Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/750495
torrancememorial.org PULSE | 29 H E A RT B E AT S B rilliant, humble, approachable—these are only a few of the many terms of endearment used by colleagues to describe Linda Lillington, PhD, RN, a nurse scientist and chairwoman of the Nursing Research Committee at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Lillington has been with Torrance Memorial for six years. From the beginning , she's been a positive force in the professional growth of its nurses by guiding them through research studies and implementing evidence-based nursing practice for patients at the bedside. She's been an integral component in helping nurses to improve the care they provide their patients at Torrance Memorial. Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Dr. Lillington earned her bachelor's degree at Penn State Univesity and began her career in oncolog y in New York City. She moved to California to attend UCLA for her master's as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) in oncolog y. She then went to UC Davis and worked as a surgical oncolog y CNS, returning to Southern California to open the outpatient department of the USC Norris Cancer Center. Next it was on to Harbor-UCLA for 20 years, working on clinical trials and national research studies. She pursued her doctorate at UCLA after moving back to the South Bay. The doctor is married, has two grown sons and loves to cook. Dr. Lillington says, "This is one of the best jobs of my career. It's so rewarding to work with the nurses, see their enthusiasm for evidence- based nursing practice and help them reach their potential. I do a lot of coaching , mentoring and encouraging nurses to implement research in areas of patient care they want to learn more about in their units, and bring the findings to the bedside." What types of nursing research take place at Torrance Memorial? Dr. Lillington created a nursing research fellowship program for nurses at Torrance Memorial who want to learn how to conduct research. " We've had three cohorts of nurses who have finished this program. Several RNs have submitted abstracts to national nursing conferences with a 95% acceptance rate. Nine of our RNs shared their presentations at the 15th annual Evidence-Based Practice Conference at UCLAin September. They discussed their findings and ways to improve nursing processes and quality improvement in many areas of care such as giving bedside reports, patient education, IV access, use of telemedicine for stroke patients and reductin of supply costs. The nursing research program was started with a $300,000 grant from the Vasek Polak Research Institute in honor of board member Rich Lucy. "He attended one of our first cohort presentations and was very impressed," Lillington says. "The funds help support staff nurses' attendance and presentations at national conferences as well as our own biannual Nursing Research and Evidence-based Practice Symposium. Our program wouldn't be possible without this grant." Barbara LeQuire, MSN, CNS, PNP, vice president of nursing ser vices, says, "I hired Linda in 2010 as a nurse researcher based on our pursuit of Magnet Designation, which requires a hospital to have nursing research in place. Her presence here has made an incredible mark. She's coached us through approximately 40 nursing research projects, working with staff at all levels from staff nurses to clinical nurse specialists, guiding them through research studies and preparing them to present at national conferences." One example of a study that began as a vision for improved outcomes for patients experiencing a stroke and morphed into a reality, is the new Telestroke program at Torrance Memorial. Edward Nazareth, MSN, RN, PCCN, advanced clinical nurse educator and stroke program coordinator says, "Countywide, there's a shortage of neurologists available 24/7 to see stroke patients in emergency rooms. With guidelines frequently changing , we wanted to see what could be done to provide patients quicker access to a neurologist while in the ER . We collected data in 2014 and presented our case to the administration in 2015. This led to a partnership with Cedars-Sinai neurologists and the creation of the Telestroke program at Torrance Memorial." Nazareth, one of the first Nursing Research Fellowship Program participants, says the skills he learned from Dr. Lillington regarding data collection, evidence-based research and evidence-based nursing practice helped make this project possible. Betty Halvorson, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC, MMGT, medical-surgical clinical nurse specialist says Dr. Lillington loves her work. "She wants all nurses to be able to bring evidence-based practice to the bedside. Her dream is to see nurses take increased initiative by asking if there's a better way to improve patient care. The intent would be these nurses would feel inspired to do the research and seek the answers, and work with the health care system to implement the change/improvement." Halvorson says Dr. Lillington mentors everyone she encounters and has the unique ability to speak at the most elementary level for those new to research or at a scholarly level when appropriate. "She has mentored Torrance Memorial RNs and advanced-practice nurses on research topics and prepared them to present their findings to national nursing conferences from Orlando to New Orleans to Las Vegas." Donna Yukihiro, MN, CNS, RN-C, says Dr. Lillington has supported the maternal-child health staff in many projects from research to evidence-based practice to posters. "She has raised the bar for nursing here at Torrance Memorial. She guided us through two research studies, one on gestational diabetes and another related to an item used during labor called the peanut ball, which helps moms with their positioning during labor." The findings were presented at national conferences including the March of Dimes and AWHONN (Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses). "It's rare to work with a nurse scientist and a great opportunity to have Dr. Lillington here," Yukihiro says. The research done on gestational diabetes revealed that many moms did not know it raised their risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Torrance Memorial now offers its "Sweet Success" program to these moms, so they can receive one-on-one instruction on diet and exercise to help reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Research projects are ongoing and new ones are in the queue. "I truly enjoy helping nurses improve their work and helping patients receive excellent care," says Dr. Lillington.