New collaboration with nursing for Lean grad class

The Oakland University Pawley Lean Institute’s graduate course, Lean Principles and Application, is now collaborating with the OU School of Nursing. This hands-on, multidisciplinary course is taught by three professors from the areas of human resource development (HRD), industrial and systems engineering (ISE), and nursing.

“Being a nurse, I will bring that perspective of health care and how Lean applies to health care,” said Christine Zambricki, health care consultant at CSZ & Associates and member of the Board of Visitors for the OU School of Nursing. She will be able to provide the class with real-life examples about the complex hospital environment.

“It’s more important than ever to apply Lean to health care,” Zambricki said. “We have to become more efficient in delivering health care, and this is a way we can do that.”

Students will gain real-life experience by developing a project of their choice, which may be applied to a multitude of industries.

“I really welcome dealing with nursing because I think hospitals present a fascinating opportunity for Lean workouts,” said Mark Doman, special instructor for HRD and lead instructor of the Lean graduate course.

According to Doman, his undergraduate classes have conducted three gap analysis projects at Beaumont Hospital and one at Henry Ford Hospital with outstanding results. He said this new collaboration with nursing will provide nursing students with a more insightful and in-depth Lean analysis.

He added that it offers a different perspective on health care, especially with the new health care bill, and Lean fits perfectly into that niche.

Christian Wagner, founding chair of the ISE department and third professor of the course, said that most major hospitals have industrial and systems engineers. ISE students from OU have sat in the operating room at Crittenton for a more in-depth look at its processes.

“Industrial and systems engineering is really the place where humanity and business touch engineering,” Wagner said.

A lot of engineering focuses on the physical aspects and not on the people involved. The ISE department is the bridge that connects the two.

“We’re just beginning to control how white collar people do their jobs,” Wagner said. He added that factories and plants are very scripted, and there are so many ways to improve these processes.

The ISE aspect of the class will bring the precision of engineering to everyday business. Lean is a way to save a lot of money by eliminating the waste.

“What we do applies across all domains,” Wagner said. “Every time we have another focus or discipline involved, it’s awesome. “

For more information about the classes offered by the Pawley Lean Institute, visit www.oakland.edu/lean.