South Nassau Creates Innovative Program for Future Nurses

Late in the summer of 2015, while on break for lunch, members of the nursing staff of South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Pediatric Unit, also referred to as “2B” on the hospital’s campus map, delved into a deep discussion about the rising percentage of the nursing workforce nearing retirement age and the declining number of new nurses entering the profession.

The discussion was prompted by the results of a 2013 survey conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and The Forum of State Nursing Workforce Center which found that 55 percent of the RN workforce is 50 or older, and the Health Resources and Services Administration projection that more than a million registered nurses will reach retirement age within the next 10 to 15 years.

The nurses on 2B, led by their nurse manager Lynn Bert, took action and came up with a plan. After a few weeks of meetings with Dr. Sue Penque, South Nassau’s chief nursing officer and senior vice president of patient care services, as well as their nursing colleagues throughout the hospital, Bert and her team rolled out the “Nurses 2B” program.

Nurses 2B has been designed as a first step in the solution to reducing the pending void of nursing talent caused by the aging nursing population and in recognition of our obligation to embrace and support the nurses of the future,” said Penque. “By introducing high school students to the field of nursing now, we hope that it will deepen their passion for careers in nursing.”

A total of 26 local area high school students -- from communities like Oceanside, Rockville Centre and Long Beach -- enrolled in and successfully completed the inaugural semester of Nurses 2B. This fall, 21 students are enrolled in the program, which consists of six 90-minute weekly seminars held on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The seminars are presented by nurses from different areas of clinical practice, from the emergency department to the operating room, who explain their roles and responsibilities; the illnesses, diseases and injuries that they treat; and demonstrate the skills they apply to care for their patients. Upon completion of the program, students assist with a community health event hosted by the hospital, earning them volunteer hours towards their high school diplomas while working alongside registered nurses.

As for the nurses who volunteer their time and talents to teach the students, they receive certificates that may be applied to Clinical Advancement Programs. Bert, however, attests that is not the motive for the selflessness of her colleagues.

“Each instructor was hand-selected because I knew the positive influence each has been for me,” she said. “How fortunate the students are to get a glimpse of their passion and commitment to their profession. It is my hope that the students achieve the excellence of my peers because perhaps they may be taking care of us someday.”

Nurses 2B will continue to be offered biannually in the fall and spring. In addition to Nurses 2B, South Nassau offers nurse internship, Operating Room training and Emergency Department fellowship programs. Now in its 25th year, nearly 600 nursing candidates have completed the eight-week, 300-hour nurse intern clinical program.

Photo: South Nassau Communities Hospital