OpusVi and CommonSpirit Health Achieve 92% New Nurse Retention, Saving $16M Annually With System-Wide Nurse Residency & Preceptor Training

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Nov 19, 2024, 09:24 ET

OpusVi and CommonSpirit Health join forces to support new nursing graduates through a system-wide Nurse Residency, Preceptor and Mentor Program. Streamlined, standardized training aims to reverse the trend of high turnover rates among new nurses and mounting recruitment and hiring costs across the 24-state system.

PHOENIX, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - OpusVi™ (formerly Dignity Health Global Education), a leading workforce development solutions provider backed by CommonSpirit Health, Providence and Premier Inc., today announces an outstanding 92% retention rate of new graduate nurses across CommonSpirit Health's 58 facilities after just one year of implementing a new nurse residency program. This achievement has resulted in significant cost savings exceeding $16.3 million annually. OpusVi and CommonSpirit Health partnered to create a streamlined, scalable transition-to-practice solution encompassing Nurse Residency, Preceptor and Mentor Programs to support the nursing workforce within their organization system-wide, across 22 states, that will improve employee wellbeing and combat the rising burnout seen across the healthcare industry.

The healthcare industry continues to face a critical nationwide challenge in retaining nurses, with many new graduates leaving their roles within the first year due to burnout and insufficient support. According to the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), the top safety concern for 2024 is the challenge of transitioning newly trained clinicians from education to practice. Among nurses with less than two years of experience, 30% feel they are not adequately prepared to practice independently.

To support its nursing workforce, CommonSpirit Health partnered with OpusVi to develop a scalable, customized and competency-based nurse residency program to create consistency and offer high-impact training across the entire organization. In collaboration with OpusVi, CommonSpirit Health has successfully implemented the program across 58 facilities in 22 states, equipping new nurses with the structured education, support and tools necessary to thrive in their roles and deliver high-quality patient care.

"I am proud to witness the profound impact our nurse residency program has had on our nursing staff. This program has been instrumental in bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world clinical practice, providing our new nurses with the support, confidence, and skills they need to excel," says Kathleen Sanford, Chief Nursing Officer at CommonSpirit Health. "The residency program not only enhances their clinical competence but also significantly boosts their job satisfaction and retention. Our nurses feel more prepared and resilient, which directly translates into improved patient outcomes and a stronger, more cohesive healthcare team."

A Data-Based Approach To Deliver ROI For Health Systems

OpusVi's Nurse Residency, Preceptor and Mentor Programs offer evidence-based learning practices, high-impact content and seamless integration into hospital Learning Management Systems (LMS). The program is aligned with the latest standards and guidelines from the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP).

Unlike other residency offerings across the industry, OpusVi provides a comprehensive residency including scalable, customized and competency-based curriculum, assessment and validation, program delivery and infrastructure and continuous administrative support. The program features specialized content and simulation case scenarios and incorporates formative and summative evaluations that align with the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Practice Transition Accreditation Program 2024 (ANCC PTAP) standards and criteria.

OpusVi's proprietary Impact Dashboard provides unparalleled rich data insights with real-time impact monitoring to CommonSpirit Health leaders. Administrators have unique visibility into the program's effectiveness and access to an early alert system to intervene and capture disengaged new grad nurses to support retention. These unparalleled reporting tools provide insight into retention and engagement trends among employees, helping to curb turnover rates and improve employee satisfaction and wellbeing.

Alongside additional innovative programs underway at CommonSpirit Health – such as virtual nursing – the first year of implementation of this comprehensive training and mentorship program has contributed to significant results. CommonSpirit Health's new graduate nurse retention has climbed to over 92%, a notable improvement from pre-implementation rates which also resulted in an estimated $16.3 million annual savings in annual turnover-related costs.

Future Growth: Reaching 45,000 More Nurses Across 14 New States

OpusVi and CommonSpirit Health plan to further expand this successful model, developing training programs for additional specialty areas over the next five years. This expansion aims to reach over 45,000 more nurses across 14 new states and eight specialties, further reinforcing the impact of this collaboration on the healthcare industry.

"It's fantastic to see the success of the CommonSpirit Health nurse residency program, with hundreds of cohorts thriving across 22 states. This program highlights the unwavering commitment of CommonSpirit Health to supporting new nurses as they transition into practice, ensuring they have the guidance, mentorship and resources needed to succeed," says Andrew Malley, CEO of OpusVi. "We are honored to partner with them in addressing the critical challenges facing the nursing workforce. By working together, we're lowering turnover, reducing hiring costs and saving hospitals millions of dollars — all of which leads to better patient outcomes and a more resilient healthcare system."

For additional information on the Nurse Residency, Preceptor and Mentor Programs, please visit opusvi.com.

About OpusVi
Great Solutions, Great Healthcare
OpusVi (Latin for Workforce) partners with healthcare organizations to build transformative workforce solutions. We have developed a workforce development platform that enables healthcare systems and organizations to upskill and retain top talent. Dedicated to providing the best client experience, we have designed custom online and hybrid programs and workforce development solutions that improve and positively impact talent retention as much as patient health and quality of care. We remain leaders in the healthcare education space by creating scalable, cutting-edge solutions through innovative technologies, clinical expertise and evidence-based training alongside the industry's top subject matter experts and academic institutions. To learn more about OpusVi please visit www.opusvi.com.

About CommonSpirit Health
CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. With its national office in Chicago and a team of over 175,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit operates 145 hospitals and more than 2,200 care sites across 24 states. In FY 2022, CommonSpirit had revenues of $33.9 billion and provided $4.9 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at www.commonspirit.org.

SOURCE OpusVi