Media Releases
Grant Will Fund Program on Retaining Nurses
MILWAUKEE (Jan. 23, 2007) — Froedtert Hospital received a $45,808 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to participate in testing new ways to keep experienced nurses in our nation’s hospitals. Froedtert is one of 13 organizations across the country selected by RWJF to participate in its new program, Wisdom at Work: Retaining Experienced Nurses, which will begin to build an evidence base for what works to help hospitals hold on to qualified nurses.
Under the 18-month grant, Froedtert will provide evidence on the workforce and motivational factors in retaining experienced nurses transitioning from the ICU to the hospital’s new Virtual Intensive Care Unit (VICU). The VICU is a service that uses remote monitoring technology to make a critical-care specialist available during nights and weekends when physicians may not be on-site. Nurses specializing in critical care help the on-site nurses monitor patients, identifying problems before they develop.
“The average age of a nurse nationally is 47 years old,” said Bob Herdrich, MS, RN, director of special projects in nursing for Froedtert Hospital and project director for the grant. “The VICU provides an environment where critical care nurses can still utilize their essential skills in a less physically taxing environment.”
A recent RWJF-funded study found that approximately 40 percent of nurses in the nation will be more than 50 years old by the year 2010. “The impending shortage of nurses across the country has been looming for years,” said Pam Maxson-Cooper, MS, BSN, CNAA, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “We are thrilled to have an opportunity to take a proactive approach to explore evidence-based solutions.”
Froedtert Hospital is well-suited for this project. It was recently designated a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and is a member of The Center for Health Design’s Pebble Project research program which seeks to design facilities that improve the quality of patient care.
About the Robert Wood Johnson FoundationThe Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with diverse groups of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.
Last Review Date: Jan. 23, 2007 |