Gundersen Lutheran Nursing in the News
Nursing Matters feature story, December 2010:
A study of uniforms: the badge is not enough
Read the article.
A ‘Best Workplace for Men in Nursing’
Gundersen Lutheran was recently recognized for its significant efforts in recruiting and retaining men in the nursing workplace through its supportive organizational culture.
The prestigious “Best Workplace for Men in Nursing” award was presented at the American Assembly for Men in Nursing’s (AAMN) annual conference.
“From personal experience, Gundersen Lutheran has provided me abundant opportunities to grow as a nursing professional,” says Paul. "As we prepared our application, we saw many examples of how our organization values diversity, creates an inclusive work environment and provides employees with opportunities to learn and grow.’”
“We are blessed to have such an outstanding team of nurses at Gundersen Lutheran, and we stand proud knowing we are nationally recognized as one of the best workplaces for men in nursing,” says Mary Lu Gerke, PhD, RN, vice president of Nursing and chief nursing officer.
When applying for this award, Paul and Mark provided many examples of how Gundersen Lutheran portrayed the nursing profession as a career for anyone—whether male or female. For example the percentage of male nursing staff rose from 6.4% in 2009 to 7.8% in 2010.
Because men account for only 5.4 percent of registered nurses in the U.S., our nurses continue to address this issue locally. In 2009, they developed a local chapter of the AAMN—Coulee Region Men in Nursing.
“I was one of only two male nurses in my graduating class from the UW-Madison School of Nursing-Western Campus,” comments Mark Romportl, RN, 3West. “It’s always been a goal of mine to get more men interested in the profession. As a group, we’re trying to spread the message to young men that nursing is a profession filled with great opportunities.”
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Some key advantages of being a nurse at Gundersen Lutheran include:
- Great nurse-to-patient ratios
- Low turnover rate
- Named “Top 100”… again and again
- Level II Trauma Center
- Compared with RNs around the country, the satisfaction of Gundersen Lutheran RNs ranked higher than that of 75 percent of other healthcare organizations in a 2006 employee satisfaction survey
- 95th percentile patient satisfaction with nursing care
When you become a nurse at Gundersen Lutheran,
you have a voice in the future of your profession. While we invest in the
latest technology and techniques, we also invest in our nurses by encouraging them to develop their practice. More than 1,500 nurses work together in our unique integrated health system of more than 6,000 employees.
Nursing leadership is composed of a Chief Nursing Officer along with several Vice Presidents who are nurses. These leaders
work in partnership with physicians to lead Gundersen Lutheran in a way that best meets the needs of our patients.
In our
patient-centered environment, we place value on a competent, compassionate and specialized practice. We offer nursing fellowships in education, research and evidence-based practice. We also offer peer review, preceptors, mentors and our own nursing newsletters, written by nurses, for nurses. From nursing forums and education days to Nursing Grand Rounds, the core of Gundersen Lutheran nursing is knowledge.
The role of the nurse at Gundersen Lutheran is
dynamic, changing to meet the challenges of healthcare and to best meet the needs of nurses. It is our goal to have the
right nurse doing the right work. Our nurses work to their full scope of professional practice while being supported by a clinical manager and well-trained assistive personnel.
We value knowledge, caring, partnership, professionalism and dignity. We believe it is a privilege to care for patients and hope you will soon say, “I am a Gundersen Lutheran Nurse.”
See what some of our nurses have to say about why they are a Gundersen Lutheran nurse.
Contact:
(608) 775-7341 or (800) 362-9567, ext. 57341
1900 South Ave., La Crosse, WI 54601