Jennifer Bailey
May 2023
Jennifer
Bailey
,
DNP, RN, CRRN, NE-BC
Inpatient Rehabilitation
Cone Health Moses H. Cone Hospital
Greensboro
,
NC
United States
As we entered the pandemic realm, once students were allowed back into the hospital setting, Dr. Bailey never hesitated to onboard our new RN Refresher candidates to work with her team.
Nursing legislation and funding initiatives for nursing programs enacted by the 1991 General Assembly provide support to improve access to refresher courses for nurses both through direct funding and grants. The intent of the legislation is to improve the availability (both geographically and by flexible scheduling) of nurse refresher courses.
In the spring of 1989, NC AHEC, in consultation with representatives of the UNC General Administration, NC Department of Community Colleges, and the NC Board of Nursing, implemented a statewide self-paced RN Refresher program. NC AHEC continues to support this model in partnership with the regional AHECs and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing. According to the North Carolina Nursing Practice Act, individuals who have not held an active license for at least five years are required to successfully complete an NC Board of Nursing (NCBON) approved RN Refresher Course through the NC AHEC system. Piedmont AHEC has been approved by the NCBON to provide the Triad region NC AHEC RN Refresher Program. RN Refreshers come from a variety of backgrounds in nursing and are eager to return to practice.
They complete an intensive 140-hour review course through UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing and are also required to complete an additional 140 hours of clinical training. Dr. Jennifer Bailey, Clinical Director for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center at Moses Cone Hospital, has been our Piedmont AHEC’s primary champion for several years. She engages her clinical department RN team as lead preceptors to host the majority of our RN Refreshers, as she partners with us toward achieving this mission to enhance the nursing workforce. Her leadership has instilled a culture of fostering the key development programs that you would only witness for advancing healthcare provider training and precepting through new models of having Dedicated Education Units (DEUs).
We have witnessed a 100% successful RN Refresher Program certificate completion, which has included a number of encumbered licensed RNs. These outcomes are significant, in which these RNs have all reactivated their permanent RN licenses and many have reentered the nursing profession again. These RN Refreshers were seriously challenged as to whether they could accomplish this program, with some RN Refreshers being near retirement, along with some out of clinical practice for as long as 25 years, who have worked with the Inpatient Rehab Team. This clinical specialty practice discipline has also fostered greater teamwork through interprofessional practice with multiple disciplines and a wide variety of complex patient care mixes.
The Inpatient Rehab Department has provided excellent exposure for our RN Refreshers to redevelop their skills in a high-quality environment. As we entered the pandemic realm, once students were allowed back into the hospital setting, Dr. Bailey never hesitated to onboard our new RN Refresher candidates to work with her team. She helped lead us the most when clinical training was most challenged with providing placement locations and capacity. The Inpatient Rehab Center had to expand to the North Tower during this period, and then move to the fifth floor. Also, they hosted the LPN Pilot Project during this period. She met the challenge of the times at the deepest level even further, by pursuing her own academic progression and professional excellence to go through the DNP Program and achieve her degree through it all.
Dr. Bailey has been a great inspiration to me as a professional RN. Her caring spirit of generosity for resource support and maintaining a worldview for the growing needs of our nursing profession have risen above the struggles of Cone Health losing so many nurses during COVID. This timing, when now, more than ever, we have needed these opportunities to return RNs back into the field, she and her team have graciously and positively answered the call. Working with the 4 West RN Preceptors has also been a true inspiration - for their commitment and what they have accomplished in a short time to reinvigorate many inactive RNs’ passion for what they went into nursing for in the first place.
Dr. Bailey is a transformational and servant leader who exemplifies the symbolism of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award in the patient-care arena with a “Can Do” spirit and always a welcoming smile. Overall, Dr. Bailey provides a full commitment to supporting our statewide nursing workforce development program to help ensure we are facilitating nurses back into practice to better meet the healthcare needs of the citizens of NC.
In the spring of 1989, NC AHEC, in consultation with representatives of the UNC General Administration, NC Department of Community Colleges, and the NC Board of Nursing, implemented a statewide self-paced RN Refresher program. NC AHEC continues to support this model in partnership with the regional AHECs and the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing. According to the North Carolina Nursing Practice Act, individuals who have not held an active license for at least five years are required to successfully complete an NC Board of Nursing (NCBON) approved RN Refresher Course through the NC AHEC system. Piedmont AHEC has been approved by the NCBON to provide the Triad region NC AHEC RN Refresher Program. RN Refreshers come from a variety of backgrounds in nursing and are eager to return to practice.
They complete an intensive 140-hour review course through UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing and are also required to complete an additional 140 hours of clinical training. Dr. Jennifer Bailey, Clinical Director for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center at Moses Cone Hospital, has been our Piedmont AHEC’s primary champion for several years. She engages her clinical department RN team as lead preceptors to host the majority of our RN Refreshers, as she partners with us toward achieving this mission to enhance the nursing workforce. Her leadership has instilled a culture of fostering the key development programs that you would only witness for advancing healthcare provider training and precepting through new models of having Dedicated Education Units (DEUs).
We have witnessed a 100% successful RN Refresher Program certificate completion, which has included a number of encumbered licensed RNs. These outcomes are significant, in which these RNs have all reactivated their permanent RN licenses and many have reentered the nursing profession again. These RN Refreshers were seriously challenged as to whether they could accomplish this program, with some RN Refreshers being near retirement, along with some out of clinical practice for as long as 25 years, who have worked with the Inpatient Rehab Team. This clinical specialty practice discipline has also fostered greater teamwork through interprofessional practice with multiple disciplines and a wide variety of complex patient care mixes.
The Inpatient Rehab Department has provided excellent exposure for our RN Refreshers to redevelop their skills in a high-quality environment. As we entered the pandemic realm, once students were allowed back into the hospital setting, Dr. Bailey never hesitated to onboard our new RN Refresher candidates to work with her team. She helped lead us the most when clinical training was most challenged with providing placement locations and capacity. The Inpatient Rehab Center had to expand to the North Tower during this period, and then move to the fifth floor. Also, they hosted the LPN Pilot Project during this period. She met the challenge of the times at the deepest level even further, by pursuing her own academic progression and professional excellence to go through the DNP Program and achieve her degree through it all.
Dr. Bailey has been a great inspiration to me as a professional RN. Her caring spirit of generosity for resource support and maintaining a worldview for the growing needs of our nursing profession have risen above the struggles of Cone Health losing so many nurses during COVID. This timing, when now, more than ever, we have needed these opportunities to return RNs back into the field, she and her team have graciously and positively answered the call. Working with the 4 West RN Preceptors has also been a true inspiration - for their commitment and what they have accomplished in a short time to reinvigorate many inactive RNs’ passion for what they went into nursing for in the first place.
Dr. Bailey is a transformational and servant leader who exemplifies the symbolism of the DAISY Nurse Leader Award in the patient-care arena with a “Can Do” spirit and always a welcoming smile. Overall, Dr. Bailey provides a full commitment to supporting our statewide nursing workforce development program to help ensure we are facilitating nurses back into practice to better meet the healthcare needs of the citizens of NC.