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Illinois Hospitals: Working to Address Workforce Issues
Collaborates with Others to Highlight Statewide Shortage of Health Care
Professionals:
- Illinois Coalition of Nursing Resources
- Statewide collaborative whose mission is to assure that Illinois has
the nursing resources to meet the future health care needs of its citizens. Membership includes more than 120 organizations and
individuals.
IHA Workforce Summits
- Three Southern Illinois summits took place in 2003 among
middle and high school representatives, hospitals and their local legislators
to promote interest in health care careers and help meet the future
workforce needs of area hospitals.
- Meetings were held in Rockford and Peoria as part of IHA’s
workforce initiative to bring local health care providers and colleges
together to increase the number of students entering health care
careers.
Nursing Career Lattice Project
- Internet-based initiative to help nursing technicians advance to LPNs, and LPNs
advance to RNs, with 300 candidates now enrolled in the
government-funded project, sponsored by the Council on Adult and
Experiential Learning.
Chicago Mexico Nurse Project
- Program designed to assist individuals living in Chicago's Pilsen
neighborhood, and who have obtained nursing certification from
other countries to obtain U.S. licensure. Key components and
services include: English as a second language, nursing examination
preparation and practice tests, case management, mentoring, and
placement services.
Invests Resources and Funding Support for Educational Programs:
- IHA’s Constituency on Volunteers Scholarship Funds
- Raised $33,877 in 2005 and awarded 33 scholarships in health care
studies.
- According to 2000 survey data, 68% of responding hospital auxiliaries
offered scholarships to local students pursuing health care careers.
Most indicated that on average they awarded four $1,000 scholarships.
McDonough District Hospital: Provides $30,000 and nurses to support
local community college programming.
Decatur Memorial Hospital: Subsidizes two faculty positions at
$55,000 each that allow 40 additional students into local community
college nursing program.
Washington County Hospital: Partners with Kaskaskia College to
increase nursing program enrollment by facilitating support for additional
faculty.
DuPage Area Hospitals: Supplies MSN staff as adjunct faculty to
College of DuPage, increasing enrollment by 27 nursing students into three
new clinical rotations.
Participates in Nursing Research to Improve Work Environment:
- Advocate Good Samaritan, Advocate Trinity and Advocate Illinois Masonic
Center: The University of Illinois College of Nursing is collaborating
with these three hospitals to develop a "magnet" work environment model to
attract and retain nurses, funded by a $1.6 million grant
from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.
- Decatur Memorial Hospital:
Participating in National Institutes of
Health research project with 160 other hospitals nationwide to study nurse
staffing and patient outcomes.
Enhances Workplace and Career Environment for Nurses:
Illinois hospitals typically offer:
- Self-scheduling
- Flexible scheduling
- Part-time/weekender Programs
- Sign-on/Retention bonuses
- Performance/loyalty recognition awards
- On-site nursing degree programs
- Certification/continuing education programs
- Tuition reimbursement and scholarship support
- Career ladders for administrative and clinical personnel
Earns ANCC Magnet Recognition Status
The Magnet recognition program is a voluntary
recognition program developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center to
acknowledge health care organizations that provide the best in professional
nursing practice and patient care. The program is a multi-year process requiring
significant time and financial commitments, including site visits and
substantial application fees. To date, the following Illinois hospitals have
earned this distinguished award:
- Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn
- Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago
- Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge
- Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago
- Delnor-Community Hospital, Geneva
- Edward Hospital, Naperville
- Memorial Medical Center, Springfield
- Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, Peoria
- Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights
- Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Chicago
- OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, Rockford
- OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria
- Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
- Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
- University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago
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