Top 100 Hospitals Applauded For Workplace Excellence

By Amanda Sounart, associate editor For the hospitals listed as one of the "Top 100 Hospitals to Work for 2009" by Nursing Professionals magazine, patients aren't the only ones who receive top-notch care. These facilities have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional work environments for their nurses. This list of top facilities is the result of a nationally conducted survey of 25,000 nurses measuring their job satisfaction. Major components of job satisfaction, noted by survey participants included professional training and development, flexible working arrangements and creating an environment were nurses have a strong voice in patient care. One of the listed hospitals, Cedars-Sinai located in Los Angeles, Calif., has a long history of workplace excellence. The facility, which staffs close to 2,300 nurses, has received three consecutive Magnet designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, as well as being ranked among the best Los Angeles hospitals in the annual Consumer Choice survey for 10 years. "We have created an environment that helps the individual nurse as well as collective nursing community by removing barriers to care," said Linda Burnes Bolton, DrPH, RN, FAAN, vice president and chief nursing officer at Cedars-Sinai. One of the barriers to care identified by Cedars-Sinai was the lack of time nurses were able to spend with patients. "We really wanted to transform care at the bedside by increasing the amount of direct time nurses spend with their patients," said Burnes Bolton. "In American hospitals today, most nurses only spend 30 percent of their time with direct patient care. The rest is spent documenting, hunting for supplies and waiting for information. That has an adverse effect on the patients, which means adverse events such as medication errors, falls or pressure ulcers are more likely to occur." Working with the nurses, Cedars-Sinai was able to reduce the amount of time nurses spent on other tasks so they could spend more time with patients by increasing efficiencies. The average nurse at the facility now spends approximately 67 percent of their time with patients.  As a result, the facility has experienced a decrease in patient falls, a decrease in pressure ulcers and fewer medication errors. "This kind of environment is good for the nurses and the patients," noted Burnes Bolton. "The patients tell me that they're pleased that nurses advocate for them." Abbott Northwestern  in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also listed on "Top 100 Hospitals to Work for 2009," has been recognized for Magnet designation, has been listed as one "America's Best Hospitals 2008" by the U.S. News and World Report and was one of the Solucient Top 100 Hospitals for cardiovascular surgery. "I've worked at Abbott for almost 34 years," said Katheren Koehn MA, RN, co-chair of the Nurse Practice Council at Abbott Northwestern. "It's always been a good place to work. Sometimes leaders believe in nursing but not necessarily nurses. We have a leader right now who is a supporter of nurses. We have a really collaborative relationship with the medical staff, there's a high level of respect. And nurses are able to be involved in problem solving, so it's not just from the top down." Abbott Northwestern has operated on a shared governance for 20 years, creating an environment where nurses can truly advocate for their patients. "When the nurses feel they have some autonomy over their practice, it allows them to feel more responsible," said Koehn. "Through our collaborative governance we have created a nurse council where nurses can pose questions on patient care. The council can deliberate on the questions to try to solve the issue or we can bring in experts to help answer our nurses' questions. On our current log we have about 100 questions. It really has helped us to get at problem solving around nursing and patient care issues." Another component to workplace excellence is a strong background in nursing education and support. Many of the hospitals on the list offer programs such as financial and mentorship support, on-site BSN and MSN programs, tuition reimbursement for education and certification advancement, paid education days, leadership development programs, nurse residencies and internships, scholarships and fiscal and support services. "Our nurses appreciate the fact that we are investing time, effort and money in them," said Burnes Bolton.  "We support them and the staff nurses appreciate that. They recognize the value to improve the capacity of the nurses to deliver care." She noted in particular that their residency programs have made them a sought after employer for new nurses. "We support our experienced nurses, but someone also has to assume the responsibility to support the next wave. We have an environment where we can do that." Each of the hospitals listed have made an effort to support all of their nurses and create a work environment that truly fosters the growth of individual and the strength of the entire staff. As Koehn noted of her experience at Abbott Northwestern, "Every day when I go to work, I know I have the potential to have a great day." To see the full list of "Top 100 Hospitals to Work for 2009," visit the Nursing Professionals  Web site . © 2009. AMN Healthcare, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Top 100 Hospitals Applauded For Workplace Excellence

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