Maximizing Nurse Leadership

HHC President Alan D. Aviles

Jacqueline Gilbert, RN, has always known that the nurses she worked with for 14 years at Harlem Hospital provide efficient, high quality care to their patients. Now, thanks to HHC’s new Nursing Leadership Academy, she’s confident effective leadership will continue to grow in the nursing ranks.

“It's wonderful that this program has been developed for HHC nurses,” said Gilbert, Head Nurse of the Pediatric Unit at Harlem. “The activities and materials provided develop our leadership skills and give us the chance to apply what we learn by sharing it with other nurses. It has the potential to transform our whole culture of healthcare.”

HHC President Alan D. Aviles spoke at the program’s first session on January 29th, emphasizing the critically important role that nurses play in insuring that patient care is safe and effective.

Nurses attend Nursing Leadership Academy program

“Nurses in New York City public hospitals have long been at the forefront when it comes to shaping our system of patient-centered care,” said Aviles. “Now, our nursing leaders will be able to benefit from the kind of management training that will teach them how to motivate others as we work together to build stronger strategies for patient safety.”

The program provides specialized training to nurses in two tracks – Rising Stars, who are nominated by their facilities because of their leadership potential and more experienced Nursing Managers, who want to enhance and sharpen their skills. Each year, 120 RNs will be trained with 60 nurses coming into each track. The program has been funded largely by a three-year $300,000 grant from the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence.

As the national nursing shortage continues, the need to develop nursing leadership is becoming more urgent. As many as 1,400 nurses – 20% of the current workforce – are expected to retire from HHC within the next five years. Approximately 600 new nurses have come on board during the past year, and HHC continues to develop a variety of programs to recruit and retain high quality nursing staff. One such program offers training to non-nursing HHC staff, encouraging them to climb onto the nursing career ladder. Over 600 HHC employees currently participate in those programs, with nearly 90 already graduated and pending licensure as RNs and LPNs. Other programs offer college credit and mentorship to newly hired RNs.

Men and women who are interested in a career in nursing at HHC can learn more by visiting nyc.gov/hhc.

March 2007