Hackensack Meridian Health shares initiatives that their health system has taken to support and retain nursing staff.
Filling nursing job vacancies is an ongoing issue for hospitals and health systems. As employees on the front lines of healthcare continue to face post-COVID workplace challenges, many hospitals have witnessed high rates of nurse turnover. Hospitals, as a result, are increasingly looking for ways to market their health systems’ opportunities and appeal to nurses seeking positions in healthcare. The ability for hospitals to retain qualified nurses impacts not only its patients but also the overall profitability of the health system.
Nurses are increasingly requesting workplace changes that reflect a post-pandemic healthcare industry, including better pay, flexible schedules, a workplace focus on mental and emotional well-being, and opportunities for continuing education and career development.
Hackensack Meridian Health, a network of healthcare providers, acute care facilities, and research hospitals located in New Jersey, has responded to industry changes by investing time and funding into building a strong system-wide nursing culture.
Hackensack aims to ensure that nurses feel safe in the workplace and can conduct patient care autonomously. The overarching goal is for nurses to feel supported and that they become more likely to spend their entire career at the health system.
“We are one of the most recognized health systems in the country for nursing excellence with eight Magnet designations, and our hospitals have been Magnet designated for nearly 30 years; said Regina Foley, executive vice president, chief nurse executive and chief clinical transformation and integration officer for Hackensack Meridian Health, “less than 10% of U.S. hospitals have earned this recognition.”
The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the ANCC in 1990 to recognize healthcare organizations that go above and beyond to support their nurses. The designation is based off creating a hospital work environment that is conducive to attracting and retaining well-qualified nurses. According to research from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), only 378 of the more than 6,000 U.S. healthcare organizations have received a Magnet designation credential for nursing.
Magnet designation has been shown to increase RN retention, decrease vacancy turnover rates, and improve patient care and satisfaction, according to Hackensack. As a result, the health system has intentionally created a Magnet culture focused on “nursing leadership, professional development, full scope of license, evidence-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration,” said Foley.
Education and leadership
Providing continuing education, in-school shadowing, and internship positions for current and aspiring nurses allows them to be brought up in their career and feel supported within the workplace. These programs have been shown to make it more likely that nurses will stick with the career of nursing. Hackensack Meridian has invested in strong relationships with higher education programs, allowing nursing students to have a consistent experience at each nursing site. Positive exposure to the profession early on encourages nurses to consider Hackensack’s health system as a place to work even before they officially begin their careers.
As the healthcare industry continues to look for ways to strengthen the current and future nursing workforce, more health systems have invested in developing both the current nursing workforce, as well as encouraging and supporting future generations of nurses. Hackensack has invested in an enhanced education framework, with the goal of contributing to the ongoing professional development and growth of its nursing team.
“Through the integration of our three schools of nursing (Hackensack Meridian Health School of Nursing and Wellness at Georgian Court; JFK Muhlenberg and Snyder School of Nursing; Middlesex College Nursing Program) and the new Hackensack Meridian Health Sheila Cancro Institute for Nursing Leadership and Practice Excellence, a host of programs and initiatives have been advanced,” said Foley. “These programs serve to support and further educate both current and aspiring nurses.”
Examples of these programs include NSPIRE, an apprentice program to support newly graduated, pre-NCLEX nurses in their transition to work, The New Grad Residency Program, which develops professionalism and independence among recently graduated students. Nurses within this program provide delivery of nursing practices using the outcome-based practice model by demonstrating competency in clinical judgment, technical skills and an appropriate knowledge base. Finally, the 2023 Beyond
the Residency Program, developed in 2023, offers mentorship
to nurses, and Hackensack’s Lecture Development Series offers nursing leaders professional development opportunities.
“Hackensack continuously invests in our team and their education to ensure our nurses are empowered and that we have an environment that supports the highest quality of patient care,” said Foley.
Hackensack Meridian spends ample time developing the next generation of nursing leaders, giving them many opportunities to expand their skills. The health system additionally offers nurses education reimbursements, including tuition for employees that want to advance their careers. Nurses are also reimbursed for national certification participation and for participating in professional development activities, including Hackensack’s RN-Clinical Advancement Program, a clinical ladder program.
Fostering safety and emotional well-being
During the COVID-19 pandemic, patient volume within hospitals significantly increased, and the continued impacts and changes to the healthcare industry have left nurses in great need of safe and emotionally supportive workplaces.
Hackensack Meridian ensures the safety of both their nursing staff and patients through their commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace environment. Hackensack lives by the “One Team for Safety” adage, which outlines the obligation for staff to look out for each other in the workplace.
