Informatics: Re-purposing and Retaining the Nurse at the Bedside
A healthcare facility sought to retain the collective knowledge and expertise of the aging clinical nurse. The facility wanted to offer a certification course in Informatics that would re-purpose staff to meet the needs within the informatics, quality improvement, and care coordination departments.
Relevance/Significance:
While the past decade did see growth in numbers of RNs entering practice, one third of the nursing work force is over the age of 50.
Within 15 years approximately 1 million RNs will retire. Many of these RNs might continue to practice if it was possible to transition to another role within healthcare. The 15 RNs in this program each succeeded in developing,presenting, and implementing meaningful informatics, quality and case management projects within the facility.
Strategy and Implementation:
The facility developed the criteria, screened and then selected 15 students. The facility, with student input, identified which of the three departmental areas the student would focus on during the third course. The first course was an Introduction to Nursing Informatics. The second course included the Informatics and Project Development. The final course, Development of Projects in Informatics, Quality Improvement, & Care Coordination provided the students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the first two courses. The students collaborated to utilize informatics during the development of informatics, quality improvement and care coordination projects. Scientific posters were developed and the projects were presented to peers within the facility, the administration, and university faculty.
Evaluation:
The fifteen students were successful. All six of the projects developed were implemented within the facility over the next 6 months. The facility has now partnered with the university to offer onsite RN to BSN education to its staff. Due to the success of the informatics, quality improvement, and case management program, informatics is included in the curriculum.
Implications for Practice:
The nursing shortage and the aging nurse workforce require the profession and the industry to identify methods to retain and re-purpose the aging nurse. The facility was able to improve quality and safety performance outcomes through the implementation of nursing and healthcare informatics.