We are doing very well!  I am pleased to report that NMC has welcomed 22 nurses to our team since the end of October!  That is remarkable in these challenging times of national nursing shortages and the strong competition for nurses.  NMC’s vision calls on us to be a “destination of choice for patients, staff, and medical staff” and our ability to attract well-educated, deeply-caring nurses is an indicator of our pursuit of that vision.

The addition of these talented team members has helped ease staffing challenges at the hospital, significantly reducing the number of open shifts we must scramble to fill to keep pace with the needs of our patients. I would particularly like to thank Kelly Campbell, RN, who is now leading our clinical education efforts, and her team of nurse educators, for their work to help orient our new nurses. A smooth introduction to the organization and ongoing professional development are key to both the recruitment and the retention of top talent. NMC currently still has a few nursing openings, including part-time and per-diem positions.  If you are looking to work in a vibrant clinical environment, we would like to talk to you!  Please call Erin in our Human Resources Department at (802) 524-1056 and visit our careers page online at https://www.northwesternmedicalcenter.org/careers/

One of the “new nurses” joining NMC in the near future, is Deanna Orfanidis, MS, RN, our new Chief Nursing Officer!  Deanna comes to NMC from her current role as the Chief Nursing Office at Mount Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vermont.  She will begin her new role the NMC team on January 21 and we are thrilled to welcome Deanna to NMC and our community. She is a proven leader and a highly experienced nurse with strong experience in shared governance, process improvement, and clinical nursing care in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.  At Mount Ascutney, Deanna led the development of an intradisciplinary shared governance model to support clinical practice governance. This framework engaged nurses across the organization in efforts to improve nursing practice and patient care with meaningful measurable results.

Going forward, our focus on retention of staff is as important as our focus on recruitment.  There is much to be done with all our staff across the organization and our progress makes me optimistic. We are committed to engaging our staff in their work and helping them grow and advance as individuals. This involves efforts from shared governance to improved communication to employee wellness to professional development. As a nurse myself, I am pleased with the direction Nursing is headed at NMC.  I am proud to be on this path with our nurses.  I look forward to Deanna joining the team and helping each of our nurses grow and thrive in the provision of exceptional care.

— Jill Berry Bowen, RN, NMC’s Chief Executive Officer