Framework and RSAM
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Development of the Professional Development Framework - Teams & Contract Negotiations
Program Overviews
The Professional Development Framework structure is built upon Five Domains of Nursing Practice:
- Clinical Skills and Knowledge
- Therapeutic Relationships
- Professional Relationships
- Professional Development
- Advancing Evidence Based Practice through Innovation and Research
Within each Domain, clinical behaviors are further defined and articulated along a continuum of evolving expertise.
The Professional Development Framework:
- Values the work and contributions of nursing at all levels;
- Rewards accomplishment as it occurs;
- Promotes non-competitive teamwork with excellence as a common goal; and
- Supports nurses as they develop their practice.
The Professional Development Framework recognizes, rewards, and honors nurses who care for our patients and families in practice environments across our vast health system. It encourages nurses to build their careers here at UMHS. Within the Professional Development Framework, movement toward each nurse’s professional aspirations occurs at a self-initiated pace.
Within the contract negotiations, 2004, the UMHS Professional Development Framework was created for all staff nurses interested in professional advancement in their roles. The Role Specific Nurses, because of their unique roles and responsibilities, were addressed by the following language: “Further discussion will occur as to whether and how employees in the pay grade N-3, such as Flight Nurses and Practice Management Coordinators, could or should be included in the Professional Development Framework Model”.
Following implementation of the Professional Development Framework in 2006, an assessment of the four role specific titles was undertaken. This assessment confirmed the perspective that the work of the Role Specific nurses was not sufficiently described in the Framework Behaviors. The Domains, Subheadings, and Behaviors that were developed during Fall 2007 moved through Negotiations 2008 with minimal revision. The behaviors reflecting leadership/contribution and "off the unit" contributions were reordered and bolded for improved clarity. The teams agreed that advancement would be made based on a preponderance of evidence of all behaviors in total,rather than within each domain. In 2014 the Practice Management Coordinator behaviors were retired as the new "RN Case Manager" role behaviors were under development. In February 2015 the new RN Case Manager behaviors were approved by the Joint Implementation Team and put in place so that nurses in this role would be given the opportunity to advance.
Design Team
Design Team Charge and Purpose | |
The Design Team |
As UMHS Nurses, and as representatives of the entire nursing community, Purpose: we are called upon to guide the design of an innovative professional development framework at Michigan. This work will consider:
You bring to this essential endeavor:
. . . all of which will allow us to Create Our Destiny as Professional Nurses at Michigan. |
The initial Framework design in 2003 was accomplished by a group of 40 nurses that represented a microcosm of our vast nursing community. The diversity within the group included recent graduate to seasoned nurse, adult to pediatrics, general care to ICU, Specialty clinics to Home Care, Staff Nurse to CNS, and Supervisors to Clinical Nurse Directors. As groundwork for the immense task at hand, the team together defined the following Guiding Principles:
Design Team Guiding Principles | |
Culture |
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Collaborative Creation |
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Opportunity |
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Retention |
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Communication |
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Shared Responsibility |
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Work Life |
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Nursing Practice |
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Leadership |
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Diversity |
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Maintenance and Sustainability |
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Fiscal Responsibility |
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Empowerment |
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Internal link; accessible via UMHS Network or VPN only:
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Contract Negotiations
The Joint Teams updated the Professional Development Framework and Role Specific Advancement Model language to include the addition of Framework Level F and Role Specific Advancement Model Level Mastery + for Master’s Degree prepared nurses. The 2018 Agreement remains in effect through September, 2021.
The Joint Teams included the Professional Development Framework and Role Specific Advancement Model language unchanged in the 2013 contract. The 2013 Agreement remains in effect through June, 2018.
The Joint Teams included the Professional Development Framework and Role Specific Advancement Model language unchanged in the 2011 contract except for the addition that regular (not contingent or temporary) MVN nurses covered under the Agreement are now able to apply for advancement in the Professional Development Framework or Role Specific Advancement Model. The 2011 Agreement remains in effect through June, 2014.
The Joint Teams entered Contract Negotiations 2008 eighteen months following the July, 2006 implementation of the Professional Development Framework. By that time, the nursing community had a great deal of experience with the Framework, thus decisions were made based on data gathered from multiple sources over time.
Interest Based Bargaining was used. The teams had significant mutuality around the Professional Development Framework. They were actively supportive of the Framework, seeking to both maintain and improve it.
Program evaluation data revealed significant engagement with the advancement process to Levels D and E at the Central Committee level. The number of portfolios submitted and candidates interviewed was consistent with resource allocations made in creation of the Central Committee. While some individuals engaged with the unit based process for advancement to Level C, that number was substantially less than anticipated.
Based on these data, the decision was made to eliminate Level B altogether, making C the level of hire for all nurses who come to UMHS with at least one year of full time experience. Further, new graduates would be hired into Level A, and then automatically advanced to Level C on their 12 month anniversary, regardless of appointment fraction.
Negotiators built upon the existing educational infrastructure. Coaches would now have designated time within their appointment fraction to improve each applicant’s access to a coach. A formalized curriculum for advancement was agreed upon that would be made available, but not required of, all applicants. Each applicant would be required to formally declare their intent to apply.
The Domains, Subheadings, and Behaviors that had been developed during Fall 2007 moved through Negotiations 2008 with minimal revision. The behaviors reflecting leadership/contribution and “off the unit” contributions were reordered and bolded for improved clarity. The teams agreed that advancement would be made based on a preponderance of evidence of all behaviors in total, rather than within each domain.
The Central Committee and Appeals Board had already developed a solid and consistent candidate review process. Negotiations agreements, therefore, focused on the replacement process for members of these groups.
