Ascension Alexian Brothers Emergency Department
Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Ascension Alexian Brothers Emergency Department
A bedside nurse approached the ED leadership team with an idea to help support the new hires in the department. The May 2023 ENA Connection magazine article, “Nursing ‘Launch Pad,’” prompted her to explore developing a program to supplement nursing orientation for new hires in the ED. The leadership team started planning sessions to identify if this was an option for the organization.
In June 2023 the leadership team collaborated with highly engaged bedside nurses to create an Emergency Department Cohort Program for new-hire RNs to the emergency department. The program was initiated the following month with all new hires to create a safe space for the nurses to develop hands-on skills with equipment and be given the opportunity to interact and learn from a multidisciplinary team. The cohort meets monthly, and topics are preassigned and different for each month. Topics are selected based on staff nursing feedback and are open to existing associates as well. Of the 14 new graduates, all stayed at Ascension, and 12 remained in the ED, which decreased turnover by 30 percent since program initiation.