Ticket to Nursing

Research helps nurses book longer trips at the bedside

An adventurous spirit

Doris Formica, R.N., a travel agent for more than 20 years, lived in Europe for eight. At age 48, she returned to school to become a nurse. She now shares tales from her adventures with her behavioral health patients.

As a travel agent, Doris Formica, R.N., booked thousands of trips. But after beginning a new career in nursing here at age 51, she struggled to find her own perfect destination. “I worked on a medical-surgical unit but wasn’t happy,” she says. “It was too fast-paced for me.”

That’s when someone suggested she try behavioral health, where the pace is slower and she could spend more time with patients. It was a match, and Formica has enjoyed her trip in behavioral health for more than four years.

Formica is not alone. There are many mature nurses who may not be as agile as they once were but want to continue working. More than 40 percent of nurses nationwide are over age 50, and 26 percent of our nurses are over 50. “We knew we needed to find creative ways to retain our nurses,” says Molly Sebastian, R.N., vice president, patient care services.

That’s why clinicians and human resources colleagues conducted a study to identify ways to help nurses approaching retirement work for as long as they want. Fifty-one nurses over 50—including Formica—were interviewed as part of the study. Two-thirds of respondents said they want to work as long as their health allows.

The research also resulted in the following changes:

• Mechanical ceiling lifts in new patient care rooms, beginning with the Kasych Family Pavilion
• Decreasing patient loads per night-shift nurse on medical-surgical units
• Expanding the express admissions unit so nurses on patient units will have assistance with initial admission data and orders
• Offering a mix of 8- and 12-hour shifts
• Encouraging units to develop guidelines for holiday scheduling that recognize seniority and perfect attendance
• Decreasing nurses’ patient loads while they are preceptors
• Encouraging directors to address acuity in patient assignments to achieve more balanced assignments

The research team is checking in with nurses like Formica to ensure these changes are effective. Formica already knows they work for her. “I like the small conveniences—like being able to complete my education online from my home computer,” says Formica, who works part-time. “I’ve found my perfect destination.”

Want to learn more about the changes that resulted from this study? Contact Nereida Villanueva at 610-402-3086 or Linda Applegate at 610-402-3170.

Want to find your perfect destination? Learn more about our scholarship opportunities for nurses, including tuition assistance for L.P.N.s to become R.N.s. Visit lvh.org/checkup or call 610-402-CARE.

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