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A Booster Shot for the Nursing Workforce

BY MAGGIE HANSEN dilemma in healthcare. To meet this chal- the nurse residency program in the
lenge, Memorial Healthcare System has Memorial Healthcare System is already
The challenges that healthcare systems given a booster shot to its nurse graduate yielding a favorable return on investment.
have with maintaining an effective nursing training by investing in a formalized and Just 15 months after its implementation,
workforce have changed. Patients are accredited nurse residency program so 440 newly graduated R.N.s have moved
much more acutely ill, the technology that its newly hired novice nurses can through the program, and the results, as
required to care for them is increasingly become competent and effective nurses in evidenced in the benchmarked data, are
complex, and consumerism has height- a more reliable and uniform fashion across exceeding all expectations.
ened customer expectations for care. At all six hospitals. Critical to our ability to predict and
the same time, many of the highly skilled As with many initiatives undertaken in address new nurse engagement, retention,
and knowledgeable nurses who can meet healthcare that require a significant mone- contribution to MHS’s high patient care
these demands are retiring faster than ever tary input, its value to the organization is expectations, and ability to achieve nurs-
before. These factors have created quite a often scrutinized. As anticipated, however, ing sensitive outcomes, is a keen under-
standing of and ability to visualize our
nurse residents’ transition from student to Maggie Hansen
nursing professional through their eyes.
The Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Clearly, the monthly seminars designed
Experience Scale is the tool used to meas- to increase critical thinking and clinical
ure the residents’ perceptions of their abil- skills are effectively promoting engage-
ity to perform key components of profes- ment, resilience, and joy in this new nurs-
sional practice. These components are ing workforce. Although different from the
organized and evaluated in five key way nurses were educated in the past, the
domains: stress, support, organizing/prior- program’s group cohesion model, in which
itizing, communication/leadership, and new nurses learn to work through patient
professional satisfaction. In all five care challenges with and from each other,
domains Memorial nurse residents are is effectively enhancing friendship devel-
exceeding national benchmarks. opment and the honing of problem-solv-
In particular, while first year nurse ing skills that will influence the nurses’
retention rates - one of the most signifi- performance and career satisfaction for
cant contributors to organizational suc- many years ahead.
cess – remain at a dismal 81.3% national- While many healthcare system leaders
ly, Memorial Nurse Residency graduates consider the experienced nurse retire-
are far exceeding the national rate, ments a crisis, with a clear plan for recruit-
remaining in their roles at an outstand- ment that includes a formal nurse residen-
ing rate of 96%. cy program, healthcare organizations can
Why is the program working so well? instead use this challenge to create oppor-
We asked our graduates: “I’m so thankful tunity. Educating and preparing our newly
that Memorial has a program that is help- graduated nurses to practice according to
ing me achieve my dream – being able to evidence-based guidelines and arming
change someone’s life – and the residency them with problem-solving skills that
has given me the skills and confidence to enhance resilience might even prepare a
do so.” “The staff knows how to help me workforce that can more reliably partner
transition from being a student to a real with other healthcare team members to
nurse and I now know that when I enter produce outcomes that patients deserve
my second year, I’ll be able to think and that the organization needs to survive
through critical situations and make the and thrive. In doing so, Memorial looks
right decisions.” “As a new nurse, this job forward to a very bright future!
is extremely challenging; however, my pre-
ceptor helps build my confidence and the Maggie Hansen is Senior VP
reflection seminars teach me how to work and Chief Nurse Executive at Memorial
through frightening situations. I can be the Healthcare System.
nurse I want to be.”

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12 March 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News