Nursing is a knowledge intensive profession in which the clinical judgment of nurses is critical to preventing adverse and catastrophic events.  As expert nurses leave health care organizations they take with them critical knowledge gained through years of experience.  Although often hidden, this lost knowledge has immediate impacts on patient safety, quality of care, and organizational finances. 

Expert nurses make lifesaving differences to patients.  They draw on past experiences, scientific knowledge, and instinct when approaching a challenge.  This clinical judgment is an unrecognized asset expert nurses bring to the table. Without their wisdom, health care organizations will experience increased errors, reduced efficiencies, and diminished capacity to develop innovative programs and models of care.  

Knowledge retention and knowledge transfer strategies have proven successful in reducing the adverse implications of lost knowledge in other industries.  Adapting these strategies to capture and transfer expert knowledge in the healthcare arena can help reduce the risks of lost knowledge by reducing costly surprises and sustaining high quality care. 

 This session will:

1)     identify where healthcare organizations are most vulnerable to the loss of expert knowledge and,

Discuss knowledge retention and knowledge transfer strategies participants can use.

TERRI GAFFNEY, RN, MPA, is Vice President for Nursing Communications and Initiatives for the Gannett Healthcare Group. Prior to joining Nursing Spectrum (now the Gannett Healthcare Group), Ms. Gaffney served as the Executive Director of the American Academy of Nursing in Washington, DC.  In this capacity, she managed the operations of the organization and developed its first strategic plan which ensured fiscal stability. Ms. Gaffney has also served as Director of State Government Relations for the American Nurses Association, Associate Legislative Director for Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Past President of the Virginia Board of Nursing. She was elected Commissioner on Workforce Issues for the Virginia Nurses Association. She is an active member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives as well as the Maryland and Virginia Chapters. Terri received her BSN from the Medical College of Virginia and her Masters in Public Administration from Virginia Tech.