Grand Rounds

The impetus for the event is the growing frustration by many nurses that the national dialogue on health care reform is heading in the wrong direction, i.e.:

• it focuses on better financing of the current system (not the good news since the current system is seriously flawed);
• it ignores what people really want in health care which is holistic, convenient, seamless and personalized care; and
• nurses' voices are not being heard even though nurses are the largest caregiver group, there 24/7, and with solutions to many health care system problems.

Melissa Avery, Diane Treat-Jacobson and Linda Halcon, faculty members at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, began the discussion by presenting brief 'mind jolts' from the perspectives of three different populations:

• mothers and children
• older adults
• communities

Participants at the forum then worked in small groups to discuss answers to three questions:

• What characteristics do we want in a health care system?
• What examples do you know of in current programs?
• What action steps can we take?

Following that time, participants shared comments about what a health care system, through a nursing lens, should look like - and gave concrete examples of programs and initiatives that are wonderful examples of what nurses, working together with others, can accomplish.

Charged with identifying 'next first steps' that they would pursue to make a difference, they recommended several:

• Participating in political caucuses and voting in the primaries
• Becoming knowledgeable about the issues
• Attending MNA's Nurses Day on the Hill on February 26
• E-mailing your legislator - and offering to help him or her with health care issues
• Speaking up about the invaluable contributions that nurses make.

A major recommendation was to work collaboratively with each other, and with key partners, such as physicians, community leaders, our students, legislators, other health care providers.

Participants at this event felt that it was a great first step - but that much work remains to be done. What was particularly exciting was that the participants seemed eager for the challenge - and ready to raise the voice about nursing's role in the national debate and in a reformed health care system.