MU Extension leadership

academy aims to decrease

nursing turnover in

long-term care facilities

by Eileen Yager

Source: Shirley Farrah, 573-882-0215

October 10, 2007

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Reducing employee turnover and improving patient care are two goals of a new leadership program for registered nurses offered by University of Missouri Extension and the MU Sinclair School of Nursing.

The MU Leadership Development Academy for Registered Nurses in Long-Term Care, a nine-month program for nursing directors at skilled-care facilities, begins Nov. 28 and runs through July 16.

Students will meet at MU for the first and last class. In between, they will meet monthly via interactive video at sites in Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis .

"Most registered nurses in long-term care come from a hospital background," said Shirley Farrah, assistant dean for outreach and distance education at the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. "They don't understand the highly regulated, complex long-term care environment."

Consequently, many nursing directors leave their position within the first six months, and some stay on the job as short as a week, Farrah said.

Missouri 's turnover rate is nearly 61 percent, well above the national average of 50 percent.

When a nursing director leaves, the effects ripple through the facility, Farrah said. The rest of the nursing staff suffer from the lack of leadership and are more likely to leave as well. As a result, the quality of care residents receive is diminished, she said.

"MU nursing research shows that good facilities have well-prepared nurse leaders who can implement change and sustain it," Farrah said, "resulting in better morale, lower mortality rates and fewer inspection citations."

The academy's curriculum follows a systems approach where management practices, relationships among co-workers as well as residents and work climate can affect outcomes.

At $750, Farrah said, tuition is a bargain compared to the $6,000 to $10,000 expense of recruiting a registered nurse.

The nursing school received a $238,585 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the academy and keep the tuition cost low. The grant will support the leadership academy for three years. Additional ITV locations will be added in the second and third years.

Participants also may take part in an optional review course for Directors of Nursing Administration/ LTC Certification review course at no extra charge.

Continuing education units will be awarded to participants who complete the class.

More information and an enrollment form are available on the MU Nursing Outreach and Distance Education, by phone at 573-882-0215 or e-mail at NursingOutreach@missouri.edu.

###

Locations:

Columbia: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at MU, 3215 B. LeMone Industrial Blvd., Columbia, MO 65211

Blue Springs : Jackson County Extension Center/West Central Regional Director's Office, 1501 N.W. Jefferson, Suite 111, Blue Springs, MO 64015

St. Louis : Virtual Learning Center, Cooperating School Districts, 1460 Craig Road, St. Louis, MO 63146