ֲý

Nursing in the Delaware Valley

CONTACT US 
Nursing in the Delaware Valley
This is a formal picture of Aaron Carpenter, DNP, M.Div., APRN, CPNP-PC, Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing and Patient Operations Officer, Delaware Valley.

Our Leadership

Aaron Carpenter, DNP, M.Div., APRN, CPNP-PC

SVP | Chief Nursing and Patient Operations Officer
ֲý Children's Health, Delaware Valley

Delaware Valley Nursing Program

Our Programs

Shared Governance

The Department of Nursing uses a system that recognizes the shared accountability and responsibility of all nurses in the decision making process.

Our Nursing Shared Governance Model illustrates the components of the shared leadership structure that nurses use to communicate, address issues, make decisions and share best practices.

The Councils that compose Nursing Shared Governance are:

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Council
  • Nursing Practice Council
  • Nursing Informatics Council
  • Nursing Quality Council
  • Nursing Management Council
  • Nursing Research Council
  • Nursing Education Council

Each of these councils have independent and interdependent functions within this model. At the center of the model is the Nursing Shared Governance Congress, which brings together representatives from every practice environment. The membership of Nursing Executive Council is the chairs of the Congress and the seven Nursing Shared Governance Councils; therefore, this council connects the entire structure.

RN Residency Program

ֲý offers a one-year RN Residency Program that provides instructor-led classes, simulation and clinical experiences with the aim of supporting new nurses to transition into fully competent Pediatric Nurses. All nurses with less than one year of professional experience are enrolled in this program. The goal of this program is to provide additional class time and peer connections that enable new nurses to build confidence and find success as Registered Nurses. This program is in addition to your unit-based orientation, having both an orientation and a Nurse Residency help ensure that you are set up for success to be able to grow in your role and provide the highest level of care to our patients.Learn more

Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship

The Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship is offered to nurses and interprofessional colleagues and includes a didactic component and a collaborative process of learning to facilitate the completion of a quality improvement, research or evidence-based practice project. Support of co-participants and mentoring by the Director of Nursing Research, Dr. Catherine Haut, are additional methods that assist an individual or a team complete a project within the timeline of 1–2 years after attending the workshop. There is an application process which includes manager endorsement for the participant and clinical nurse specialist or educator involvement to improve the opportunities for the project to change and improve patient and nursing care practices.

Nursing Advancement @ ֲý and the APRN Clinical Ladder

Nursing Advancement @ ֲý (NA@N) and the APRN Clinical Ladder are designed to recognize clinical and advanced practice registered nurses for their contributions to the Nursing and ֲý strategic initiatives. The program provides an avenue for promotion and acknowledgement of the nurses’ advanced clinical competency while at the same time keeping nursing expertise close to the patient and family.

Affiliated Schools of Nursing

Affiliated with more than 25 schools of nursing in the Delaware Valley and beyond, ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware and its network of primary care and specialty care practices offer clinical training for pre-licensure nursing students and registered nurses seeking advanced education through master’s and doctoral programs. Nursing students at all levels gain exposure to children with a wide variety of health conditions and receive extensive support from experienced nurse preceptors. Students also have access to additional educational content through the ֲý Medical Library and ֲý nursing continuing professional development activities.

Student Nurse Advancement Program (SNAP)

SNAP provides a structure for professional growth for BSN students who are employed within Patient Care Services and are entering their senior year of nursing education.

Mentor Program

The ֲý Nurse Mentor program was designed to facilitate the professional transition of novice nurses post-Nurse Residency and for experienced nurses who are new to pediatrics. This program focuses on continuing professional development, interprofessional communication, patient safety initiatives and socialization into the nursing department at ֲý. Mentees are introduced to their assigned mentor two weeks before the end of their orientation.

Awards and Recognition

ѲԱ

ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware's nursing program was granted Magnet status in 2012 and was granted redesignation in 2017 and 2022 by theas a result of our professional nursing excellence.

Beacon Award

The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware was recently awarded the Silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence in July 2019 from the American Association for Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).

Lantern Award

The Emergency Department nurses at ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware were awarded the prestigious Lantern Award in 2019 and again in 2022 from the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware is the only hospital in Delaware, as well as the only pediatric hospital in the Delaware Valley, to have received this national award. Only 28 emergency departments across the country were awarded this year.

Practice Transition Accreditation Program

ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware's nurse residency program was granted PTAP accreditation status in 2021. The Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) organizations set the standard for residency or fellowship programs that transition registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) into new practice settings.

Shared Governance

ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware was accredited as a Shared Governance organization by the . We earned this credential through our 12-year history of shared governance and also by participating in a Shared Governance assessment and achieving a Shared Governance level score.

DAISY Foundation Award

is an international recognition program to say “thank you” to nurses for providing extraordinary compassionate care. Patients, families or colleagues nominate their nurses and the nominations are then blinded before being sent to our DAISY Committee for consideration to choose the most meaningful nomination. Each month, we recognize the chosen Honoree with a surprise celebration on their unit, a beautiful Healer’s Touch sculpture, certificate and Honoree Pin. All nurses that are nominated for The DAISY Award receive their nomination along with a DAISY Nominee pin, as we believe all nominations are worthy of acknowledgement. We honor nurses with The DAISY Award not only as individual nurses, but also as teams and nurse leaders.

Nurse of the Year

Annually, one nurse in the Delaware Valley is recognized as the Nurse of the Year. This award represents the highest level of professional practice and is selected by the Patient Care Services strategy team. This award was named in honor of Miss Marie L. Des Barres, the first Nurse Superintendent of the Alfred I. duPont Institute (now ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware) in 1939.

ELSO Gold Award

The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Award for Excellence in Life Support recognizes extracorporeal life support programs worldwide that distinguish themselves by having processes, procedures and systems in place that promote excellence and exceptional care in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ֲý ECMO program received the Gold Award for 2016–2019 and 2019–2022.

Program Overview

ֲý Children’s Health, Delaware Valley's nursing program was granted Magnet status in 2012 and was granted redesignation in 2017 and 2022 by the as a result of our professional nursing excellence.

nursing-residency-dv

Our RN Residency Program

ֲý offers a one-year RN Residency Program that provides instructor-led classes, simulation and clinical experiences with the aim of supporting new nurses to transition into fully competent Pediatric Nurses.

Awards and Recognition

Badge from the American Nurses Credentialing Center that the hospital is Magnet Recognized

Lantern Award

Accredited Practice Transition Program. American Nurses Credentialing Center.

The DAISY Award-Logo_INTER

ֲý Children's Health

ֲý Nurse of the Year

View a Virtual Tour of ֲý Children’s Hospital, Delaware

Learn about the people and services at our Delaware hospital.