Launched in 2022 with a $2 million gift to the Memorial Hermann Foundation, the Institute’s goals are to:
- Strengthen and diversify the nursing workforce
- Elevate the nursing profession and nurses’ professional practice as part of the interdisciplinary team
- Instill a culture of evidence-based practice and research
- Cultivate innovation and accelerate movement of best practices to the bedside
- Excel in clinical and operational outcomes
With the involvement of the Institute, Memorial Hermann:
- Participates in The Health Management Academy’s Workforce Innovation Collaborative Nursing Catalyst, an initiative to accelerate innovation at the bedside. As part of the program’s nurse manager idea labs component, Memorial Hermann nurse managers join peers from other leading health systems across the nation to help identify creative solutions to common challenges with nursing recruitment, retention and engagement. The units represented by these nurse managers serve as hubs that allow Memorial Hermann to strategically develop, test, refine and disseminate best practices to enhance the nursing workforce and clinical outcomes.
- Has established a systemwide Professional Governance Congress aimed at elevating the voices of nurses and interdisciplinary teams and influencing key decisions.
- Has created dedicated training and innovation facilities at the Texas Medical Center and in west Houston. These facilities include spaces for classroom education, hands-on training, concept testing, simulations and workflow streamlining to support nurses on the frontlines.
- Is testing new models of care to aid retention and mitigate burnout among frontline staff.
- Is conducting pilots of telenursing, a strategy that reduces nurses’ workloads while providing safe, efficient and personalized care.
- Is strengthening partnerships with educational institutions throughout Houston to support nurses and other employees in continuing their education and advancing their careers.