Health system develops flexible staffing plan

Prior to the pandemic, AONL member Kathleen Sanford, DBA, RN, executive vice president and chief nursing executive of CommonSpirit Health, based in Chicago, led the development of a five-year strategy to better attract and retain nurses. CommonSpirit, which delivers care in 21 states and employs 45,000 nurses, implemented a systemwide nursing residency for new graduates to reduce turnover rates. It also established an internal staffing agency, which allows nurses to move where they are needed and installed video-conferencing technology in patient rooms to support bedside nurses with remote monitoring. Sanford, who is a former AONL board president, detailed the staffing model in HealthLeaders Media this week. (HealthLeaders Media article, 2/7/22)