Children's Hospitals Today - Fall 2024 - 29

CONNECTING / FEATURE
WORKFORCE
Pipelines
Onboarding
Recruiting
Workforce advocacy
LURIE CHILDREN'S
Hospital's workforce
development began 25 years
ago with one staff member
and seven students. Now
it encompasses a series of
programs and structured
pathways, offering yearround
clinical educational
internships, workshops, and
training for students from
elementary school to college.
Its signature program,
Discovering Health Care
Careers, is a six-week paid
summer internship for high
school students that includes
workshops in resume writing,
team building, and interactive
sessions with clinical and
operational leaders. In 2023,
50 people were accepted
from 301 applicants. Around
75% of graduates from the
program end up working
for the hospital. In addition
to offering training and
education, the program
addresses social needs such
as transportation, nutrition,
and mental health.
Tips for success
Start small
Find clinical champions
Engage donors
SSM HEALTH CARDINAL
Glennon Children's Hospital
implemented a tiered
orientation program to
improve new graduate
nurse (NGN) retention and
patient outcomes in their
PICU. Introduced in 2019,
the program evolved from
a fragmented system to a
structured, three-tiered
model. The 18-month
onboarding utilizes
consistent preceptors and
provides ongoing support.
Each tier includes two classes
and a clinical curriculum. Tier
one involves 12 weeks with a
preceptor and five months of
individual work. During Tier
two, the NGN completes six
shifts with a preceptor and
one year on the unit. Tier
three involves three shifts
with a preceptor, focused on
specific patient assignments.
This new approach reduced
NGN turnover from 30% to
0% and improved patient
outcomes, including two
years without a CLABSI.
NEARLY FOUR YEARS
ago, Arkansas Children's
did not have a national
recruiting strategy. As
the hospital evaluated its
recruitment and retention
approach, it asked how
to differentiate itself,
attract more candidates,
and utilize technology.
The hospital implemented
robust onboarding and
training programs and
measured time-to-fill
and applicant volume.
Recruitment teams
leveraged LinkedIn for
enhanced visibility and AI
tools such as Job Pixel and
Paradox for efficient hiring.
They also established a
seasonal staffing program,
converting many seasonal
workers to permanent
staff. These innovative
solutions resulted in rapid
growth, from 3,200 to
5,300 employees and a
significant reduction in
time-to-fill positions, from
72 days to 53 days.
A CHA WORKFORCE
assessment found high
vacancy rates among key
physician specialists,
subspecialists, and nonphysician
professionals, such
as respiratory therapists and
psychologists. To address
these workforce needs at the
federal level, CHA is working to
secure robust funding for the
Children's Hospitals Graduate
Medical Education Program
(CHGME)-advocating for
federal investment in hospitalbased
training and retention
efforts and broadening
eligibility for existing health
care workforce loan repayment
and scholarship programs. Liz
Brown, CHA's vice president
of federal affairs, said federal
support for health care
workforce initiatives is often
provided for adult hospitals
and primary care providers.
" We're different than our
community hospitals and
adult-focused providers, but
we do the same job. We need
that same support, " she said.
Partner with
community organizations
Prepare for mental
and social needs
Track student
paths
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Fall 2024
29
Children's Hospitals Today - Fall 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Fall 2024
