Time out

Checklists and ‘‘time-out’’ procedures are important tactics used in healthcare to ensure patient safety and quality. These tools are used to verify that the activities taken in the name of the patient are in fact appropriate to the patients’ goals. The effectiveness of the simple checklist, even in highly complicated and often chaotic care environments such as ICUs, has been documented in both the medical and lay literature. In his compelling New Yorker article on the subject of the checklist, Gawande challenges us to consider what else can be accomplished with a checklist. Healthcare chaos is experienced not only at the bedside but also in leadership suites. The practice of healthcare leadership certainly embodies the characteristics of hurriedness and complexity. Healthcare professions are challenged to develop providers to meet patient needs in a system in motion aiming toward a yet unknown future state. If a health system checklist existed to guide the education and professional development of nursing’s future leaders, what activities and characteristics would we want to verify? The following 8 points are offered for possible consideration: