Denver Health – Emergency Department Nursing Academy

Denver Health and Hospital Authority (DHHA) operates a busy emergency department and level one trauma center. To improve ED nurse recruitment and retention, DHHA implemented the Emergency Department Nursing Academy (EDNA), created by the Emergency Nurses Association. The goals and objectives of establishing the EDNA were to better equip, educate, and train nurses new to the ED environment and workflows through a combination of classroom studies, clinical experiences, and coaching/preceptor programs. Additional goals were set to improve patient outcomes in the ED as well as increasing ED nurse satisfaction and resiliency.

The EDNA has enjoyed several successes to include the following:

• Five cohorts of nurses new to the ED have been successfully trained via EDNA.
• Cohorts are strategically scheduled every four months to further enrich new ED nurses, allowing them to mature in their roles while providing a safe learning environment.
• New ED nurses completed the 18-week ED orientation.
• From survey results provided by ED nurses who have completed the EDNA, the following results were also recognized:
  • Nurses applied specifically to DHHA because EDNA was available.
  • EDNA was found to be extremely beneficial and assisted with new nursing staff becoming more confident and competent in their skills as an ED nurse.

To learn more about the EDNA program, please contact Erin Neill, RN, ND, CEN, at [email protected].