The teams were able to achieve a solution to the compensation challenges surrounding Framework by eliminating Level B, as well as creating Framework differentials to reward advancement beyond the base salary at Level C.
Framework nurses were already utilizing the Framework behaviors as the basis of their annual evaluations, and it was agreed that each nurse’s renewal process and annual evaluation would occur on their anniversary date.
Transfer language within the Professional Development Framework was further delineated, facilitating retention of level at transfer if given parameters were met. Additional language was agreed upon for situations of moving between the Professional Development Framework and the Role Specific Advancement Model.
In August of 2008 the nursing community voted to ratify the tentative agreement, ensuring the mutual commitment to the Professional Development Framework and furthering the goal to
“Create Our Destiny as Professional Nurses at Michigan”
The initiation of Professional Development Framework actually occurred based on an agreement within the 2001 contract. Included in that agreement was a Memorandum of Understanding which stated as follows:
In an attempt to create a system that recognizes professional achievement, a new framework will be designed through a joint process over the life of this agreement. The joint group will develop criteria, structure and an implementation methodology which will then be recommended to the joint negotiating team for integration into the 2004 contract negotiations.
The Framework Design Team was formed in 2003 to develop recommendations for integration into the 2004 contract negotiations. The University and UMPNC negotiations teams were comprised of over twenty representatives from Nursing Administration, Human Resources, and elected officials from the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council.
Interest Based Bargaining was used throughout the process. The interests identified at the outset of negotiations were all considered mutual, providing a solid foundation for all decisions.
The Joint Team discovered that developing a Framework for 3200 nurses met a significant number of the interests while at the same time presented unanticipated challenges. The program needed to be broad enough to include nurses from inpatient areas, ambulatory care areas, ORs, Procedure Areas, and CSR.
The conceptual framework of Patricia Benner, utilizing a novice to expert continuum to describe evolving clinical practice, was recommended. A subgroup of the Joint Negotiations Team was formed and additional experts were added. The Domains, Subheadings, and Behaviors were refined to describe practice anywhere within UMHS.
The Joint Negotiations Team worked for 7 weeks on Framework related matters, forging agreements on Transition to Framework, Central Committee and Appeals Process, Education, and more. Many hundreds of options were offered and rated by both teams. The Joint Negotiations Team took the unprecedented step of pausing negotiations to take the program to the entire nursing community, requesting their feedback on the work to date. Presentations were offered around the clock. Attendees from the nursing community were supportive and provided feedback that was then incorporated into the agreement.
The final Joint Negotiation Team achievement was tying the Professional Framework Development progression to compensation. Once accomplished, the Framework was incorporated into the overall Tentative Agreement, and was voted on by over 1500 UMHS nurses. The vote was 4:1 in favor, thus demonstrating the nursing community’s support for the Professional Development Framework. By this time many hundred people had “touched” Framework, contributing to the ultimate goal to
“Create Our Destiny as Professional Nurses at Michigan”
The contractual agreements concerning Framework were then moved on to the Implementation Team, where work began in 2005 to prepare for the transition to Framework in July, 2006.
Implementation Team
Implementation Team Charge and Purpose | |
The Implementation Team for the Professional Development Framework convened in 2005 with the following Charge and Purpose: |
We, as representatives of Professional Nursing at UMHS, will complete the infrastructure and processes for the Professional Development Framework endorsed by UMHS nurses in August 2004. Our efforts will build on the work of the Framework Design and Joint Negotiations teams. Each team sought and incorporated input from the UMHS nursing community. This will be a dynamic charge. We hold the privilege and the responsibility to move our professional community forward by implementing a framework of abundance that promotes nurse satisfaction, patient satisfaction and the care of the patients and families we serve. We bring to this essential endeavor
. . . all of which will allow us to Create Our Destiny as Professional Nurses at Michigan. |
The work of the Framework Implementation Team was guided by a number of carefully articulated values and beliefs known as our Guiding Principles. These principles, defined below, provided a solid and meaningful foundation for our work.
Implementation Team Guiding Principles | |
Opportunity |
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Culture |
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Empowerment |
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Diversity |
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Nursing Practice |
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Shared Responsibility |
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Collaborative Creation and Teamwork |
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Leadership |
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Communication |
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Retention |
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Fiscal Responsibility |
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Maintenance, Flexibility and Sustainability |
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Work Life |
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Lifelong Learning and Development |
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Internal link; accessible via UMHS Network or VPN only:
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Internal links; accessible via UMHS Network or VPN only: Implementation Team Chronicles Click date or image to open/print PDF: | ||
Day 1: June 27, 2005![]() |
Day 2: July 11, 2005![]() |
Day 3: July 22, 2005![]() |
Day 4: August 5, 2005![]() |
Day 5: August 16, 2005![]() |
Day 6: September 8, 2005![]() |
Day 7: September 29, 2005![]() |
Day 8: October 13, 2005![]() |
Day 9: October 31, 2005![]() |
Day 10: December 12, 2005![]() |
Susan Maycock, DNP, RN, CNS-BC, NPD-BC, Program Lead
Email: smaycock@med.umich.edu
Anna Watterworth, MS, BSN, RN, Appeals Board Lead
Ph: (734) 998-2295
Email: annawatt@med.umich.edu
Joanne Hazelton, BSN, RN, Framework/RSAM Coach
Ph: (734) 232-1123
Email: Nurse-FrameworkRSAM-Coach@med.umich.edu
Target Audience: Nursing at Michigan | Author/Contact: Dr. Susan Maycock, DNP, RN, CNS-BC, NPD-BC
Web Publisher: K. Dunnuck | Updated 10/29/21