The Institute for Patient Care

The Institute for Patient Care, housed within the MGH Patient Care Services (PCS) is a first-of-its-kind, innovative model for advancing multidisciplinary healthcare. It is comprised of four centers, the Norman Knight Nursing Center for Clinical & Professional Development, the Maxwell & Eleanor Blum Patient and Family Learning Center, the Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research and the Center for Innovation in Care Delivery. The Institute also includes interdisciplinary programs and initiatives including Collaborative Governance, Clinical Recognition, Affiliations, Credentialing, Simulation and the Global Nursing Education Program.

The Institute is a structure, designed to foster the work of each Center and promote a synergy across Centers to advance interdisciplinary clinical work within Patient Care Services. By creating a multidisciplinary environment for the advancement of professional development, education and research, the values and beliefs of Patient Care Services can be facilitated through teamwork in the delivery of safe, timely, efficient, cost effective quality care. The goal of the Institute is to provide nurses, therapists, social workers and other PCS staff with opportunities for growth through knowledge and experiences needed to advance personal and professional goals and provide safe, effective, evidence-based patient and family care.

The Institute works to encourage efficient use of resources to promote learning and research initiatives that can be developed and supported by internal and external funding sources. The Institute also plays a leadership role in creating new directions for professional development and advancement through increased mentoring opportunities. The ongoing development of learning resources for staff, patients and families continues to focus on the promotion of culturally-sensitive, safe and effective patient care.

By linking professional groups around organizational and disciplinary goals, innovative answers are generated to respond to ongoing and new concerns. Multidisciplinary projects designed to compliment and enhance patient care and professional development are encouraged and supported. It is anticipated that as the Institute grows, Centers of Clinical Excellence involving staff development, research and evidence-based practice will emerge and become focal areas for funding, research, professional advancement and recognition.

The Institute serves as a clearinghouse for all initiatives and facilitates communication across all Centers and programs. In addition the Institute partners with staff to develop project budgets that designate time, effort, personnel and resources needed to see work through to a successful completion.

The Institute for Patient Care is committed to:

• Fostering an environment of clinical inquiry and experiential learning.
• Creating a synergy across all Centers and programs to advance the goals of Patient Care Services.
• Working collaboratively with PCS and hospital staff to promote interdisciplinary team learning to optimize safe, effective patient and family care.
• Seeking multiple funding opportunities to advance the work of the Institute and Patient Care Services.
• Creating opportunities to be present in the organization at the point-of-care and within committees across the organization.
• Assuming leadership for innovation in evidenced-based practice.
• Initiating and supporting research that advances safe and effective, evidenced-based care.
• Providing leadership for innovations for staff, patients and families in learning.
• Developing, implementing and evaluating programmatic initiatives that impact staff and patient outcomes.
• Advancing the PCS’s organizational agenda to foster interdisciplinary practice to advance patient care.
• Disseminating the work of the Institute and its Centers and programs through multiple local, national, and international forums.
• Participating in the development and evaluation of individual, group and organizational programs of research.