Career Areas

At Virtua, our nursing orientations are designed to help you hit the ground running. Orientation begins at the Center for Learning in Mount Laurel and constitutes the first week of your orientation experience. Unit-based orientation begins the following week when you reach your unit of hire. Your orientation is overseen by an assigned preceptor and a Master’s prepared nurse. And depending on your past experience and competency levels, orientation can last either a few days or up to 12 weeks.

Clinical Regulatory Class:

• Patient safety guidelines from The Joint Commission and The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
• HIPAA/Confidentiality
• Patient Rights

Nursing Orientation:

• Nursing competency related to patient care, medication administration and vascular access
• Computer documentation classes (e.g., CIS/Soarian, IBEX, ORIS)
• Simulation

PCT Orientation:

• Patient care basics
• Phlebotomy competency for one week in a Virtua laboratory
• ECG Review
• Body mechanics
• Computer documentation

It's an exciting time for nursing professionals at Virtua. Our organization has embarked on a multi-year plan to transform the clinical environment via automation of patient medical records to enhance patient safety and outcomes, care delivery and clinical quality.

The success of this journey to date has been due to the passion, commitment and dedication of a core group of front line clinicians (i.e., design team members) representing all clinical specialty areas working with Information Service and vendor teams. These professional nurses, respiratory therapists and many other clinicians rendered their clinical expertise throughout the multiyear journey to support the design and build, testing, and finally implementation of the clinical modules in the patient care areas. Goals during the design and build phases of the project included timely data capture, support of best clinical workflows and clinical best practices, efficient care delivery, and patient and staff satisfaction.

Many external quality and regulatory bodies are contributing to the impetus across the healthcare industry to leverage technology to improve patient care delivery and clinical quality. Virtua is well on its way to transforming the clinical care environment with technology automation in the inpatient and outpatient care settings.

Here, we’re committed to ensuring you have access to a variety of technologies, e.g., Workstations on Wheels (WOWs) and electronic medical records, to empower you to achieve excellence every day. That’s why our state-of-the-art systems and technologies provide remarkable efficiencies and clinical excellence. You’ll receive the technology learning you need to do and be your best.

Virtua is an approved provider of continuing education in nursing by the New Jersey State Nurses Association. NJSNA is an accredited approver of continuing education in nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Virtua’s continuing education department provides over 400 programs annually for more than 3,500 credited hours of continuing nursing education.

As a Virtua nurse, you’ll have access to accredited programs for RN, BSN, MSN and more, with attractive discounts and tuition reimbursement through Thomas Edison State College and Drexel University.

As a Virtua nurse, we offer you the opportunity to become a preceptor. A preceptor holds the key to providing quality experiences and guidance, which are critical for an orientee to achieve success. In order to be successful in this role, a preceptor must possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to assist a new orientee in bridging the gap between his or her current and new knowledge, gaining the confidence and competence to practice safely and independently.

The Preceptor Workshop will provide you with an opportunity to learn more about the role of preceptor, consider adult learning styles and learning theory, and enhance the necessary knowledge and skills to provide quality leadership in this role. Simulated experiences are a highlight of the workshop, resulting in thought-provoking discussions for dealing with difficult situations. A written competency is also included. The program is targeted for nurses who have at least one year of clinical experience and who currently serve as a preceptor or are considering serving in this role.

Staff nurses from across the health system collaborated to create this philosophy:

Virtua is comprised of eight system-wide, nurse-driven, multidisciplinary professional practice councils. These forums exist to share expertise while coordinating standardized evidence-based clinical practices, which establish a foundation for a culture of patient safety. This is achieved through collaboration, critical thinking, professional development, accountability, caring, and commitment to providing an outstanding patient experience. In addition, sub-specialty councils focus on specific nursing-related care issues.

Council initiatives include:

• Policy & Procedure development & communication
• Clinical Practice changes
• Standardizing nursing practice by specialty areas
• Investigating and establishing best practices
• Developing guidelines for nursing and ancillary educational processes
• Creating communication plans for new medications and products
• Supporting ongoing initiatives surrounding electronic medical records
• Constructing a superior nurse work environment
• Generating safety initiatives

Dorothy Cox-Fisher Award for Community Service

Voorhees Labor and Delivery Team:
Virginia Conley, RN
Marie Gibson, RN
Joyce Goldberg, RN
Susan Grupp, RN
Jane Hughes, RN
Noreen Palmay, RN
Christina Pease, RN
Corinne Pomykala, RN
Jenny Schott, RN
Jean Torrance, RN
Marene Walden, RN

