Why Virtual Nurse Orientation Is the Future of Learning Hospitals seek standardized, evidence-based Tammy Purcell, MSN, RNC-OB virtual programs amidst growing nursing shortage, Clinical Nurse Executive, increased learning demands, and escalating costs. Elsevier

The nursing shortage has reached Q: The pandemic has created and 6 million nurses, and four million crisis levels in the last year due to the exacerbated many challenges within more who are due to retire in the pandemic, higher agency pay, and the healthcare industry—specifically next decade2. a mass exodus of near-retirement the growing impacts of high nursing nurses. At the same time, the turnover and a widening experience- Consequently, hospitals that once experience-complexity gap is complexity gap. What can be done to had a mix of tenured, mid-career, and widening and there are fewer address these burdens? new nurses at the bedside, now have experienced nurses at the bedside. staffing pools comprising a much Purcell: The pandemic has changed higher percentage of new nurses. The Healthcare organizations can mitigate the nursing landscape indefinitely, loss of experienced bedside nurses is the impact of these challenges including accelerating the nursing very likely to have a long-term impact through quality online education shortage. We lost many experienced on patient outcomes as clinical care that supports an efficient onboarding nurses who decided to retire early becomes even more complex and new process, orientation, and ongoing as the pandemic became a long- nurses are left without the support of education, says Tammy Purcell, clinical term, worldwide crisis. Concurrently, tenured nurses at the bedside. This nurse executive with Elsevier. Purcell a growing number of experienced is all happening at a time when it is explores how standardized, engaging nurses are going to staffing agencies estimated that hospitals could face virtual orientation programs can save because of the pay increase, which $53–$122 billion total in revenue loss in resources, increase retention, and is driving up hospital hiring costs. 2021 due to COVID-193. improve patient outcomes. According to the Advisory Board, in the midst of the pandemic, a national More than ever, hospitals need to bidding war increased travel nurse pay create an environment where nurses to $10,000 per week1. Additionally, the not only want to hire on but also want global nursing workforce of 27 million to stay. One of the first ways to make a could be cut in half by 2030 due to powerful impression on new clinicians COVID-19, the current shortage of coming into the organization is by having an amazing orientation to offer standardized, evidence-based knowledge gaps of individual learners. program that is engaging, innovative, education much more expeditiously Learners need flexible, tailored and customized to learners. To compared to traditional classroom learning solutions that include a this point, many exciting changes training and homegrown programs, combination of virtual learning, are happening in nurse education, which is critical due to increasing simulation, and other modalities to including a move to blended and demands on clinicians today. have that unique experience and to flexible online models that focus more For example, nurses now use a feel like they are on a meaningful on individual knowledge gaps. wide-range of complex technologies professional development journey from the EHR to myriad monitoring designed specifically for them. The long days of orientation in a devices, and even specialized beds, Ultimately, we believe virtual traditional classroom are being all of which require additional orientation programs are the future replaced by the flipped classroom learning. Homegrown orientation of learning. model in which learners do virtual programs are very labor-intensive work, including pre-assessment tests to develop and will be more anywhere at any time, followed by challenging to maintain as References a combination of classroom time, learning requirements increase. 1 Advisory Board. (2020, December 3). Zoom meetings, and simulation lab- A ‘national bidding war’ is driving nurse pay virtual reality experience. Learning to $10K per week. (But the pay comes with modalities are more creative with hidden risks.). Retrieved from some organizations even doing escape Q: Change can be costly. How can https://www.advisory.com/ rooms as a part of orientation to help incorporating something new like Daily-Briefing/2020/12/03/covid-nurse information stick and to give nurses virtual online orientation reduce the 2 Pilla, L. (2021, March 23). ICN Warns “COVID that wow factor they will never forget. financial impact of turnover? Effect” Could Drive Millions of Nurses to This sets up a positive relationship Leave Profession. DailyNurse. Retrieved from Purcell: Organizations that choose with nurses, leading to greater https://dailynurse.com/icn-warns-covid-effect- to exchange traditional classroom satisfaction and retention. could-drive-millions-of-nurses-to-leave- learning for more efficient virtual profession/ orientation can see a significant cost savings as well as increased nurse 3 KaufmanHall (2021). COVID-19 in 2021: Q: How can virtual orientation satisfaction. Virtual education reduces The Potential Effect on Hospital Revenues. courses impact the quality of costs by increasing the number of Retrieved from https://www.aha.org/system/ patient care? nurses who can be trained in a shorter files/media/file/2021/02/KH-2021-COVID- Impact-Report_FINAL.pdf time frame. The flipped classroom Purcell: Orientation provides a model takes advantage of the speed foundation in consistent care and and efficiency of standardized quality patient outcomes. Virtual online learning, which can be orientation courses enable hospitals highly customized to the identified

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