By Anne Gunderson Ed.D, MS, GNP
Since the official creation of The Academy for Emerging Leaders in Patient Safety: The Telluride Experience in 2009, over 800 health science students and residents have attended one of our immersive sessions. The program is intended to fill gaps in health sciences education where formal, systematic patient safety and quality curriculum is lacking. Learners leave with the tools, knowledge, support, and enthusiasm to make a difference at their institution or school, and a commitment to make patient safety a focus of their medical careers. While in attendance, each learner is asked to blog nightly to provide an outlet for their reflections and the impact of its curriculum in their own words. These powerful glimpses into their thoughts and experiences formed the inspiration for our new book, Shattering the Wall: Imagine Healthcare without Preventable Medical Harm.
Shattering the Wall is a collection of works created by these young healthcare learners and the faculty members who taught them. Each chapter is deeply rooted in the healthcare domains of safety, quality, and leadership. No matter what type of reader you may be—healthcare professional, health science educator, or a patient who uses health services—this book will hopefully open your eyes to many of the intricacies of our current healthcare system, as well as the challenges faced by all of us in delivering safe, high-quality care. In this book, you will be exposed to first-hand accounts of real-life situations involving learners, professionals, patients, and their families, which reflect the historical background, current state, and lessons learned of each prevalent topic in healthcare practice. The chapters do not have to be read in order. Feel free to pick a chapter on a topic that intrigues you, or start from the beginning and immerse yourself in a learning experience similar to what our learners experience while attending The Telluride Experience.
The future is limitless for these young leaders. The leaders of tomorrow have the opportunity to create a culture that is safe, and, most importantly, patient-focused. By stretching the boundaries of traditional thinking and acting, learners and professionals can deliver higher-quality care to patients and their families, thus transforming and improving healthcare culture and practices for future generations.
We hope you will accept this work in the spirit in which it was intended: to give a larger platform to the voices of our future healthcare leaders—voices that will carry the much-needed healthcare culture change forward. Our faculty strongly believes in the “Educate the Young” premise – providing the future generation of health care leaders the knowledge, tools, techniques, and behaviors associated with high-quality, safe care.
Whether you are a healthcare learner, a healthcare professional, or a patient or family member interested in learning more about our current healthcare culture, you will appreciate Shattering because we all have one thing in common - we are all affected by the health of our current healthcare system, and we will all, one day be patients.
Please note: Any and all proceeds from book sales will go directly to support future Telluride Scholars in their quest to become the safest, most patient-centered caregivers they can be. We are, in turn, grateful for your support.
Purchase book here: amazon.com
