Culture of Inquiry and Innovation
UWMC Professional Practice Structure | Our Shared Leadership
Relationship Based Care is our model of nursing. This model emphasizes the relationship with self, coworkers, and the patient/family, based on work by Mary Koloroutis, MSN, RN
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The Professional Practice Council (PPC), Local Practice Councils (LPCs) and Unit Practice Councils (UPCs) are the central structures by which nurses come together from within and across the medical center campuses to define and guide professional nursing practice. These councils are an example of shared leadership, where bedside nurses and leaders collaborate to improve care. The PPC reports to the Nursing Executive Council (NEC). Information flows between these levels of councils in both directions.
- UPC – Focuses on improvement projects for one unit.
- LPC – Focuses on improvement projects for a specialty area in nursing (ICU, Med-Surg, OR, etc.) and support the UPCs.
- PPC – House wide committee (both campuses) that oversees nursing policies and supports the councils. Made up of LPC co-chairs and more.
- NEC – Oversight council for nursing quality & practice with bedside RNs and nursing leaders.
Northwest campus LPCs
- Critical Care/ED
- Med-Surg
- Periop
- Procedural
- Infusion
- CBC
Montlake campus LPCs
- ICU
- Med-Surg
- Perianesthesia
- OR
- Procedural
- Oncology
- MIC
- NICU
Joint Councils
- Education
- Advanced Practice
- Clinical Informatics
- PPC
Center for Behavioral Health and Learning Opens
On May 15, 2024, the University of Washington Medical Center: Northwest campus celebrated the grand opening of the Center for Behavioral Health and Learning (CBHL), a pioneering facility aimed at transforming mental health care in Washington State. This $244 million, six-story, 184,000-square-foot center was made possible through significant investment from the state legislature and Governor Jay Inslee, reflecting a strong commitment to addressing the state's mental health crisis.
The CBHL offers 150 inpatient beds, including units for Long-Term Civil Commitment, Geriatric Psychiatry, and patients requiring both medical and psychiatric care. It also houses the Garvey Institute Center for Neuromodulation, providing advanced treatments like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Designed to be a healing and welcoming environment, the facility features natural light, outdoor terraces, and communal spaces to reduce stress and promote recovery. As the state's first purpose-built behavioral health teaching hospital, it also serves as a hub for training future mental health professionals and supports a statewide telepsychiatry program to assist providers in underserved areas.
The CBHL stands as a significant advancement in Washington's efforts to provide comprehensive, compassionate, and integrated mental health care.
Seattle Nursing Research Consortium (SNRC) 2024
SNRC Poster Presentations
Outcomes of a Nurse Led Community Heart Failure Program | Kate Smith BSN, RN, CHFN and Jaimie Pechan DNP, ARNP, FNP-c
Evidence-based practice for safe vasopressor administration by peripheral intravenous catheter | Harmon, C., Hoard, A., Jawara, A., Johnson, J., Mixon, A., Muir, C., Nehls, T., Richards, S., Wolkow, C., Bakkala, L., Beal, C., Breaux, A., Nelson, A., West, J.
Addressing Practice Gaps in Assessment of Darker Skin at UWMC | Gim, B
Rocking the Mock Code Blues: a phased approach to improve Code Blue responses | Breaux, A., Keller, J., Thompson, A.
UW Medicine Ambulatory Workplace Incivility Project | Hart, R., McNulty, J., Paris, S. M., Ridenour, W., Williamson, E., Wright, K.
OB Nurse, at Your Cervix: Increasing Postpartum Nurse Certification Rates | Herke, A., Regimbal, A., Paroff, E.
The Power of Meaningful Connections in Healthcare | Constantino-Shor, C. & Cockerham, M.
Leveraging Champions for Target Temperature Therapy Education and Management | Marsh Hoye, C. Carvalho, Z.
Progressive Care Stoplight Board: visual communication of resources needed to provide the best patient care | Johnson, H
A Systematic Approach to Training Nurses in the Utilization of the Belmont Rapid Infuser | Okimoto, J. Wilson, M.
Eliminating Pre-transplant Lab Collection Errors in Patients Having a Heart Transplant | Bolduc, S., Matarlo, D.
Improving and Sustaining Nurse Confidence and Skill in Peripheral IV Insertion | Gardner, Ke, Gardner, Ka, Delismon, J., Podruchny, A., Constantino-Shor, C.
Improving Developmentally Delayed Patient Care in Pre Operation Area | Richards, H; Auyeung, A; Chavet, S.
Strive to Mobilize | Bakkala, L., Beal, C., Breaux, A., Keller, J., Laigo, R., Nelson, A., West, J.
Optimizing Collaboration between EP and Radiology Teams to improve efficiency in care for patients with Conditional and Non-conditional Cardiac Devices | Bilimoria, Pinky
Informaticist Led Sepsis Workflow Improvements | Powers, M. Berger, J, Bjur, A.
