M. D. Anderson Expands Nursing Opportunities

Of 39 institutions ranked in a national benchmarking survey last year, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center topped the list when staff nurses answered "yes" to the question: "Does your institution value nurses as professionals?"

In the face of workforce demographic trends that point toward a looming shortage of nurses, M. D. Anderson leads a group of Texas Medical Center hospitals working together to address this important issue. The institution also is taking steps of its own to ensure successful recruitment and retention efforts will maintain the level of care patients require and deserve. With 45 different job classifications, the M. D. Anderson Division of Nursing launched a new recruiting campaign for nurses with the theme, "Come for a job, stay for a career."

Some highlights of M. D. Anderson's nurse recruitment and retention efforts include:

• Using selected and trained registered nurses to serve as nurse preceptors to help new nurses fit in at the institution after being hired.
• Conducting quarterly surveys of newly hired staff during their first year to address any issues that come up.
• Pursuing national recruitment efforts to fill a new director of nursing staff development position.
• Utilizing a newly published recruitment brochure describing nursing opportunities at M. D. Anderson and conducting special nursing job fairs.

Currently, there are more than 1,600 nurses employed at M. D. Anderson, including Stephanie Perez, who became the institution's 10,000th employee when she was hired last winter as a registered nurse in the Critical Care Unit.

"From the first day I walked in the door, my experience has been that M. D. Anderson is a very patient-oriented and employee-oriented organization," recalls Perez. "Employees are provided with the resources and support they need to offer the best service possible to patients."

Another key effort is the ongoing national recruitment of 16 advanced practice nurses to serve as clinical nurse specialists on the inpatient units. The master's level APNs assist in managing patients, educating nurse clinicians at the bedside and integrating the latest research findings into nursing practice.

Nurses also help raise the cancer center's profile at the national level through participation in key professional organizations.

Paula Rieger, clinical nurse practitioner, is president of the Oncology Nursing Society, and Dr. John Crossley, vice president of operations and nursing practice, has been named to the National Advisory Council on Nursing Education and Practice.

"M. D. Anderson has built the world's finest practice in oncology," says Dr. Crossley. "Now, we are literally defining what oncology nursing can be."

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/05_01_01/page_16.html