Northern Westchester Hospital Implements Fellowship Programs to Address Nursing Shortage
Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) in Mount Kisco recently developed two new programs to help address the shortage of Emergency Room and Operating Room nurses. In June of last year, the Hospital accepted its first class of students for its Emergency Room Nurse Fellowship, a five month computer/clinical program designed to fill vacancies left by retiring ER nurses and those moving on to other roles. A new cycle began in February, and the Hospital is planning to offer the progam biannually from now on.
The fellowship was developed under the guidelines of The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), the national association for professional nurses dedicated to the advancement of emergency nursing practice. NWH is utilizing a computer training program developed by the Association for the first eight-week portion of the fellowship, which is followed by practical, hands-on training shadowing an experienced nurse in the Hospital's emergency room. Six fellows began the training in June-three were experienced nurses, while the other three were recent college graduates. Four of the fellows are now working in NWH's ER.
"We're building a strong foundation for our future," said NWH Emergency Department Manager Cathy Cioffi, RN, who runs the program with Critical Care Instructor Tracey Boyd, RN. "The way to do this is to take nurses, nurture and mentor them as much as you can, and guide them in the ever-changing daily practice of ER medicine."
The first fellows to complete the program are Sarah LaDuca, RN, of Putnam Valley; Kim Ranere, RN, of Danbury, CT; Michael Zerbo, RN, of Irvington; and Maureen Lillis, RN, of Croton-on-Hudson. A new cycle began in February, with one fellow participating. Cioffi said she is planning to offer the program again in September. It is preferred that qualified applicants have at least one year of medical/surgical experience in a hospital setting.
Additionally, NWH recently began offering a similar program to help recruit and train Operating Room nurses. Based on a course and standards set forth by the Association of periOperative Nurses (AORN), a professional association that empowers OR nurses with education, standards of practice, and peer networking, five fellows began the five-day-a-week Periop 101 course at NWH in early February.
The program, like NWH's ER Nurse Fellowship, is a balance of computer and clinical training, along with hands-on experience shadowing a mentor in the OR. Within nine to 12 months, all five nursing fellows are expected to be working in the OR. NWH is currently the only hospital in Westchester County offering this program.
The program's co-administrators are Dianne Grim, RN, BSN, CNOR and Eunice Serton, RN, CNOR, who have between them roughly 50 years Operating Room experience. "With this program, we are continuing our commitment to the community to provide them with the highest quality of patient care," said Serton.
Registered nurses interested in applying to the fellowship programs should contact NWH's professional Recruiter and Retention Manager Nancy Kelly, R.N., at 914-666-1853.
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