Linking Thinking and Practice is the tagline of Global Nurse Network (GNN) because Bobbi Martin, President and CEO, is an expert at translating knowledge into practice. This is the foundation for Global Nurse Network. Bobbi is a pragmatic, action inspired nurse leader who is impacting international nursing through the mission of her service organization, GNN. Here is Bobbi’s story:
I am committed to empowering nurses at the point-of-care by providing RN to RN support through education and consultation. We support evidence-based practice that is relevant and immediately applicable to point-of-care nurses where ever they are. – Bobbi Martin
People ask how it works. How does Global Nurse Network (GNN) support practicing nurses across the globe? I thought the best way to describe it is in pictures. Meet Rehema, a midwife I worked alongside at Whispers Magical Children’s Hospital (WMCH) in Jinja Uganda last March. Rehema gave birth to her daughter at the same hospital, but the baby experienced life-threatening complications.
During a long night of grant writing in June I received the text below via WhatsApp. The CEO of Whispers -WMCH reached out to see if we could help Rehema. We exchanged texts as they learned more about the baby and their assessment and discussed symptoms and interventions.
We stood by for progress updates throughout the night. They sent us progress videos via WhatsApp.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9mzsepbtghe5gpo/example1.MP4?dl=0
I was able to “see” the baby in real-time in the emergency department via their closed circuit TV which I have access to on my phone.
This is what I saw. Sadly, the baby did not survive:
Although we shared the devastation that night, we agree debriefing soon after these types of outcomes provides the most attention to detail and memory of what transpired, what decisions were made and what outcomes led to next actions. We debriefed via WhatsApp and we learned more about the history, presentation, early interventions, and lessons that impact practice at Whispers – WMCH today.
What came later brought me and my team to tears. We caregivers are used to comforting our patients and family. This video sent to us comforted us, gave us hope, more determination, increased dedication, and humility. We realize the impact we have and feel grateful to this family for allowing us to share their most intimate moments.
Whispers-WMCH has grown beyond borders and we will continue to grow to work with practicing nurses around the globe!
This is FYI information: What we do at GNN is work in-person alongside our colleagues with a learning mindset. We deliberately set collaborative goals for training and education. After we’re back in the States, we provide continued professional development to the staff at Whispers via zoom live meeting trainings.
We record the live trainings and edit them using Camtasia. Once edited, we upload the concise relevant training to a closed Facebook page where all staff can view. WMCH has nurse leaders who hold discussions with the staff after they’ve viewed the content and the team develops interventions to LevelUP™ their practice to the latest evidence based standards.
We’ve developed relationships with the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council, The Ministry of Health of Uganda, Makerere University School of Public Health among numerous NGOs actively working in the region and nearby countries. We are actively writing grants to support our efforts, fundraising to bring 6
nurses with us in March and July of 2020, and organizing the network of experts to support our growth.
Bio:
Bobbi Martin has over 35 years nursing experience including 20 years at the bedside as a pediatric emergency night shift nurse. After earning a Mastes in Nursing Education, serving as Director of Nursing, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer, and Dean of Nursing, Bobbi became an expert in transition to practice among new graduate nurses and transitioning nurses at all levels of their careers. Her expertise led to the creation of Global Nurse Network and the culmination of innovative strategies that that connect expert nurses with practicing nurses in real-time through open-source technological solutions. GNN is a dedicated cadre of professional nurses that elevate practicing nurses’ confidence, competence, and help them improve patient outcomes.
