COVID disrupted how nurses are trained. In Memphis, Saint Francis is trying to fix that

Corinne S Kennedy, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·5 min read

The pandemic laid bare something people in healthcare have known for years: There are simply not enough nurses in this country. The preexisting shortage was compounded when pandemic-induced burnout led to a wave of resignations across the country. And with another 500,000 nurses expected to retire this year, the country will need 1.1 million new nurses by the end of 2022, according to the American Nurses Association.

COVID-19 has also complicated the process of transitioning new nurses from the classroom to the bedside. Many were not able to get hands-on training in hospitals due to strict safety protocols and, consequently, left nursing school with less practical experience than previous generations.

Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis is trying to close that gap.

Nurse Susan Wood, director of the new novice nurse program inside Saint Francis Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new caregivers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.
Nurse Susan Wood, director of the new novice nurse program inside Saint Francis Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new caregivers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.

“We recognize that during the pandemic, there were fewer opportunities for nurses to get actual clinical experience in an inpatient setting, and that can make the transition into providing patient care in a hospital intimidating,” said Cameron Murphy, chief nursing officer of Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis.

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The hospital is recruiting new nurses for its Novice RN Program, which will pair the early career nurses with experienced nurses to provide mentoring and other on-the-job training as the new nurses start full-time work, program director Susan Wood said. Currently, the program is only in the works at Saint Francis' Memphis hospital.

“The program for Saint Francis is more unique. It encompasses the preceptor program, where they're learning how to be an actual professional nurse," she said. "And that means putting IVs in, taking blood pressures, assessments of patients, pain management, but also we're adding a couple other components that aren't generally seen."

Nurses Amber Webb, left, and Lindsay Hale inside Saint Francis Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new caregivers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.
Nurses Amber Webb, left, and Lindsay Hale inside Saint Francis Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new caregivers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.

In addition to helping the nurses grow their confidence at the bedside, the program is also geared toward helping them master other skills, like time management, how to communicate with patients and physicians and team-building exercises outside the hospital, Wood said.

The Novice RN Program will also include some testing on hospital policies. Wood said the testing is not punitive, simply to make sure the nurses have a good grounding in the things that often get thrown out quickly during an orientation period.

“I think that helps them a lot because they don't understand the liability and legalities sometimes that are associated with nursing,” she said.

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Wood said for the first class, they hope to have six or eight nurses who all start at the same time to build a sense of a cohesive team.

Nurse Susan Wood, director of the new novice nurse program inside Saint Francis Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new caregivers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.
Nurse Susan Wood, director of the new novice nurse program inside Saint Francis Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new caregivers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.

The program participants are fully qualified and certified nurses who receive competitive salaries and benefits, according to the hospital. The program simply builds in more structured opportunities for feedback from seasoned nurses as well as provides a peer group for the new nurses.

Nurse Lindsay Hale, who started nursing at Saint Francis last year, said having other nurses around you at the same stage in their careers was essential. She had one other nurse who started at the same time as her and said the two would often text each other seeking reassurance that they weren’t the only one feeling a little in over their heads.

“You're coming into an environment and there's a lot of nurses who know what they're doing. And so you're just constantly looking around and questioning yourself,” she said. “So, you have other nurses with you that are the same (stage) ... I mean, it just brings you a lot of comfort.”

Nurses Amber Webb, left, and Lindsay Hale inside Saint Francis' Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new care givers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.
Nurses Amber Webb, left, and Lindsay Hale inside Saint Francis' Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new care givers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.

Nurse Amber Webb, who went through a similar program when she started nursing and will be a mentor to new nurses at Saint Francis, said being in a group of early-career nurses can also be beneficial since being among peers can make people less afraid to ask questions and some people might ask questions you hadn’t thought of.

“I couldn't imagine just starting without that because it was just so beneficial. It bridges that gap… school is totally different from real-world nursing,” Webb said. “It's totally different when you're with the person who's going through something or they are hurting or you have these other elements that add to just administering a medication or starting an IV.”

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The program is meant to last about 12 weeks but can be extended. And while formal mentoring may end after those three months, the young nurses will have formed bonds with their peers and with more experienced nurses, giving them a network of people they can seek out for advice.

“You want to start nursing that way if you have the option,” Webb said. “Instead of just coming in and hitting the ground running, pretty much, you have someone to work with.”

For Webb, her mentor became one of her best friends and is still someone she goes to for advice seven years later. And even after years on the job, Webb said that opportunity for feedback and reassurance was important.

Nurse Susan Wood, director of the new novice nurse program inside Saint Francis' Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new care givers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.
Nurse Susan Wood, director of the new novice nurse program inside Saint Francis' Hospital's new oncology training wing, where experienced nurses will team with new care givers for a hands-on learning experience that was lost during portions of the pandemic where bedside training was replaced with remote learning.

“It's a big job. You're taking care of people… you can be the difference between saving their life or something happening,” she said. “It's just a very anxious type job, at first especially so.”

The nurses will work on two floors at the Park Avenue hospital which have recently been fully renovated. The Novice RN team will be working on the orthopedics floor and the oncology floor, where they will be working with West Clinic physicians as part of a partnership with that organization.

That partnership also includes setting up a cancer-patient specific urgent care where the patients, many of whom are severely immunosuppressed, can go to get the same type of services they would seek from an emergency room in a safer environment.

Wood said regardless of where new nurses start their careers, her advice was the same.

“The only words of wisdom I can give to new nurses coming in are: be passionate, be compassionate, and be open-minded to learn because that's what they're here for,” she said. “You're here for the patient. That's the most important thing.”

Corinne S Kennedy covers healthcare and economic development for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.Kennedy@CommercialAppeal.com

How to apply

For more information on joining the Novice RN Program at Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis, call Shaska Graham at 901-765-1961.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis launches new nurse training program