Florida Nurses Create 'Report Card'
Low-tech tool aims to standardize note-taking and shift-reporting

Marsha Elson-Joseph, BSN, RN, a graduate of the University of Miami's nursing school, and her sister Lisa Elson, RN, a recent graduate of Miami Dade College, are bringing a low-tech innovation to the nursing profession in the form of the RNReport Card.

The tool, which fits into a scrubs pocket, aims to standardize the note-taking and shift-reporting process. It has room for nurses to note information like patient name, room, diagnosis, procedures, assessments, consults, medication times and drips and IV fluids.

Creative Solution

The idea for RNReport Card took shape last fall. "I started a new position at a new facility and was overwhelmed with how these nurses communicated patient data with each other and physicians," explained Elson-Joseph, who has been a nurse for 2 years. "The new facility was nothing like my old one. Everything was new, everyone was different - it was like my very first nursing job all over again. I knew I had to come up with some way to swim because sinking wasn't an option."

After work one evening, she drew an example of what would eventually become the RNReport Card. Her husband created a version using word-processing software. The next day, she had a copy store make several copies and bind them into a booklet.

"Once the booklet was actually printed I thought to myself, 'Hey this doesn't look too bad, there might be something here,'" Elson-Joseph said. "I started using it and had my sister, a brand-new nursing graduate, take a look at it. She also said this might be something other nurses would be interested in using."

Her father, an RN for nearly 30 years, also was impressed. That was when she decided to take the booklet to the next level. She distributed it to a few nurses and used it herself for a couple of months to get a feel for changes and additions that needed to be made. Then her husband, who has a background in computer technology, formatted the booklet to a more polished version and it was sent to a printer.

Support for Project

"I won't tell anyone this was an easy venture," Elson-Joseph said. "However, I did have a fantastic support system of other nurses in my family and also co-workers who were instrumental in assisting us in bringing this from just an idea to an actual document."

Elson-Joseph's sister Lisa, who recently started working at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, played a key role in getting the project off the ground. "Because my sister was fresh out of nursing school and didn't find a job right away, it worked out that I was still able to work consistently while she did a lot of the day-to-day activities."

Once the product was created, the task turned to marketing.

"Our biggest hurdle so far has been just getting the word out . but once people get their hands one, it basically sells itself," said Elson-Joseph. So far, the majority of sales have been a result of exposure on Facebook. The entrepreneurs are currently working to create alliances with nursing schools, Web sites, publications, LinkedIn and Facebook groups.

Sales Results

It's finding a market, Elson-Joseph reported. "Once we launched the Web site, it took only 3 weeks to sell out of the first edition. We're now onto our second edition. We made some editorial decisions and implemented some suggestions that customers gave us."

While managing her new business venture, Elson-Joseph also is a pool per diem nurse for the Jackson Health System in Miami. "When nurses see me using the RNReport Card in my own practice, they are generally excited about the product," she said. "They ask questions about it and I go on to explain that it is my invention. Nurses usually are surprised at the idea of an invention but also encouraging to me."