SPRING 2022
20 22
The State of Nursing
The pandemic highlighted and exacerbated a nationwide nursing shortage . Philanthropy is helping Baylor Scott & White - Fort Worth hire and keep the best .
he COVID-19 pandemic has not only highlighted the heroism of nurses but has also brought increased focus to a nationwide nursing shortage . Increased need for healthcare across the country , spurred by the aging of the Baby Boomer population , has created a need for more than 1 million new nurses by 2030 . The U . S . Department of Health and Human Services predicts that Texas will have the second-highest need of any state in the country .
Nurses faced indescribable challenges and made incredible sacrifices to care for patients throughout the pandemic . Unfortunately , the stress led to burnout that prompted many nurses to leave the bedside permanently . “ Across the nation , we are all in this same boat as to how we snap back in what I hope is the last chapter of this pandemic ,” noted Janice Walker , DHA , RN , chief nursing officer for Baylor Scott & White Health .
In May 2020 , the nurse vacancy rate at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth was at a low 5 %.
However , over the last 18 months , we have faced vacancy rates approaching 20 %. Contract or “ agency ” nurses have been filling the gap . Baylor Scott & White - Fort Worth has been forced to spend an additional $ 2 million a month in contract labor costs to ensure patients receive the same quality of care . While these extraordinary steps and expenditures are necessary to ensure excellent patient care , the situation is not sustainable .
Nurse Residency Program
The key to addressing this crisis-level nursing shortage is through the Baylor Scott & White Nurse Residency Program . Accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and recognized as an apprenticeship program by the Department of Labor , this transition-to-practice program provides a formal support and learning framework for graduate nurses as they transition from student to professional nurse . The program boasts a success rate of more than 92 % in keeping nurses at Baylor Scott & White for more than two years .
Inside this issue
Departments
2 From the President & Chair
Focus On : Graduate Nurses
4Jonathan Moore , RN
News , Projects & Campaigns
2 Community News
3 Beyond the Bag 2022
5 Programs
6 Healthcare in Action
7 Philanthropy in Action
8 System News
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