Care4U
The CARE4U Wellbeing & Support Program significantly broadened its reach and impact in 2024 through a multi-faceted approach to supporting the wellbeing of individuals and teams working and learning together at UWMC.
The CARE4U team expanded its capacity to provide direct support with the addition of two dedicated RN CARE4U Support Specialists, Maggy Mittler and Aubri Bennett. This expansion has enhanced the program's ability to proactively reach individuals and teams, fostering a culture of wellbeing across the medical center. A cornerstone of the year's efforts was the impactful UWMC Project Recharge 2.0, generously funded by a community donor who deeply values the contributions of UWMC nurses, this initiative focused on enhancing restorative spaces for staff in 2023. Building on this success, the donor's continued support in 2024 has led to the development of the "Refresh Responder" team and wellbeing cart rounding on both campuses and shifts. This innovative approach aims to further improve break culture and bring proactive wellbeing support directly to the bedside.
The program continued to partner in providing Schwartz Center Rounds on both campuses, providing a vital forum for interdisciplinary dialogue on the emotional and social aspects of patient care. Furthermore, the Community of Support sessions that began during the pandemic are still going strong! These regular sessions are centered around relevant themes for the healthcare community, with topics in 2024 ranging from fostering compassion with equanimity and navigating divided times to practical strategies for managing anxiety and promoting tech and brain health. The impact of the program was further amplified by the UW Medicine Well-being Grants. In 2024, UWMC accounted for 59 of the 202 funded projects, empowering faculty, staff, and trainees to develop grassroots community-building initiatives focused on their own wellbeing. A significant step forward was the launch of the first specific Wellbeing Survey at UWMC, providing valuable data to inform future program development and tailor support to the specific needs of the nursing community. To ensure consistent access to resources and information, the CARE4U newsletters were relaunched, offering curated, evidence-based content and highlighting upcoming wellbeing events. Additionally, the development of a Critical Incident Response Toolkit & Resources further strengthened the medical center's capacity to support staff during challenging times.
Throughout the year, individuals and teams increasingly sought support from CARE4U for a range of interconnected challenges impacting their wellbeing. Key themes and work that emerged from these engagements included:
- Addressing stress injuries, particularly moral distress, and burnout
- Managing pre- and post-shift anxiety
- Focused work on team incivility
- Facilitating recovery after adverse patient events
- Strengthening teaming and community agreements
- Promoting wellbeing advocacy and awareness
- Integrating Stress First Aid tools
- Guidance and strategies for managing interpersonal conflict
- Providing peer and leader coaching
- Addressing feelings of loneliness
- And much more
Eat, Sleep, Console: Leading with Compassion and Courage
Amber Pattison, RN, CNS
In 2024, the University of Washington Medical Center–Northwest (UWMC-NW) proudly became the first hospital in Washington State to achieve designation as a Center of Excellence for Perinatal Substance Use. At the heart of this transformation is Amber Pattison, RN, CNS, and Ying Zhang, MD, and Seairra Wheatley, MSW, whose leadership, vision, and unwavering commitment to compassionate care have forever changed how the Northwest Campus supports families impacted by substance use.
Amber, the Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist at UWMC-NW, Family Medicine partner Dr. Ying Zhang and maternal health social worker Seairra Wheatley co-chaired the hospital’s groundbreaking initiative. Together they led an interdisciplinary and intercampus team to fundamentally reshape care for some of the most vulnerable patients—pregnant individuals and newborns affected by opioid use. Their efforts have not only improved outcomes for mothers and infants but have also positioned UWMC-NW as a national leader in perinatal substance use treatment.
At the core of this success is the implementation of the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) model of care for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). Unlike traditional approaches that often rely on pharmacologic treatment and infant separation, ESC prioritizes nonpharmacological interventions, keeping mothers and babies together and focusing on an infant’s ability to eat, sleep, and be consoled. This model emphasizes family empowerment and reduces the need for opioid medication and extended hospital stays.
Since launching ESC in the UWMC-NW Childbirth Center, the impact has been profound. In just six months, data showed a dramatic reduction in the use of morphine for newborns and a significant decrease in length of stay. These results reflect not just clinical innovation but a cultural transformation—one that required trust, education, and emotional support.
The team led the training of more than 120 registered nurses, 40 providers and 30 neonatal care unit nurses, guiding the unit through a major practice shift. “It was scary at first,” colleagues noted. “Changing how we care for infants in withdrawal—keeping them with their mothers—felt unfamiliar and risky. Amber was there through every step, offering knowledge, reassurance, and deep empathy.”
Implementing ESC wasn’t just a clinical change—it was a shift in mindset. It asked caregivers to approach substance use without stigma and with the belief that mothers are essential to their babies’ healing. Amber modeled this belief in every interaction, living out the principles of service excellence in her collaboration with colleagues and in the compassionate, respectful care extended to families.
For their tireless efforts, transformational leadership, and dedication to patient- and family-centered care, this team received a 2025 UWMC Cares Award. Their work is not only saving lives—it is reshaping the future of maternal and infant health in Washington State.