ANN ARBOR, MI - Beginning on Tuesday, May 6, nurses across the country, including nurses at the University of Michigan Health System, will begin a week-long celebration of the nurturing and professional spirit of their career, despite looming nurse shortages.

In recognition of National Nurses' Week (May 6 - May 12), the U-M Health System offers the following story ideas to aid in your coverage of important nursing issues, including UMHS's innovative and successful nursing recruitment and retention strategies.

Many programs at UMHS, some in cooperation with the U-M School of Nursing, are working to give nurses the education, experience and support they need to pursue an exciting career in all aspects of health care.

UMHS recruits hundreds of top nurses, despite national shortage

Despite nursing shortages in Michigan and across the country, the UMHS launched an aggressive recruitment campaign last fall to hire 100 top-quality nurses in 100 days. The hiring push, a program created by UMHS nurses, included billboard and movie theater advertising, an enhanced web site, and career fairs at UMHS with on-site interviews and meetings with UMHS nurse managers from various units. UMHS also offers extremely competitive salaries and benefits, and some of the best working conditions in the state, according to the Michigan Nurses Association.

As a result, UMHS successfully hired more than 100 top-quality nurses a month before its 100-day hiring drive was set to end. And, with positions still available, UMHS continues its efforts to bring in more top-notch nurses to prepare for future growth within the Health System.

From cure to care: UMHS palliative care project

At the end of their life, patients often face many uncertain experiences and difficult choices. In an effort to lessen the physical, psychosocial, emotional and existential suffering of these patients, UMHS nurses have embarked on a one-year education mission to improve the quality of end of life care for UMHS patients and their families through the use of palliative care. Palliative care can benefit patients and families whether the overall goals of care are to cure, prolong life, maximize the quality of life that remains or ease the pain of bereavement.

This unique program includes a two-day training session for nurses, and covers end-of-life issues such as comfort (pain and fatigue), symptom management, ethics and law, spiritual and cultural issues, grief work and bereavement, care of the imminently dying patient, and the concept of suffering for patients, families, and care providers.

Nurses: Training now for the future

UMHS and the U-M School of Nursing are working together to build a comprehensive education program to train the nurses of the future now. In one initiative to strengthen the future nursing workforce, UMHS recently partnered with Johnson & Johnson, along with other area hospitals, heath care institutions and nursing organizations, to establish a nursing scholarship and grant program to encourage more people in the Detroit area to enter into the nursing field.

In addition, UMHS and the U-M School of Nursing offer many programs designed to educate nurses for advanced degrees and specialized work. An innovative operating room internship is helping nurses learn the intricate work that nurses do before, during and after surgery, while a program for nurses around Michigan who want to earn nursing master's degrees while maintaining their current jobs draws dozens of participants each year.

Keeping turn-over low in a highly competitive field

Beyond providing its nurses with opportunities to train and grow in various areas of their careers, UMHS offers its nurses special programs designed to build job satisfaction, growth and employee appreciation. In May, UMHS will host four action days that focuses on the "Power of One" - an investment in nurses as individuals empowered to make important decisions in patient care and in the medical workforce. More than 1,3000 nurses will be attending the seminar. The program is designed to inspire nurses through discussions with their peers and UMHS nursing leadership about issues like professional culture, resilience, renewal and appreciation of the strengths and talents within individual nurses.

In addition, UMHS continues its retention efforts through the "New Hire Support Program". With this program, UMHS nurses work to answer questions, address concerns and share valuable information with its new nurses throughout the first two months that they are on the job. All new hires are also paired with nurse preceptors, or mentors, who have been a member of the UMHS nursing staff for several years. All nurse mentors are specially trained to provide guidance and support to new nurses, especially those who have recently graduated from nursing school.

UMHS nurses: Building a unique career in nursing

Unlike their counterparts at smaller hospitals, UMHS nurses have a wealth of specialized career possibilities open to them. From the neonatal intensive care unit and the emergency department to the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the operating room, UMHS nurses combine technical training, professionalism and personal caring to help deliver some of the nation's most advanced health care. Note to editors and reporters: If you'd like to "shadow" a UMHS specialized nurse for a day, please call 734-764-2220.

To learn more about Nursing at UMHS, visit www.med.umich.edu/nursing/.

Written by: Krista Hopson

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