Nursing Excellence: It Shows!

from Caring For Our Future, Summer 2004

By Lynne Hedrick, MS, RN, Senior VP, Patient Care Services

Midway through 2004, the Division of Nursing has made significant progress on initiatives established at our planning retreat held in November. We are on our way to another year where efforts to retain our valuable staff and recruit “the best” have been very successful.

Nowhere has success been more obvious than in the newly hired nurses (both novice and experienced) and nurses-to-be who are supported, encouraged and mentored in their professional development by our nursing staff. The impact of what our staff do in this regard may be subtle, but by no means does it go unnoticed.

One of the most visible examples of this impact is the number of traveler RNs who have applied for positions and have become permanent members of The Children’s Hospital nursing staff. Over the past few years, approximately 40 traveler RNs have joined our nursing ranks as regular staff. Many of these nurses have worked in other organizations during their careers locally and nationally, as well as in other children’s hospitals. They have made Children’s in Denver their home.

Travelers report that the excellent nurse-to-patient ratios allow nurses to contribute to high-quality patient care here at TCH. Others mention that in addition to being a “kids’ hospital,” TCH offers a location that is unmatched for experiencing an active outdoor lifestyle. The one common theme among most of these nurses, however, is the respect and admiration they have developed for nursing colleagues with whom they have worked while fulfilling their contracts. Friendships have formed as well as a bond to a special place that one nurse described as very “nursing-focused.”

We also have experienced an increase in the number of former nurses who have returned to practice nursing. Since 2003, approximately 30 RNs who previously worked at TCH have been rehired. Some explored other paths including adult nursing, medical equipment sales and marketing. Others chose to work in similar positions at local hospitals or to stay home while they raised their families. The great news is that they returned to TCH and are again recognized members of a nursing staff that is second to none.

Another measure of nursing’s success has been the recruitment of TCH non-nursing staff into our nursing ranks. With the initiation of the Nursing Tuition Assistance Program in 2003, about 22 employees committed to the completion of a nursing program and practicing at TCH as RNs after graduation. Many of these individuals, whether working as lab assistants, therapy aides or unit secretaries, have no doubt been influenced by the nursing staff who exhibit high professional standards in their daily practice. Four of these 22 have graduated and are working as RNs in our inpatient units.

Over the years, nursing students have been a large and growing segment of our population at TCH. In 2000, 220 nursing students completed their pediatric rotations in our organization. In 2004, we will have 400 nursing students gracing our halls for their clinical experiences. From all accounts, year after year, students overwhelmingly rate their TCH rotations very highly. In 2003, 196 of 208 respondents rated TCH “excellent;” the other 12 rated TCH “good” for “overall rating” of the clinical experience. Comments included:

•  “I could just feel the professionalism in this place on my first day.”
• “It was great to see nurses care so much.”
• “The best clinical experience I have had so far.”
• “Definitely want to work here after graduation.”
• “The care given by the nursing staff is top notch, and it shows.”

Nurses at TCH are skilled and competent in delivering high-quality care to our patients and families. They also model professional behaviors that clearly attract and retain our valuable nursing resources.

Nursing excellence … it shows!