| Sumario: | Significance & Background The global nursing workforce shortage makes recruiting and training hematology nurses increasingly difficult. Lack of confidence in caring for complex patient populations causes burnout in onboarding hematology nurses, leading to poor staff retention and desire to change specialties. Effective educational programs enhancing confidence, knowledge, and skills of new hematology nurses are vital for improving staff retention and patient safety. Purpose The purpose of establishing the Hematology Immersion Week program was to improve nurse retention and support onboarding of newly hired hematology nurses by providing a standardized approach to learning institutional policies, procedures, and foundational hematology knowledge in a protected clinical environment away from the bedside. Interventions During clinical orientation, new hematology nurses complete the week-long program, beginning with a 15-question hematology pre-test covering institutional policies, procedures, and foundational knowledge. They shadow nursing support roles (patient care technician and patient services coordinator) to learn functions and gain familiarity with patient equipment and systems. Throughout the week, nurses attend didactic presentations on leukemia, lymphoma, immune effector cell therapy, and stem cell transplant taught by subject matter experts, including nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and nurse educators. Hands-on training and skills validations include infusion pumps, IV tubing setups, chemotherapy circle priming, blood administration simulation, PCA pump management, cardiac monitoring application, and cell therapy simulation. Open discussions and case scenarios challenge critical thinking. A 15-question post-test and program evaluation conclude the experience. Results Prior to the initiation of Hematology Immersion Week, turnover rates for hematology RNs increased by 10%(FY21-FY22). One year after implementation (9/2022-9/2023), turnover decreased by 12%. Two years of post-implementation, the rate remained stable, exceeding national benchmarks. The enduring program has been conducted in 41 immersion groups to date. Discussion Turnover and retention data, combined with positive written feedback from participants, demonstrate that this program successfully assists with onboarding and increases hematology nurse retention. Post-test results reveal increased knowledge retention in nurses new to hematology. Next steps include expanding to other specialty areas with additional skills validation and clinical experiences.
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