Duke Joins NC Partners to Advocate for Nursing Workforce

Duke University School of Nursing, Duke Health Nursing, and Duke Government Relations convened top healthcare, education, and workforce leaders from across North Carolina in Washington, DC, on March 5 for a high-level discussion on the future of the nursing profession, reinforcing Duke’s leadership in addressing one of the most urgent workforce challenges facing North Carolina and the nation.

The event, Strengthening the Nursing Pipeline: A Discussion about Education and Workforce Strategies with Nursing Leaders, was hosted at the Duke in DC office as part of the NC in DC salon dinner series. The gathering brought together senior executives, educators, policymakers, and community partners for a conversation focused on innovative approaches to rebuilding and sustaining the nursing pipeline.

Duke at the Center of the Conversation

With North Carolina projected to face one of the nation’s largest registered nursing shortages in the coming decade, Duke is helping set the agenda for scalable, collaborative solutions. The conversation was facilitated by Duke nursing leaders:

• Michael Relf, Dean, Duke University School of Nursing and Associate Chief Nurse Executive for Academic Partnerships and Innovation, Duke Health
• Terry McDonnell, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive, Duke University Health System; Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Duke University School of Nursing

They were joined by an expanded panel of statewide and regional leaders shaping the nursing workforce:

• Leigh Angel, Dean of Health Sciences, Blue Ridge Community College
• Mary Blackburn, Chief Operating Officer, Hugh Chatham Health
• Valerie Howard, Dean and Professor, UNC School of Nursing
• Brenda Nichols, Interim Dean, School of Health Sciences, Winston-Salem State University
• Laura Rashleger, Senior Vice President, Nursing Operations, Advocate Health
• Michael Vaccaro, Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing and Clinical Operations Officer, Novant Health

“Duke's leadership exemplified the importance of academic and practice partnerships in advancing innovation in the clinical and educational settings and workforce development programs,” said Dean Relf. He pointed out, “Many [panel attendees] were not aware that North Carolina has the second largest nursing workforce shortage in the United States,” challenges that are especially pronounced in rural areas.

“The problems we face in the healthcare workforce are fundamentally the same regardless of the specific setting,” Dr. McDonnell explained. “The value in having academic, community, and large health system partners together is shared problem solving. I gained insights from our community partners that made me think differently on a few things, and I now get to take those ideas back to my partners to trial. A specific example was how the community CNO and her academic partners are sharing cost to support nurses to also serve as clinical instructors. A simple but brilliant example of how an academic-practice partnership can help support increasing faculty ranks and train new nurses.”

Panelists discussed the need for the nursing community to remain involved in the policymaking process, encouraging policymakers to engage with nursing leadership and frontline nurses to better understand how federal policies are impacting the day-to-day operations of nursing teams.

Building a Future of Collaboration and Care

Policymakers who met with Dr. Relf and Dr. McDonnell outside of the panel expressed appreciation for the nursing workforce and for the provided insights into the profession’s challenges.

“As a physician, I know firsthand how essential nurses are to patient outcomes,” said Representative Greg Murphy (R-NC, 3rd District) via his newsletter following a meeting with Dr. Relf and Dr. McDonnell. “I look forward to continuing to work with healthcare leaders to support policies that empower our nursing workforce and strengthen our healthcare system.

Via her Instagram account, Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC, 4th District) said, “Healthcare initiatives are key to sustaining local jobs, and Congress must ensure these programs are fully funded in order to build a stronger workforce.”

“This event was just the beginning of the conversation, and I see more opportunities for partnership across the state to ensure that North Carolinians will have access to the care they deserve,” said Dr. McDonnell.