Like most U.S. health systems, Hackensack Meridian Health, the biggest in New Jersey, has managed throughout the pandemic by adding new nurses to augment its workforce. But quickly onboarding hundreds of new RNs with different professional backgrounds and levels of experience is a big challenge.
Miriam McNicholas, clinical policy administrator, at Hackensack Meridian, joined Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard to describe how, during the early phases of the crisis, the health system worked with Wolters Kluwer to help standardize education and onboarding to optimize frontline nurse competencies.
That helped HMH staff care for thousands of patients with COVID-19 while functioning as a vaccination mega-site serving more than 4,000 people a day once vaccines were approved. Miriam explained some of the ins and outs of how that was all accomplished – and discusses some of the lasting changes in onboarding and education the technology has enabled.
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Talking points:
The challenge of nurse onboarding during the pandemic
The need to get travel nurses with varying competencies and experience up to speed
Accommodations for using volunteers and non-licensed nursing graduates
How new nurses responded to software-based educational tools
Lessons learned and lasting changes at HMH because of this collaboration
More about this episode:
HIMSSCast: The nursing shortage – how health IT helps and harms
Pandemic-era burnout: Nurses in the trenches say technology hurts and helps
Nurse EHR satisfaction slides during pandemic
Patient communications IT increases self-pay collections for Hackensack Meridian
Hackensack Meridian Health shows the benefits of telepsychiatry
Hackensack Meridian Health, JFK Health officially combine in merger of two IT standouts
Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.
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