Joyce Goldberg, RN, of Labor and Delivery at Voorhees, came across an article describing how Cindy Kerr started a program called CON-KERR CANCER at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to cheer her son, Ryan, who was going through chemotherapy. Cindy noticed that the pillowcases, although clean, were white and rough. Cindy envisioned the pillowcases in a variety of colors to help brighten the spirit of her son. Ryan displayed an immediate personality change to just this seemingly small change. Our nurses in Labor and Delivery in Voorhees joined the effort by holding a “pillowcase night” hosted by Susan Grupp, RN. Bringing their sewing machines and supplying the material to make the pillowcases, approximately 20 nurses along with their friends and family produced over 200 pillowcases. The team washed, ironed and prepared the pillowcases for delivery to our Pediatric units at Virtua.

The team again reassembled, this time at the home of Jane Hughes, RN, and included new members. They recruited friends and family to help in this special project and were able to create over 450 pillowcases, which were donated to the Pediatric floors within Virtua.

For helping to make a child smile and be able to put his or her head on a colorful and unique pillowcase, made with love, our thanks and congratulations to each of you!

Award for Service Excellence
Heather Hudson, RN
Mother Baby Unit, Memorial

After attending a Virtua Memorial Town Hall meeting at which Dr. Kolesk was discussing Memorial’s goal for creating an Outstanding Patient Experience, Heather couldn't contain her enthusiasm as she raised her hand during the question and answer period.

When called upon, Heather described how wonderful it would be if we could play a lullaby every time a baby was born at Memorial. Heather had heard about this being done at other hospitals, and she felt certain that playing the lullaby would be a wonderful tribute for new parents, as well as an affirmation of life for those patients and families in our hospital who were dealing with sickness and suffering.

Dr. Kolesk, a huge believer in the healing power of music, was immediately drawn to the idea. For the next few months, Heather researched other hospitals to see how they operationalized the lullaby and what their results were.

Heather was able to provide Administration with all of the information they needed to give the Lullaby Project the green light. While the next few months were filled with meetings and a few technical setbacks, we were finally ready to play the Lullaby for our first newborn baby and family.

Keeping with Virtua's "star," we chose "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as the lullaby to be played. With the help of our marketing department, our motto became:

"A baby's birth spreads joy all around,
Listen closely for that Twinkle sound,
When you hear it you will know,
A baby was born just a moment ago"

With Heather's help, we played the first Lullaby for one of Virtua's own family—a Special Care Nursery nurse after the birth of her son Ryan.

Today, as you walk the halls of Virtua Memorial, you can't help but smile as you hear Twinkle Twinkle Little Star being played. For that brief moment in time, all patients and families are able to celebrate the miracle of a new life. We are forever grateful to Heather Hudson for making the Virtua Memorial Lullaby Project a reality.

Heather Hudson is a staff nurse who goes above and beyond to create an outstanding patient experience for every patient and family. Heather is constantly bringing ideas forward to help her team provide the best experience possible. Heather's only motivation is the patient. She is a true asset to Virtua. Heather's story is an inspiration for all of those caregivers at the bedside who question whether their voice can effect change. The change that Heather brought to Memorial brings smiles and happiness every day.

Award for Caring Culture

Team Memorial ED:
Wendy Boer
Gwen Hayes
Jennifer Regn
Kelley Stenton, RN

A patient was recently admitted to Memorial’s ER. The patient’s diagnosis was not a good one; he did not have much time left to live. The team listened to the man’s wishes and did something extraordinary. He expressed to Kelley Stenton, RN, that he had one final wish—to marry his girlfriend. Kelley discussed the idea with her co-workers and decided to have the wedding ceremony right there in the ER. Although it was too spontaneous to be made legal, at least the couple could get married in a “spiritual sense.”

When the patient’s girlfriend arrived, Kelley shared the patient’s wishes with her. The girlfriend was touched and agreed immediately. The “wedding planners” sprang into action. Kelley bought flowers, cake and sparkling cider. After the patient’s family arrived, Wendy Boer, Memorial’s Chaplain, began the ceremony. The ER was filled with both smiles and tears as the couple was married. After the ceremony, Kelley and the others tied tin cans to the back of the patient’s bed. The family was deeply appreciative of the thoughtfulness of the employees. We are so proud of our team and their exceptional level of caring. Congratulations to each of you!