Early 2018
VNA initiates the Nurse Staffing & Workforce Group, aiming to address nursing and healthcare workforce shortages in Virginia. The group identifies six primary focus areas:
- Project workforce needs based on population needs.
This includes forecasting population needs and ability to care for those within these specialty areas; and the alignment of core competency needs and education’s ability to keep pace with these growing needs.
- Support innovative clinical care delivery models in which team members practice to the full extent of their preparation.
The group further discussed utilizing technology solutions to provide predictive analytics for staffing numbers, while also aligning skill set, education, and competency with patient/client assignments to enhance quality care provision.
- Construct a model of nursing progression at the point of care to enhance nursing satisfaction, retention, and elevate patient care.
- Develop a coordinated academic practice model of student clinical experiences and create a pipeline for progression to meet workforce demands.
This includes preparation for specific fields of practice; pipeline enhancement for nursing assistants, ease of access to education, and funds to support entry level educational pathways and stackable credits.
- Enhance alignment between education, practice, finance, and regulation to assure effective practice.
- Ensure that diversity exists in the workforce and mimics the populations being served.
February 2020
The Nurse Staffing & Workforce Group expands to include representation from VACN and VONEL in their recent meeting. These organizations are also working to address nurse staffing and workforce issues. The targeted outcomes of VACN and VONEL are to:
- Identify the roles in nursing that will assist in addressing the health priorities across the commonwealth
- Detect gaps in the nursing workforce relative to knowledge, skills, and transition to practice now and in the future
- Distinguish what infrastructure and resources are necessary for collaboration across the commonwealth.
The priorities identified by VACN and VONEL align on multiple levels with those of VNA’s Nurse Staffing & Workforce Group. As we move forward, both groups plan to engage in ongoing collaboration to further advance and enhance the work around nurse staffing and the nursing workforce.
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
VNA holds a virtual press conference addressing the impact of the delta wave on the state's hospitals and nurses' mental health. The conference's link is shared for public viewing.
January 2022
VNA joins ANA's call to declare healthcare staffing shortages a national emergency.
April 2022
In a Nurse Staffing Deep Dive meeting led by Dr. Pam Cipriano, Teresa Haller, VNA & VNF CEO Janet Wall and VNA President Linda Shepherd, with representation from the areas of academia, public health, long term care and other nursing entities, parties examined both short-term and long-term strategies to address nurse staffing:
Short-Term Strategies
Legislation & Policy
- Loan Forgiveness: Pursue loan forgiveness for nurses and adequate funding of existing commonwealth scholarships for nurses.
- VNA advocated for the following proposed budget amendments:
- $800,000 for SCHEV to enable nursing students eligible to receive the 2-year college transfer grant to receive an additional $1000 supplement
- $7.6 million to award full TAG grant for graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in nursing, mental health counseling, pharmacy, and other medical fields, with the goal of preparing new workers for careers in areas facing workforce shortages in Virginia.
- $1 million each year to capitalize four existing nursing scholarship programs at VDH that have been unfunded since 2015
- Expand eligibility for the G3 program to include high school students
* G3 is the acronym for Get Skilled, Get a Job, & Get Ahead.” It is a tuition assistance program for any Virginia resident who qualifies for in-state tuition and whose family income falls below an identified threshold. Students pay little to no tuition.
Tangentially, we also advocated for:
- $100,000 for SCHEV to conduct a study to evaluate the growing needs of schools of nursing so they may more comprehensively and effectively address the extensive nursing shortages in VA.
Mandatory Regulations
Explore with the Dept. of Health Professions Mandatory Reporting regulations to ensure they don't serve as a barrier to nurses seeking help for the mental health &/or substance abuse.
- DPH Director Dr. David Brown is currently addressing this for physicians, nurses, and others.
Staffing Committees
Advocate for staffing committees intended to support nurses' meaningful engagement in shared governance and staffing discussions.
- VNA’s Nursing Practice Commission will develop a best practice model we can advance that includes collection and utilization of meaningful data
Work Environment
Joint statement from VNA and VHHA about standards required to create a healthy work environment for nursing.
- The Workplace Violence Workgroup discussed the potential and timing of a joint statement with the VHHA.
- Establish an online repository for best practices of short-term staffing relief strategies in collaboration with VONEL. Once completed, the repository will live on the VNA’s website and other organizations will be encouraged to include links from their websites.
Partnerships
Ensure capacity building through inclusion of organizations representing underrepresented nurses.
* LGBTQ+, nurses of color, etc.
- Collaborations and partnerships have long been at the core of who VNA is and how we operate. A growing number of niche nursing organizations engage in the VNA-spearheaded Virginia Legislative Nursing Alliance (VLNA) and are eager to work with us to address the nurse staffing crisis. Nurse leaders representing diverse organizations also participate on the joint VNA & VNF Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Council, and VNA and VNF have great working relationships with many other organizations, including state administration and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Administration (VHHA).
Long-Term Strategies
The following long-term strategies generated from the meeting include three primary bodies of work: Improved work environment, innovative staffing models while optimizing scope of practice, and advocating at the federal level for reimbursement for nursing services.
Improved work environment
- Address onboarding and retention strategies
- Innovate to create/discover flexible staffing and scheduling models
- Promote and innovate in job sharing initiatives
- Promote Mentorship Programs for new team members -engaging with new team members prior to their first day
- Focus on workplace violence
- Harness best practices regarding safety of staff
- Promote resources inclusion within organizational systems to cultivate a culture of wellness through the prioritization of psychological needs of nurses and other healthcare workers to address and mitigate factors that contribute to moral distress, moral residue, and moral injury
- Investigate salary compensation models for nurses. While we can’t control what employers pay nurses, conducting this research will be crucial as we further strengthen & broaden our sphere of influence.
- Ensure a diverse workforce with consideration to equality in order to ensure nurses represent their service population
- Elevate awareness and respect for disabilities and equity throughout nursing practice
- Create Innovative Staffing Models while Optimizing Scope of Practice
- Integrate other levels of nursing professionals (unlicensed assistive personnel, LPNs, APRNs and interprofessional partners to collaborate on responsibilities
- Incorporate mindfulness of nursing scope of practice, supervision, and insurance of positive patient outcomes as supported by evidence
- Promotion and push for acute care nurses working to the top of their license
- Provide education related to scope of practice for each role so that all remain in their scope of practice
- Explore opportunities for tele/remote/ virtual health options as part of nursing care delivery.
- Advocate at the Federal Level for Reimbursement for Nursing Services
- Support ANA and the national work being done around this issue.
November 2023
An update from the VNA President outlines the ongoing efforts in nurse staffing and workforce initiatives. Collaboration with VHHA leaders has led to the establishment of a comprehensive framework for Nurse Staffing Advisory Committees, focusing on continuous improvement in staffing levels and patient outcomes. Recommendations have been presented to VHHA, emphasizing education, strategy, achievements, innovative solutions, and collaboration among nursing stakeholders. Discussions are ongoing, aiming to keep everyone informed about the progress.
November 2024
VNA & VNF jointly host a Nurse Staffing Summit in Short Pump, Virginia on November 22 and 23 at the Hilton Hotel & Spa where all nurses are welcome. The Nurse Staffing Summit will address the critical nursing staffing crisis in Virginia and beyond. Healthcare professionals, educators, and industry leaders will explore challenges such as retention, workplace culture, and faculty shortages, while examining innovative strategies for improvement. Attendees will delve into policy changes and reimbursement models that impact patient care and nursing practice. This summit will offer a collaborative space to share experiences and solutions while leveraging technology to support nurses and reduce workload.
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