NETWORK WORKFORCE RESOURCES
WORKFORCE
The vision and mission of the Workforce Program respectively are to provide premier healthcare employment and career path opportunities, and to recruit and retain top talent for the University of Utah Health Regional Network.
Four core values for the program are an extension of the University of Utah’s promotion of excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of each community across our region through caring, integrity, respect and trust.
NURSE SOURCING
As a Network, we have many workforce needs, especially nursing. Many of our featured positions are hard to recruit for various reasons. Network members have come together to identify and recruit qualified nursing candidates across our five states and all member organizations.
MEDICAL SOLUTIONS
As part of initial instructions to the Workforce team to support stabilizing the nursing workforce, a critical topic of concern was how to obtain consistent high quality traveling nurse staffing at an affordable cost. The Workforce team evaluated all staffing vendors that members had utilized, or were utilizing, as part of a substantial due diligence review for options. At the completion of a nearly yearlong process, Medical Solutions was selected as a partner organization, based on its performance, size, capability, and a senior leadership that was interested in, and understood the vision of the Regional Network. Medical Solutions has proven to be a valuable partner to the Network who aims to help grow and foster innovation for the Network. Medical Solutions is essential in providing support for the Nurse Internship Program, national marketing campaigns for our open featured positions, recruiting full time staff, providing high quality travel nurses.
NURSE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
This program was built through a strong collaboration of the Network and Medical Solutions, providing an innovative 6-month rotating internship in a variety of member facilities. The Program is a “win-win” for the nursing intern and member hospitals/health-systems in need of quality nurse staffing. Nurses that enter this competitive program as newly or recently graduated RN’s receive excellent training and the hospital/health-system cost is comparable to the estimated $37-$58k onboarding cost of replacing a single nurse. In exchange for the program, the new hire also signs a two-year contract.
TRAVEL NURSE RESOURCE POOL
The Workforce Program team is in the process of creating a regional traveling team of clinical nurses, called the Travel Nurse Resource Pool. The travel nurse resource pool will consist of experienced travel nurses who will travel within the Regional Network member organizations for an extended period of time.
RN TO BSN PROGRAM
The Regional Network aims to improve patient care in our region, by expanding nursing education. We are focusing on elevating our nurses by helping our Network RNs obtain their online BSN degree through the University of Utah at a reduced rate. We offer one-on-one appointments to enroll, with a simplified application process. Research results also show raising nursing education raises operational and care outcomes.
PARTNERSHIP WITH COLLEGE OF NURSING
A direct success of the Network collaborating with the College of Nursing has been the creation of an educational hub concept at Utah Navajo Health System’s site to assist their clinical team and community, with support for U of U DNP students in the area. This program will be able to grow from the beta UNHS site as the program gets more established.
RESILIENCY TRAINING FOR NURSES AND CLINICAL STAFF
University of Utah Health created a five part series for Nurses and other Clinical Staff who are currently work in high intensity areas, or may want resiliency training. Understanding the triggers that create anxiety and workplace stress is the first step towards a healthy work/life balance. Topics include, vicarious trauma, communication and check-ins, setting up boundaries, creating a self-care work environment, intersection of grief and workplace. Didactic and small group interaction are a part of each education session.
CLINICAL EDUCATION
CLINICAL MEDICAL EDUCATION SUPPORT
The U of U Office of Network Development and Telehealth aids in education with the Regional Network and affiliate organizations in various areas as requested from member hospitals.
COLLABORATIVE DATA AND VALUE
COLLABORATIVE VALUE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
As a member of the Regional Network, we engage Chief Quality Officers, Directors of Quality, accreditation leaders, patient safety officers and risk management leaders into our Regional Network Value Management System (VMS) Taskforce. The goal of the VMS Taskforce is to improve care while also improving costs with the overall goal of raising quality throughout Regional Network.
