Central Baptist Hospital believes in the continued development and nurturing of our nurses. We invest in our nurses through opportunities such as continuing education and tuition reimbursement:

Scholarships & Tuition Reimbursement

CBH awarded more than $300,000 during past three years in scholarships to CBH employees, enabling them to continue their education and progress in their positions. In addition to scholarships, CBH offers tuition reimbursement of up to $2,500 per year for healthcare career-related courses.

Continuing Education Programs

Central Baptist provides a variety of continuing education programs to help nursing staff continue to grow professionally. The purpose of the programs is to efficiently and effectively provide learning support to CBH nursing staff. In addition to the provision of continuing education programs, Central Baptist also has established a Continuing Education Scholarship for employees. Each year, up to $500 per employee may be requested from a fund administered through human resources to allow employees, including nurses, to pursue additional educational opportunities. Click here for a listing of current CEU offerings.

Orientation

Orientation at CBH is preceptorship-based and process-driven with the goal to provide learning opportunities for the new nurse. Along the pathway to competency, various tools are used to aid in the learning process, such as one-on-one preceptorship, classes and skills lab.

Skills Lab

Central Baptist Hospital’s skills lab allows the opportunity to practice procedures such as tracheal suctioning and foley catheter insertion under direct observation by the skills lab educator. Complete with equipment from all types of pumps to IV arms and a dialysis mannequin, the lab also contains reference materials. Any healthcare professional, including nursing, clinical support disciplines and students, can use the lab. Nursing instructors have access to the lab and bring in groups of students during clinical rotations to show them what’s on a crash cart or how to perform a particular procedure. Clinical educators and preceptors at CBH use the skills lab to work with staff to validate competencies or to teach a new skill.

Professional Nursing Practice Model

All active status clinical nursing staff are members of the Professional Nursing Practice Model at the level at which they choose to participate. The model is a system available to provide advancement opportunities in support of a selected area of expertise for the staff nurse. Staff members are credentialed annually through the performance appraisal process. Advancement along the continuum, from novice to expert, is a result of skill refinement, attainment of advanced knowledge, clinical expertise and critical decision-making skills. Each RN/LPN providing direct patient care has the opportunity to advance on the Model at least annually based on successful completion of required documentation.

Educators
Central Baptist Hospital demonstrates a strong commitment to the professional development of all nurses through the utilization of clinical nurse specialists, clinical educators and staff development generalists. Some of the clinical educators are dedicated to a specific scope of service and are readily available in the practice setting to offer support and guidance to both new and experienced nurses. Nursing staff can access a clinical educator or clinical nurse specialist through the education department at any time regarding complex patient care cases, practice questions or orientation, skill-building and training needs. In addition, staff development generalists at CBH work collaboratively to develop training programs and continuing education courses relevant to the practice environment of the nurse.