“Safety in the workplace starts with a fair and just culture,” said Foley. “By creating and nurturing a fair and just culture consistently throughout the health system, we have built trust within our organization, creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable and is encouraged to address safety and quality issues.”
Leaders within the health system actively encourage staff to speak up for personal and team safety, emphasizing that staff members have the full support of leadership if they do. This fosters a culture of trust and mutual respect among nurses and their supervisors.
“As part of our safety commitment, Hackensack has built trust within our organization through the implementation of a just culture, where every team member is treated justly and consistently when reporting errors or missteps,” said Foley. “We recognize that protecting team members and making advances in patient safety depends on our collective ability to learn from mistakes whether they are human, technical or system-induced errors. Our team feels supported and encouraged to identify, report and address issues or concerns.”
Some additional examples of well-being and safety initiatives the health system has taken includes a complete redesign of the ID badges for patient-facing team members in acute care hospitals. The ID badges now display the name of each nurse using the first initial of their last name, instead of their full name. This change serves to protect each nurses’ identity while they are interacting one-on-one with patients.
The health system also implemented a new electronic hand hygiene system that allows nursing and physician teams to track each employee’s hand washing practices, reducing and preventing the spread of hospital-related infections.
“The nursing practice at Hackensack Meridian is built around Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, which reflects our deeply rooted commitment to providing holistic care, and our shared belief that fully embracing self-care is essential to human caring,” said Foley. “Research shows that the Theory of Human Caring improves patient care while reducing staff burn out.”
All these mental health, safety, and well-being practices are organized around Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, a system of outlining four major concepts: human being, health, environment or society, and nursing. Watson’s Theory of Human Caring aims to ensure that nurses are working in an environment where they are fully supported and prepared to foster a culture of self-care for themselves, so that they can provide a healing environment for patients.
Nurses and the supply chain/medical devices
The medical device and healthcare supply industry significantly impacts nursing staff, and if improperly managed, can be a contributing factor in nurse turnover rates. Health systems have begun to address supply issues by implementing new technologies and more efficient patient care systems, ensuring that nurses have an easier time at work managing healthcare supplies.
“Hackensack continues to explore ways to enhance the efficiency and safety of the supply chain process, including the use of handheld barcode or RFID scanning tools in place of traditional supply chain management,” said Foley.
Hackensack has been transitioning to the use of artificial intelligence to streamline processes and tools related to the supply chain and medical device transfer. The health system already has several pilots in place including using AI-driven chatbots to enhance the patient experience and AI solutions to help detect chronic disease earlier on.
Algorithms are already being deployed across many clinical departments at Hackensack to speed up some of the daily processes for clinicians related to the supply chain. These initiatives save nurses time and increase job satisfaction, leading to a better quality of care provided to patients.
“As we shift into different care settings, such as our Hospital at Home program, our health system will have different supply chain needs from medication management to diagnostics,” said Foley. “I view that as an opportunity for the supply chain to work with us to help ensure the safety of our nurses and our patients in every healthcare setting.”
The nursing profession continues to be dynamic and variable, and it is up to health systems and healthcare leaders to foster safe, emotionally supportive workplaces with more efficient workflows.
Investing in the safety, well-being, and continuing education of nurses allows Hackensack and other health systems to retain nursing talent in a dynamic industry. These initiatives also encourage nurses to remain employed at a hospital for their entire career journey, supporting strong and profitable health systems and serving to reduce nurse turnover rates.
Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center first in New Jersey to achieve Magnet Designation seven consecutive times
Hackensack University Medical Center was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to achieve Magnet® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for the seventh consecutive time, the IDN announced in February. The distinguished Magnet® Recognition Program® is recognized as the gold standard of nursing excellence, with just 9.4% of hospitals in the United States receiving this designation.
Hackensack University Medical Center is one of the most recognized hospitals in the country for nursing excellence with seven Magnet designations from the ANCC. The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program distinguishes health care organizations that meet arduous standards for nursing excellence. The program focuses on advancing three goals within each Magnet organization: promoting quality in a setting that supports professional practice; identifying excellence in the delivery of nursing services to patients; and disseminating “best practices” in nursing services.
Research demonstrates that Magnet® recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities. This includes:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates
- Higher job satisfaction among nurses
- Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions
“For nearly 30 years, Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals have been recognized for nursing excellence and transforming the way care is delivered,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “This designation is a testament to our world-class nursing team who provides high-quality, compassionate care each day.”