Welcome to Practice 2021 : Innovations in Onboarding and Professional Development
At Children ’ s Hospital Colorado , team member orientation is powered by a collaborative group of diverse thinkers . In 2021 , more than 1,900 new team members experienced the fruits of that team ’ s labor , and 1,039 joined the interprofessional and clinical team . Those individuals had the opportunity to hear from Professional Development Specialist , Ciara Culhane , MS , RN , NPD-BC , on their second day of orientation about the importance of growing as people and professionals . Of those , 544 serve in roles within the Division of Patient Care Services , including 265 registered nurses .
That ’ s just one example of how Children ’ s Hospital Colorado promotes continuous learning and training opportunities to nurture career growth . Children ’ s Colorado ’ s New Graduate Nurse Residency Program serves newly registered nurses and is proud to have national accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education . The program is designed to welcome the newly licensed nurses into clinical practice and foster the development of competent , confident practicing professionals . This year , the program celebrated 76 graduates , representing a 98.7 % completion rate . The program responded to the call for clinical nurses by onboarding 133 new graduate nurses , as well as recruiting Michi Sekol , MSN , RN , CPN , to serve as practice program manager .
Innovation remained at the core of these programs . This year , they grew in volume and adjusted the format to successfully reach new team members . These changes were fueled by the guidance of Aydrian DeDiemar EdD , MBA , BSN , NPD-BC , NEA-BC , director of professional development . At the beginning of the pandemic , onboarding shifted to a virtual format , and in 2021 the team leveraged lessons learned during that time to deepen connections and experiences . By implementing intentional hybrid opportunities for onsite and remote team members , program leaders were able to ensure continuity of cohort models for team members entering practice at the Colorado Springs and Denver Metro locations .
True to the Children ’ s Colorado mission , the professional development team has continued to invest in collaboration beyond its walls . Led by Nicki Shonka , MS , RN , NPD-BC , CPN , clinical education outreach program director , this year ’ s program will offer nearly 30 % more outreach education events ( from 69 events in 2020 to 97 in 2021 ). These events , consultations and enduring education modules benefit interprofessional learners from the disciplines of nursing , medicine , respiratory and emergency medical services .
CIARA CULHANE , MS , RN NPD-BC
MICHI SEKOL , MSN , RN , CPN
AYDRIAN DEDIEMAR , EDD , MBA , BSN , NPD-BC , NEA-BC
NICKI SHONKA , MS , RN , NPD-BC , CPN ,
In addition to new events , a new platform will help improve professional development as well . Continuing Education at Children ’ s Colorado launched in early 2021 , allowing the team to capture and track more than 11,700 learner profiles from more than 100 countries .
2021 Nursing & PCS Year in Review