Case-Study: Quality Improvement Education

Case-Study: Quality Improvement Education
Case-Study: Quality Improvement Education
Case-Study: Quality Improvement Education
Week 3: Quality Improvement Education 120120 unread replies.136136 replies. In your prelicensure nursing education program, what did you learn about quality improvement in nursing? How was quality improvement emphasized? As you consider nursing education today, what would you suggest be included in future education or orientation programs about the important topic of quality improvement in nursing?
Lean for education is an improvement approach that encourages all school and district employees to identify and solve problems that prevent students and others who benefit from education from achieving the highest quality outcomes possible. The Lean model has its roots in manufacturing, specifically the performance and quality standards movement developed by Toyota Motor Corporation following World War II. Toyota sought to improve on an earlier production system created by Ford Motor Company, which was more concerned with standardization and efficiency than with inspiring workers to feel committed to ongoing quality improvement.
Whereas Ford’s workers had highly specialized roles and supervisory foremen, Toyota’s system had teams with team leaders who not only supervised, but also performed production tasks and filled in for absent workers. Teams were assigned sets of assembly steps, tasked with figuring out the best way to accomplish them, and given dedicated time for improving their processes through team-based problem-solving techniques. In education, where it can be difficult to define concepts like “products,” “customers,” or even “quality,” the Lean method has not yet seen extensive use; its applications have been mostly in higher education and non-instructional areas such as administration and facilities.