1. Still hiring nurses. “Nurses are coming out of retirement and staying longer, and our turnover rate has fallen below 10 percent,” Mr. Kellman says. “But the pendulum is going to swing back and there will be a nursing shortage once again.” With this in mind, the organization is still hiring nurses, often taking them straight out of nursing school and providing an orientation that lasts 12-14 weeks. “We also have been looking for experienced nurses to work in the OR, ED and other clinical areas,” he says.
2. Hiring for a new hospital. “We will be hiring for our new 144-bed hospital, Ahuja Medical Center, which opens in Beachwood, Ohio, in early 2011,” Mr. Kellman says. Eventually this new hospital will have 600 beds.
3. Two types of employed physicians. The system employs 1,200-1,500 physicians in two models. University Hospitals Medical Practices is a network of community-based physicians and University Hospitals Medical Group is a faculty practice based at Case Medical Center. “It’s unusual for an academic medical center to have organization to employ both types of physicians,” he says.
4. New physicians umbrella group. The two groups of employed physicians are now being brought together under a new umbrella organization, the Physician Services Organization, to provide integrated care. The PSO also includes urgent care centers. hospitalist programs as well as University CompCare, a managed care organization, an employee health organization and a preferred provider network for work-related healthcare.
5. Hiring for key service lines. University Hospitals attracts many specialists through a large variety of service lines, including cancer, pediatrics, women’s health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics.
It seems the system’s hiring and retention practices are working. The system was recently recognized as one of the top 15 employers in Northeastern Ohio, Mr. Kellman said. It has also been named one of the top 10 health systems in the United States based on clinical performance by Thomson Reuters. Perhaps its success is driven by its “employee brand” — “Be the difference.” The message is that every employee can make a difference.
Learn more about University Hospitals Cleveland.
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