About
Welcome Message from the Executive Director for Nursing Affairs
Nursing Affairs is one of the three main divisions within King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (Gen. Org.) – Jeddah (KFSH&RC-J). We are a global team of 1466 staff members in nursing, ancillary support and administrative roles. As of December 2021, 32% of our nurses are Saudi, and this rises to more than 45% in the more senior roles. Nursing Affairs-Jeddah is well-recognized for excellence and has a track record of being a trail-blazer in Nursing and Healthcare. Through Nursing Affairs - Jeddah, KFSH&RC (Gen. Org)- Jeddah was the first hospital in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to achieve Magnet Hospital status in 2013 and successfully re-accredited in 2018. In 2021, Nursing Affairs - Jeddah became the first Magnet Hospital outside the United States, to be accredited with distinction by the American Nurse Credentialing Centre (ANCC), for our Transition to Practice Program for newly registered Saudi Nurses.
Nursing Affairs plays a critical role in all aspects of life within KFSH&RC-J and either singularly or collaboratively with other departments and divisions, makes a tangible contribution to our strategy and daily operations. These contributions include positively impacting key performance indicators including but not limited to, productivity, access, zero harm and patient experience.
Nurses at KFSH&RC-Jeddah, make safety, quality and patient experience our No. 1 priority, every single day. And we never stop trying to do better. This is evidenced by the many quality and performance improvement projects that are undertaken and many Great Catches that are made by Nurses. There is a palpable excitement too, about research and evidence-based practice and our Nursing Development & Saudization team excels on the local, national and international stages. Our Nurses frequently receive national and international awards for the quality of their work in various fields. And we maintain their focus on continuing professional development by achieving a range of certifications and academic qualifications. As well as our duties within the hospital, our Nurses support a range of local and international and national healthcare initiatives, often in personal time and because of the selfless commitment and dedication that KFSH&RC Jeddah Nurses have become known for.
Dr. Kathy Sienko O.B.E, DProf. MSc BSC Hons RN, FInstLM
Executive Director for Nursing Affairs - Jeddah
Scope of Service
Who We Are
Department Function
Nursing Administration
Executive oversight, leadership and accountability for performance of the departments under Nursing Affairs scope. Directly responsible for Nursing Recruitment and Retention; Administrative and Secretarial Support; Central Patient Transport; Ward Clerks; Nursing Supervisors.
Ambulatory Care Nursing
Ambulatory Clinics, Procedural areas, Emergency Services; 24-hour Unit; Operating Rooms; Family Medicine; Products Coordination; Hemodialysis Unit; Pain Service; Day Procedure Unit; Endoscopy; Cardiac Cath Lab and Radiology Nursing
Nursing Specialty Services
All Critical Care Units; Women’s Services; Pediatric Services
Nursing General Services
All inpatient Medical and Surgical Units. Oncology Treatment Areas; Protocol Services; Oncology Units including BMT; Nursing Products Coordination and Nursing Wound and Ostomy Management.
Magnet Hospital
Magnet® Hospital accreditation and related activities including Practice Transition accreditation and Strategic Planning
Nursing Development & Saudization
Nursing Education and Program Development, Nursing Saudization; Nursing Succession Planning and Nursing Leadership.
Nursing Practice & Research
Patient Safety, Nursing Quality; Evidence-based Practice; Research
Retention and Employee Well-being (Caring for our Carers)
While the well-being of our staff has always been important to us, employee well-being emerged as one of the significant global nursing theme in 2021. Many of our efforts focused on supporting staff physically and emotionally, through the pandemic and on creating positive practice environments. Our Retention & Employee Well-being Officer supports all levels of staff from onboarding to out-boarding. This supportive, confidential service, provides a personalized haven for any Nursing Affairs staff member who is in need of a listening ear, comfort or other forms of social and psychological support.
Quality, Practice and Research
Quality is at the heart of everything that we do. The Nursing Practice & Research Department (NPR) is responsible for monitoring the quality of care provided to all patients across Nursing Affairs, promoting quality improvement, evidence-based practice and research activities and collaborating with all departments within the KFSHRC-J and other sites, for better quality outcomes. The team provides education, training, tools and practical support to ensure that we deliver our strategic commitment to safety and excellence. Jeddah Nurses regularly lead and participate in Performance Improvement projects, receive Great Catch Awards for safety, and Stars of Excellence Awards for patient experience.
