Team,
I’m thrilled to share that after more than five years of struggling with staffing shortages and turnover, we are reaching a point where our nursing workforce is much more stable. That doesn’t mean we have “arrived” and can stop focusing on the things we need to do to secure our nursing teams, but it does mean we have moved into a different era, thanks to the efforts of many, including you.
When I stepped into the interim CNO role two years ago, nurses were leaving UAMS faster than we could hire them, and we had more than 240 vacant nursing positions. Since then, we have seen exponential growth of our UAMS nursing family. One of our largest groups of new grad RNs ever joined us this summer. Thanks to this new group and better retention of nurses hired over the past two years, we now have less than 60 vacancies. (Yay!!)
I meet with our new nurses every month during their onboarding and take that opportunity to share some thoughts and requests I believe are important for them as new team members. It is equally important for you all to know and support what I am sharing so we are collectively reinforcing the message with actions. Here are a few of the topics I routinely cover:
- Share your ideas. If you see something we are doing that was done differently or better at another institution, share it. As an academic medical center, we are always looking for the best ways to deliver care. We are not OK with the status quo, and I hope no one ever says we do something a certain way because “this is the way we’ve always done it.”
- If you start to feel overwhelmed or disengaged, say something. We can’t fix what we don’t know about.
- There will be days you go home from work feeling disheartened and dissatisfied. And, there will be days when you may have to convince yourself to get out of your car and walk into the building. Days like these are inevitable in our profession, but they should be the exception, not the rule. If these days become too frequent, please reach out to your peers and leaders so we can work together to fix it.
New graduates and more experienced nurses new to UAMS all need guidance, patience and support in learning all the complexities of our organization. Remember back when you were on your own at UAMS for the first time? It can definitely be overwhelming! Just finding a bathroom or the cafeteria can be a challenge. Even after you’re settled in and feel comfortable, we all still need support and nurturing from our colleagues.
Online searches on nurse retention result in dozens of articles about strategies to use, including many that talk about the importance of a supportive work environment. If you’ve ever worked in a place where you didn’t feel like others had your back, you know how critical this is. A nurturing, supportive work environment is vital for our success as nurses and for UAMS as an organization.
We must have mutual respect, inclusion, open communication and zero tolerance for hostility toward one another. We all have a responsibility for modeling these characteristics and holding each other accountable. If we don’t insist on a nursing culture where everyone feels respected, valued and supported, we will find ourselves with staffing issues once again.
With the team we have now, I’m confident we will keep moving forward on the right path in our pursuit of excellence. Our core is solid. You have integrity. You are committed to our patients, and you are the heart and soul of UAMS. Even when the days are hard, you keep pushing to deliver the best care you possibly can, and you make a difference! I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect you to support each other and continue to do your best, because your best is awesome.
I’m constantly amazed by what you do. I am so incredibly proud to be your CNO.
Tammy Jones, PHD, RN, NE-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
Associate Vice Chancellor for Patient Care Services & Clinical Operations
Perioperative, Interventional & Imaging Services Division