While nearly every healthcare system is coping with a shortage of nurses and the increasing difficulty retaining ones already on staff, there are strategic approaches that can be implemented to address these ongoing workforce issues. At Memorial Healthcare System (MHS), we have had success by making education and professional growth key components of the effort to attract, retain, and grow-our-own RNs for difficult to recruit specialties.
Scholarship Opportunities
To attract nursing students and new graduates, we’re offering scholarship programs to assist students seeking Bachelor of Science (BSN) or Associate of Science to Bachelor of Science (ASN to BSN) nursing degrees. Recipients are then guaranteed acceptance into our Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program™, a one-year structured program that supports them as they transition from the academic learning environment to professional nursing practice settings. We’ve also established pre-licensure partnerships with local academic institutions to attract top-performing nursing students via our STAR and EXCEL programs. These partnerships enable students to gain valuable clinical experience in a variety of departments while also providing opportunities for professional role socialization, interaction with nurse leaders, and an insider’s perspective into the culture of our organization. These have proven to be attractive incentives for STAR and EXCEL students that are also given preference when applying to the nursing residency program.
New Graduate Nurse Residency Program
New graduate nurses are being hired into a wide range of clinical units throughout Memorial Healthcare System. The residency program includes an evidence-based curriculum with monthly education seminars, group cohesiveness support activities, and completion of an evidence-based research project. Regularly-updated seminars focus on professional role development, clinical leadership skills, critical thinking, clinical judgment, nursing quality indicators, evidence-based practice, documentation, and resiliency. At a time when the national average for new nurse retention after one year of practice is 82.5%, the Memorial Nurse Residency program’s first-year retention is 95.1%, exceeding even the Vizient/AACN benchmark of 91%.
Fellowship Training
Meanwhile, our RN Fellowship Program meets two key workforce objectives: retaining experienced nurses and recruiting/developing specialty RN practitioners. With an increasing number of nurses graduating from our residency program and other experienced RNs expressing interest in learning new specialty areas, the fellowship program offers a structured, evidence-based program to successfully transition nurses with at least one year of acute care experience. The program also provides a continual pipeline to meet the growing needs of specialty practice areas that include critical care, emergency, oncology, surgical services, and family birthplace. It is open to both internal and external candidates.
The focus on employee growth and development has been key to retaining Memorial’s high quality, experienced RN workforce. For current employees, the RN Fellowship Program is a formalized professional development opportunity and retention incentive for RNs desiring a transition to specialty practice. The program also includes significant external outreach to recruit candidates that meet specialty needs. Highlights include a robust orientation to specialty practice that involves classroom training, simulation, and hands-on practice in the clinical environment. Bi-monthly seminars focus on professional growth, evidence-based practices, and leadership skills. RN Fellows are provided group support within their specialty cohort and access to a designated nurse educator. Specialty preceptor education focuses on understanding and meeting the unique needs of the experienced RN as they transition their practice to new specialty areas. RN Fellows have the opportunity to impact clinical practice by developing and completing an evidence-based practice project. The program also provides a unique invitation to a specialty certification review course upon completion of the fellowship as a further incentive for RN Fellows to grow their expertise in specialty practice.
The combination of COVID-19’s impact, baby boomer nurses retiring, and the ongoing shortage of new nurses entering the profession has made it more difficult to maintain a staff of quality caregivers, but the task is not impossible. Leaders just need to be more creative in their approach to identifying, recruiting, and retaining the best candidates.