Research and Evidence-based practice are vital components of a high-performance nursing organization. It is through these components that excellent practice and clinical outcomes are achieved. They are also the means by which we are able to investigate and discover some of the issues that are important to current and future nursing practice and policy. Nurses are actively engaged in research and investigation on diverse subjects such as Shared Governance and Research Capacity-building.
• Effect of Shared Governance on Nurse Sensitive Indicator and Satisfaction Outcomes by Magnet and Non-Magnet Hospitals”: an international comparison.
Speroni, K. G., Wisner, K., Stafford, A., Haines, F., Al-Ruzzieh, M. A., Walters, C., & Budhathoki, C.Jona: The journal of nursing administration, 51(5), pp.287-296
https://journals.lww.com/jonajournal/Fulltext/2021/05000/Effect_of_Shared_Governance_on_Nurse_Sensitive.11.aspx?context= KFSHRC-J IRB Approved project.
• Nursing Research Capacity Building at a Tertiary Hospital in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. De Beer, J. Approved 8-9-2021, IRB 2021-40
Magnet Hospital Accreditation
In 2013, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (Gen.Org.)-Jeddah, made history by becoming the first hospital in Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to achieve the American Nurse Credentialing Centre’s Magnet Hospital Accreditation. This set the stage for many other achievements including being awarded the National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality in 2014 and Magnet hospital re-designation in 2018. Nursing at KFSH&RC-J now has a firmly established reputation for excellence, with many other organizations seeking out our knowledge and expertise with the goal of achieving excellence in nursing care across the Kingdom.
2018-2022 Magnet Documents
Nursing Education, Development & Saudization
The ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) sets the global standard for residency or fellowship programs that transition registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) into new practice settings. Nursing Affairs-Jeddah at KFSH&RC (Gen. Org) is classified as the third organization outside of the US, and the first awarded a distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The accreditation period is from 2021 to 2024.
We are committed to career development for all our staff. KFSH&RC(Gen-Org.)-Jeddah, is approved as a Continuing Education provider by the Saudi Commission for Healthcare Specialties. We provide a wide range of learning and development opportunities are provided to strengthen the clinical skills and capabilities of our clinical and support staff. Our offerings include role-specific education and development, as well as Saudi Career development programs across a number of specialties.
Exemplifying Excellent Care and Compassion – The Daisy Award
Nursing Affairs at KFSH&RC-J encourages staff, patients and families to nominate clinical nurses who provide compassionate, empathetic and culturally appropriate care. The Daisy Award is part of an international program for recognizing, rewarding and celebrating Nurses for demonstrating exceptional clinical skills and compassionate care. Nurses are recognized and awarded at the Nursing Grand Round with a beautiful Daisy Award gift pack, recognition for their team and the individual, including publicity on the international Daisy website. The Daisy Nurse Leader Award gives staff, patients, and families a way to express their gratitude for the compassionate environment Nurse Leaders help to create. As with the Daisy Award for direct care Nurses, the nominations provide examples of how leaders make a difference in patient care through role modeling and through their leadership of the care.
Serving our Hospital and the Wider Society
Nursing is a growing profession in Saudi Arabia. Our Saudi Nurses recognize that they hold a privileged position within our hospital and in the country. Our Saudi Nurse Pioneer Committee represents the hospital and their profession through activities such as school visits, community outreach and education. They also serve to encourage new entrants into the Nursing profession. Often mentoring and coaching and precepting students, interns and new graduates. Nurses at KFSH&RC-J regularly take their expertise beyond the four walls of the hospital to support charitable health causes within and outside Saudi Arabia. In collaboration with King Salam Humanitarian Aid & Relief Center, Healthcare professionals including Nursing staff from the Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) have participate in international charity trips in countries such as Yemen and Mauritania. These trips provide an additional opportunity to serve others who are often in desperate need of healthcare.