpatient units, ambulatory settings, and family clinics. There are members from across the campus in a variety of roles. Most members are self-nominated because of their interest in helping Nurses through North Country Hospital.
The purpose of the Nursing Practice Council is to:
- Empower and inspire nurses to establish parameters of nursing practice.
- Encourage and inspire nurses as a collaborative body
- Implement improvements to ensure high nursing standards
- Deliver quality care
- Review and revise policies, procedures and standards of care.
- Incorporate evidence-based research findings into clinical practice.
- Consult on interdepartmental issues that impact patient care.
- Support peer review and quality improvement.
- Provide a forum to exchange ideas, news and find solutions to workplace challenges.
- Recognize achievements in nursing practice.