NEW-BRUNSWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- To help ease the transition for new nurses from the classroom to patient rooms and hospital halls, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future will debut Your Future in Nursing, a training program that combines the interactivity of video computer gaming with real-life nursing scenarios. The training program – developed with input and insights from nurses early in their career – will help prepare future nurses for real-world work experiences with the goal of reducing entry-level nurse turnover. The new program will be unveiled at the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) 58th Annual Convention taking place April 7-11 in Orlando. The Annual Convention theme is, “Experience the Magic of Nursing!”
“One of the greatest challenges facing the nursing profession is helping new RN graduates acclimate to the real world of healthcare delivery and thus, reduce the turnover rate for entry-level nurses,” said Diane Mancino, EdD, RN, CAE, executive director, National Student Nurses’ Association. “This new program will help develop new nurses’ communication skills which are critical in their first work experience. It will foster the transition from the nursing student to the staff nurse, improve interaction with co-workers and interdisciplinary staff, and increase job satisfaction.”
According to a July 2007 healthcare industry report1, the average turnover rate in first-year nurses is more than 27 percent, which demonstrates the importance of providing support for this population. To help fill that need, Johnson & Johnson developed Your Future in Nursing.
The interactive training tool allows nurses to select a 3D nurse character and navigate through the rooms of a virtual hospital. As they tour the hospital, nurses interact with animated versions of the people who will shape their first year on the job – hospital administrators, nurse managers, doctors, other nurses, patients and their families. Nurses work at their own pace to respond to different, real-life nursing scenarios they would normally encounter throughout the hospital. In addition to getting immediate feedback on each answer, sections close with a video message from an experienced nurse mentor who provides perspective and coaching on the new nurse’s performance.
“As a recent graduate, I was anxious to enter the workforce and begin practicing on the floor. I was confident that my nursing education prepared me for practice, but I still didn’t know what to fully expect,” said Oliver Sangcap Ilao, RN who graduated from Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing of the City University of New York last May. “This learning tool shed light to realistic scenarios that I did not encounter in nursing school clinical, and as a result of playing the game, I was more confident when I began practice at Mount Sinai Medical Center in October.”
Of 91 nurses who piloted the program, 96 percent would recommend this tool to another recent nurse graduate and nearly 90 percent indicated they will be more confident approaching their first day of work as a result of playing Your Future in Nursing.
The new program builds on the success of the Campaign’s Virtual Nurse Manager – an instructional software program launched in 2006 to address the attrition rate of newly promoted nurse managers by addressing nurse retention rates among first-year nurses.
“First-year nurses are vital to both the nursing profession and the health care system, and retaining this population is an integral part of the overall strategy of addressing the national nursing shortage,” said Andrea Higham, director, the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. “This learning tool represents a novel approach to education and development in health care, and our hope is that the software will engage and prepare future nurses for the real experience they’ll face in today’s nursing environment.”
Your Future in Nursing can be downloaded in digital format or ordered in CD-ROM by nursing schools, students, nurses and health care facilities nationwide at no cost as part of ongoing efforts by The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future to alleviate the U.S. nursing shortage. These items and other collateral resources are available at the Campaign’s Web site, www.DiscoverNursing.com.
ABOUT THE JOHNSON & JOHNSON CAMPAIGN FOR NURSING’S FUTURE
The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future is a public-awareness campaign – launched by Johnson & Johnson in February 2002 – designed to enhance the image of the nursing profession, recruit new nurses and nurse faculty, as well as help retain nurses currently in the profession. Working in cooperation with various professional nursing organizations, schools, hospitals and other health care groups and providers, the Campaign focuses on promoting opportunities within nursing as well as increasing awareness of the value of the nursing profession to our overall society and health care community.
ABOUT JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Caring for the world, one person at a time…inspires and unites the people of Johnson & Johnson. We embrace research and science - bringing innovative ideas, products and services to advance the health and well-being of people. Our 115,000 employees at more than 250 Johnson & Johnson companies work with partners in health care to touch the lives of over a billion people every day, throughout the world.
For more information, visit www.jnj.com.
1 PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute Report, What works: Healing the healthcare staffing shortage. Available at: http://www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/what-works-healing-the-healthcare-staffing-shortage.jhtml.
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KEYWORDS: United States North America New Jersey
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Education Technology Software Audio/Video Health Hospitals Training Nursing
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