- Vision: Cultivate a Common Process of Value
- Mission: Support high collaboration and high quality throughout the Regional Network
We take a complete approach to healthcare value focusing on 7 key areas:
- Patients
- Leadership
- Engagement
- Process
- Improvement
- Data Driven
- Relationships
ACCREDITATION
We use accreditation as a tool for developing a common culture, common language and common framework with our Regional Network members. Using the framework of ISO 9001 and NIHAO standards, we provide support for system compliance with CMS Conditions of participation. By providing regular opportunities for inter-network collaboration and sharing of expertise throughout the region, we cultivate a collaborative team of experts who share resources for quality management inter-network. Most members are accredited by DNV, however members using any accreditation body are welcome and realize the same benefits.
MOCK SURVEY SERVICES & TEAMS
Harnessing the power of the experience, expertise and operational quality of the various members of the Regional Network, teams engage in collaborative Mock Surveys to prepare for accreditation surveys or to address areas of high-concern for upcoming extension surveys.
- Collect actionable feedback
- Clinical and quality integrated
- Check survey readiness
- Friendly, supportive on-site experience
- Benefits all participants, not just surveyed organization
QUALITY/PERFORMANCE OPERATION DATA
Inter-network sharing of data allows performance excellence to be shared throughout the regional network through collaborative improvement programs. Areas of opportunity are identified through benchmarking of key metrics.
By using data insights, quality improvement is categorized into one of three areas to achieve high efficiencies strengthening members and assuring quality delivery of care while also supporting organizational independence.
INTEGRATED DATA
Early and on-going priority of the Network is to collect and evaluate quality data, in order to identify strategic improvement projects, foster collaboration, and provide benchmarking opportunities. 17 key metrics were considered, and using these metrics the Network members tested and evaluated data collection and sharing. The commitment to data-driven patient care and decision making has been affirmed and will be a continuing hallmark of the Network’s culture of value.
GRANTS & RESEARCH
The Regional Network seeks to close the research-to-practice gap by providing hands-on expertise of academic researchers, program managers and investigator-physicians to Regional Network members. This level of implementation expertise allows members of the Regional Network to participate in clinical and operational investigations funded by grants to improve patient care. Additional opportunities for operational learning and maturing of existing processes and programs in member organizations are also part of these funded activities.
OPIOID DISPOSAL BAGS
An opportunity to improve patient safety by decreasing misuse of opioid medications was presented to the Regional Network Managing Board by physicians from the University of Utah Department Of Surgery. Small-scale clinical pilot projects were planned, but full-scale implementation was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related priorities. The Network plans to still move forward with this project, with opioid disposal bags as important tool of the Opioid 360 program. In its 2020 pilot, the University of Utah has distributed over 10,000 bags with prescriptions. Preliminary data is showing positive impact in reduction of leftover medications available for diversion or other inappropriate use.
OPIOID ONE-CLICK
The “Opioid 360 Program” implementation group identified the need for a more efficient method of accessing state-controlled substance data bases, in order to assure regulatory compliance and optimal prescribing practices. With differing EMR systems, it was agreed that IT vendors would be researched for a “one-click” access to the needed external data bases from the EMR. UNHS conducted a successful pilot project, developing relevant metrics and achieving improved compliance, while reducing time for clinicians to complete required tasks. Two additional member hospitals have also implemented the “one-click” functionality and have seen similar improvement results.
OPIOID STATE PRESCRIBING REQUIREMENTS
A request by the Managing Board led to a review of state-level regulatory requirements, development of a comparative table, and the potential for common prescribing practices. The Network members continue to collaborate with the University’s Department of Surgery, focusing on narcotic prescribing practices and potential opportunities for improving patient safety in member hospitals/health systems. A beta prescribing protocol has been underway in small scale, in the University of Utah during 2020, and will be looked at for possible Network integration in 2021.
GRANTS AND CLINICAL TRIALS
The Regional Network has partnered with University of Utah Medical School researchers on a variety of grant proposals, including opioid addiction treatment and recovery, CMS alternative payment models, and telemedicine patient outcomes. The Network member hospitals/health systems provide a rich and diverse rural setting for innovation in patient care delivery, and the resources of University of Utah Health will continue to support opportunities for productive research and improvements in health outcomes.