PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Residency program yields improved retention WELLSTAR KENNESTONE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER Strategies to recognize and honor the achievements of nurse residents were put in place with excellent results.
The Kennestone Nurse Residency Program supports new graduate nurses in their first year of practice and is part of the Wellstar PTAP® accredited new nurse residency program. Kennestone averages around 145 new graduate nurses in a year, but its average retention rates for nurse residents was falling below the 90% goal. The residency program team implemented a multi-dimensional strategy to keep new graduate nurses. This dedicated team is made up of Diane Hall, BSN, RN, Manager of Nursing Pipeline, Melanie Copeland, MSN, RN, CPN, and Samantha Smith, BSN, RN, all Nurse Residency Professional Development and Retention Specialists.
Melanie and Samantha conduct weekly rounding throughout orientation, then transition to monthly rounding until the resident graduates. They create personalized moments of appreciation through notes, small gifts and recognition during residency classes. A Kennestone Nurse Residency Council was established as a platform for residents, preceptors, educators and leaders to address the program’s strengths and opportunities. In response to feedback from the council, a graduate pinning ceremony was introduced to celebrate the achievement and highlight graduates’ evidence-based practice projects. The efforts
of a collaborative community contributed to a soaring retention rate of 96% for fiscal year 2024. n
Kennestone Nurse Resident Retention Rate
96%
91%
85%
78%
FY21
FY22
FY23
FY24
SHARED LEADERSHIP Family caregivers get valuable support WELLSTAR WINDY HILL A nurse-led project helped increase understanding and reduce confusion for family members caring for trach patients at home.
Occasionally, patients being treated at Wellstar Windy Hill’s progressive care unit are unable to wean from the ventilator or reach decannulation due to their medical condition. Families caring for these patients at home require multi-disciplinary training that can be confusing and overwhelming. During a session at the ANCC Magnet® and Pathway® Conference Clinical Nurse Leader Sarah Meffert, MSN, RN, CNL, CCRN, learned of a project to standardize the home-training process. Sarah assembled an interprofessional workgroup that developed two interventions to help with the standardization of the process. The first was a
discipline-based training checklist addressing the skills a caregiver would need. The second was a resource folder including a list of community resources, equipment and supplies available at discharge, plus handouts on the skills covered in the training. Since implementation in September 2023, staff noted improved communication among the team around family training. Families reported feeling more prepared for discharge and having a better idea of what to expect. The checklist is now used for all discharge-to-home training, with the resource folder also available in Spanish. n
16 | WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs