A peer review program for professional nurses

Within the past 3 years, the Division of Nursing in a large medical center implemented a career ladder and a professional practice model. Peer review was identified as a critical component for the success of these two initiatives and maturation of the model. Limitations in the conduct of peer review among the professional nursing staff centered around the lack of a coherent process. The Coordinating Council, the governing body of the professional nursing staff, formally recognized the accomplishments of a Quality Improvement team and directed the team to implement and evaluate a process of peer review. The development and implementation of peer review as experienced by this Quality Improvement team is described in this article. The process and structure of peer review and specific continuous improvement tools used by the team in developing this process are reviewed.