Lessons Learned on Publishing Your First Book

In 2019, the Yellow Brick team identified a gap in information related to the Transition and Activation of new healthcare facilities and spaces. They challenged themselves to fill this gap by writing a guide that could be leveraged by those tasked with the responsibility of leading a new facility activation project.

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Educating Clinical Leaders at the Design Table: 3 Key Points to Start the Design Phase.

As a bedside nurse and nurse leader, Kaycee was an alien on a strange land in a healthcare design role about 7 years ago.  Even after being a nurse manager on a previous new floor project, she didn’t know what was her role was, how hard she should advocate for operational flow and what change orders did late in the project. In her new role, NIHD member Kaycee Shiskowsky has learned to integrate a focus on schedule, budget and clinical operational flow.

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From Clinical Nurse Specialist to Healthcare Operations Planner: Meet Ron Kraus.

At the last HCD Conference, Board member Kevin Meek had an opportunity to work in the NIHD booth with Ron Kraus MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, ACNS-BC, a Healthcare Operations Planner with BSA LifeStructures. Recently joining the team at BSA LifeStructures in August 2022, Ron brings decades of clinical experience to the healthcare design operations team supporting clients and internal teams.

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2024: Finding Purpose in our Community.

2024 will be a challenging year for our healthcare professions and industry, to say nothing about our society, country, and world. Let us together find purpose in our community with one another and in our collective vision to shape the future of healthcare through the engagement and integration of the clinical voice in the planning and design of healthcare environments. 

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The Case for Creating Intentional, High Performing Project Teams

A high performing team is a group of people who share a common vision, goals, and values, and who collaborate effectively to achieve exceptional results. A high performing team is not just a collection of individuals who happen to work together, but rather an intentional, cohesive unit that leverages the strengths and skills of each member.

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Using Full-Scale Simulations in a Mock-Up Space During the Design Process.

Using mock-ups during the design development phase of a project provides a unique opportunity to allow frontline staff to envision their future space and move through it according to their anticipated workflows. Read this blog contribution by NIHD Board member Lynn Aguilera, D.M., MSNEd, RN, PMP, EDAC.

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Generations of Healthcare MacGyvers: An Interview with Architect and Healthcare Designer on Rural Health.

An interview on rural health by Pamela Jones, RN, MSN, MS, FACHE, EDAC with NIHD member Val Williams AIA, Senior Healthcare Planner Senior Associate at Page. Read on to learn how nurses and designers can contribute.

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Happy Nurses Week to our fellow nurses and nurse supporters.

Today we celebrate International Nurses Day. This day also marks the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth and reminds us of the many facets of her career, her contributions to our nursing profession, and the pioneer she was. As nurses in healthcare design, we are also pioneers.

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Reflecting on Our Roots.

As we reflect on our roots as an organization, our collective goal hasn’t changed - to impact collaborative and multi-disciplinary relationships by facilitating trust, respect and shared goals for improved clinical work environments and ultimately patient outcomes.

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The Nightingale Awards - Why You Should Consider being a Juror in 2023.

Each year at the Healthcare Design Conference + Expo (HCD), healthcare interior designers, architects, facilities managers and planners, and clinicians can apply to serve as Nightingale Award jurors who review and evaluate products in the exhibit hall. Awards are given to those who make a significant contribution to the healthcare built environment through product innovation. This past year in San Antonio, a few NIHD members served as jurors in the Nightingale Awards, and share their experience below.

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Feeling Familiar: Training Fundamentals for your New Facility

When planning the New Facility Orientation and Training plan, one question that is often received is, “Who needs training, and how much time should be allocated?”  In her 18 years leading projects, here is what Kelly Guzman MN, RN, EDAC, President and CEO of Yellow Brick Consulting, has learned.

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