A program from Parallon, a provider of healthcare business process and operational services, called Specialty Training Apprenticeship for Registered Nurses, has been implemented in 10 Florida hospitals to help them develop specialty-trained nurses.
StaRN is a 13-week program for nursing graduates that involves classroom instruction, simulation experience and hands-on clinical training. It aims to help nurses who lack the experience to staff a high-acuity unit but are unable to find the opportunity to gain such experience.
The StaRN program has been implemented at 10 hospitals in the West Florida Division of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America.
"When hospitals can't find specialty-trained nurses, they are forced to use costly alternative measures, such as hiring temporary contract labor, which does not address the core problem: the shortage of experienced, specialty-trained nurses," Tony Pentangelo, executive vice president of managed services at Parallon Workforce Solutions business unit, said in a news release.
Hospitals pay a placement fee to cover the costs of the program, and nurses make a two-year commitment to work at the sponsor hospital.
"When nurses are willing to make a commitment to our communities, we are committed to investing in their training and helping them obtain the experience they need," Peter Marmerstein, president of the West Florida Division, said in the release. "We are excited to partner with Parallon on this solution, which will help us continue to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care."
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed HCA's headquarters as Franklin, Tenn. HCA is headquartered in Nashville; Parallon is headquartered in Franklin.
More Articles on the Nurse Workforce:
RNs Delaying Retirement, Confounding Shortage Predictions
The Changing Nurse Workforce: What Hospitals Need to Know
Top 5 Ways to Recognize Nurses