Bethel VNA In Federally Funded

Study Of Nurse Retention

Judith Malin, executive director of the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association, announced that the Bethel VNA has been selected as one of the 150 agencies to participate in the Home Health Satisfaction and Retention study being conducted in the six New England states by the College of Nursing and Health Services of the University of Massachusetts Boston.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our nurses to contribute to research that will help home health agencies to attract and retain nurses,” she said.

Carol Ellenbecker, PhD, RN, principal investigator for the three-year study funded by the Agency on Health care Research and Quality, reports, “This is the first federally funded study of home health nurse satisfaction and retention: these issues have been studied with nurses in other settings, but not with nurses who work in home health care.”

“According to a recent report of the Congressional Research Service, the need for nurses in home care will increase dramatically within this decade, at a rate of growth surpassing other nursing positions. This is due to increased technology used in home care, an aging population, and the preference of people to be cared for in their own homes.” Malin adds.

“Home health provides unique opportunities for nurses to use all of their clinical and teaching skills as they work in patient homes and other community settings,” Dr Ellenbecker said.

The Bethel VNA has been providing home care for more than 75 years to residents of Bethel, Newtown, Brookfield, Redding, and Brookfield. For information about the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association including job opportunities go to the website BethelVNA.org or call 792-0864.