Queens Nursing Institute Scotland Leadership Program – My Journey

On this week’s blog, Rhona Martin, a chest, heart and stroke nurse at NHS Fife in Scotland, reflects on how the Queens Nursing Institute Scotland leadership program has contributed to her personal and skilled development as a community nurse.

The Queens Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) leadership program “supports, develops and inspires Scotland’s community nurses and midwives to turn into health improvement agents and catalysts for social change to construct a healthier, more equitable Scotland” (The Queens Nursing Institute Scotland 2023). I do know “journey” is a little bit of a cliché when describing something recent or different that is happening in your life, but I can not consider a greater strategy to describe this unique and transformative program I used to be immersed in.

After I heard that I had been nominated by my immediate supervisor to use for the 2023 cohort of the QNIS Leadership Program, I felt honored and privileged to be given this chance. Nonetheless, it’s protected to say that the appliance process was each daunting and exciting in equal measure. As a part of this 12 months’s cohort, the Burdett Trust for Nursing provided funding to 4 applicants to undertake a cardiovascular project specializing in the first prevention of heart problems, which formed the idea of my application.
How my vision will likely be realized is an evolving process, but the basics remain the identical:

There have been 3,836 stroke-related deaths in Scotland in 2021 and although deaths from stroke have declined over the past 10 years, it stays the leading reason for death and disability for adults in Scotland. The number of individuals dying from stroke in essentially the most deprived areas of Scotland was 43% higher than within the least deprived areas in 2021, which is consistent with the previous 5 years. There are, in fact, non-modifiable risk aspects for stroke, equivalent to age, gender and co-morbidities, but identifying individuals’ modifiable risk aspects and supporting them to make lifestyle changes has the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of stroke (Public Health Scotland 2023).

The Scottish Government’s commitment to stroke care has led to the event and publication in March 2022 of the brand new Scottish Progressive Stroke Pathway. As stroke physicians, this pathway provides practical recommendations that we must always strive to attain. One vital advice is to enhance the detection, diagnosis and treatment of AF and hypertension by improving quality in community settings (Scottish Government 2022).

I’m often asked how QNIS will help me achieve my vision, and this query could be very difficult to reply and subsequently difficult to place into words. For my vision to return to fruition, I would like to take others on this journey with me, share my ambitions and encourage them to commit to the long-term process. At its core, QNIS is a Leadership Program that “inspires others with perseverance and resilience” (The Queens Nursing Institute 2023). This system combines a spread of learning opportunities and approaches, including two residential stays and one virtual workshop, monthly coaching, peer support and online meetings, with person-centred care on the forefront. As an experienced nurse, I assumed I used to be receiving person-centered care, which was probably true for the people I cared for. What I didn’t have in mind was that I and my team were at the middle of this director’s attention and that we as clinicians needed to be healthy in body and mind to give you the option to foster healthy, respectful and empathetic relationships with service users and to be champions and advocates for top of the range community nursing and equity for all in health care (McCormack et al. 2021).

I now lead by implementing this principle and ensuring my team is supported to maintain themselves, reflect and share constructive feedback. I even have incorporated the ‘Mini Kitbag’ resources into our team meetings to not only open conversations, but in addition encourage non-judgmental listening and, where essential, offer advice and support. What’s exciting is that my team now uses elements from this bag in conversations during these meetings to reflect, express their thoughts and feelings, and ask for support (International Futures Forum 2023).

On this program, I used to be and proceed to be challenged to interact in critical, personal dialogue about past, present and future experiences, exploring my values ​​and beliefs through the eyes of others as I attempt to make sense of this journey of self-discovery. It’s still a piece in progress, but since starting this program I’ve made significant changes physically and mentally in each my work and my personal life, and interestingly enough, in each elements people have said, “I can not put my finger on it, but there’s something different in you.” This may increasingly include its own challenges as I and others adapt to those changes, but I’ll proceed to take this chance to turn into the most effective person I may be not just for myself, but for my team and people around me I support you in my role as Chest and Stroke Scotland Lead Stroke Nurse.

To anyone who may be interested or has the chance, I’d say: be brave and just benefit from the journey!

Rhona works in NHS Fife (@NHSFife) as a Scotland Health Visitor for Chest, Heart and Stroke (@CHSScotland). You can too find more information in regards to the Burdett Trust for Nursing and Queens Nursing Institute Scotland on Twitter (@BurdettTrust and @QNI_Scotland).

BIBLIOGRAPHY
International Futures Forum (2023) IFF Kitbag Available at https://www.iffkitbag.com
McCormack, Brendan, McCance Tanya, Bulley Cathy, Brown Donna, McMillan Ailsa, Martin Suzanne 2021, Person Centered Healthcare Practice, Wiley Blackwell, Chichester
Public Health Scotland (2023) Stroke statistics in Scotland available at https://publichealthscotland.scot
Scottish Government (2022) Strokes: a progressive stroke pathway Available at https://www.gov.scot
The Queens Nursing Institute Scotland (2023) About QNIS Available at https://qnis.org.uk

FURTHER READING/INFORMATION
Burdett Trust for Nursing – https://www.btfn.org.uk

Queens Nursing Institute Scotland – https://www.qnis.org.uk/

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