The future of nursing and healthcare: Dr. Susan Hassmiller

Fort Worth, TX

5/10/2010

By: Caroline Atchison, Schieffer School of Journalism

Registered nurses and TCU nursing students gathered at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center in March to learn about their role in the 21st century healthcare environment. About 180 attendees learned about the healthcare system’s needs, how they can help out and ways for improving the nursing work force in the future.

Dr. Susan Hassmiller, Ph.D., RN, FAAN and senior nursing advisor for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, conducted the lecture aimed primarily toward the next generation of graduating nurses.

“Students are the most important people here because they are our future,” said Dr. Hassmiller.

As an active leader in the nursing community, Dr. Hassmiller’s impact on the graduating seniors attending the lecture was a powerful one.

“It’s important because she encouraged graduating nurses to be leaders in their internship programs,” said Becky Helms, senior nursing major from Houston. “Her lecture was really motivating.”

The lecture revolved around three main points of interest. First, the healthcare system’s needs are a major concern in term of disparities. These disparities include high infant mortality rates, lagging life expectancies, primary care shortage, and unacceptable medical errors.

“There are a lot of medical errors that are just brushed under the rug and we accept that,” said Dr. Hassmiller.

Secondly, Dr. Hassmiller explained how nurses could help with these healthcare upsets. She used NASA’s “zero tolerance” motto as an example for how nurses should function as a team in the future and that everybody should step up as a leader.

She suggested that nurses are the most readily equipped for implementing chronic care management, care coordination, end of life care and prevention. Nurses are the largest component of the healthcare workforce and are most likely to catch medical errors.

Dr. Hassmiller offered her insight on the 21st century view of the nursing world in her third objective by establishing eight goals that should be followed for future success. These goals included adding value-to-the-work nurses are doing engaging in research and redesigning education.

“We owe it to our nursing students to provide residency programs involving on-the-job learning. Today’s nurses are undereducated for demands of the practice,” Dr. Hassmiller said.

She encouraged nurses to “be at the table” and to be empowered by becoming a board member or even through volunteer work.

“Everyone can be a leader for the future of nursing to help mentor the next generation,” Dr. Hassmiller said.

In her final call to action Dr. Hassmiller said, “Sometimes when a system is in chaos, it becomes a time for you to really lead and take charge. Just say yes.”

The event was a W.F. "Tex" and Pauline Rankin Lectureship in Nursing. For more information on Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, visit www.harriscollege.tcu.edu.