Nursing Update April 2023

Care Team Expansion – Virtual Care Nurses

Coming soon we will have virtual care nurses and safety companions as a part of the care team on 7N/7NE/7NW at HH Main. Virtual care has shown to reduce safety events, increase nurse retention, and improve patient satisfaction. Each room is furnished with camera and audio equipment to communicate with our virtual care teams.

Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme

You may have heard in the news that three South Florida nursing schools issued false nursing diplomas between 2016 and 2021. This allowed nurses to qualify fraudulently for the NCLEX exam, despite never having attended required clinicals and courses. Several of them passed NCLEX exams and were able to gain employment under false circumstances.

State licensing boards nationwide are investigating. The Alabama Board of Nursing reports they currently have one nurse under investigation. Rest assured Huntsville Hospital’s background check includes education verification and would identify any nurse from a non-accredited college.

Nursing Recruitment & Retention Update

We have over 50 Student Nurse Apprentices shared among UAH, Calhoun, Wallace, and Drake State colleges. Nursing apprentices receive on the job training with pay and in turn make a 2 year work commitment at HH.

Our first graduating class will complete their requirements in August 2023.

Bedside Nurse Employment/Retention Update

We’ve hired over 227 bedside nurses so far this year which is up from last year and we’re beginning to see improvement with retention.