Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/973104
How we stack up Northwest Arkansas — which includes Benton, Washington and Madison counties in Arkansas and McDonald County, Mo. — offers lower average salaries for many medical professions when compared to peer regions, the state and the United States. Numbers are from May 2016, the most recent available. Area Overall employment Overall annual average wage Health care practitioners and technical occupations Annual average wage Health care support Annual average wage Largest medical field Number employed Annual average wage for nurses Northwest Arkansas 233,110 $44,980 10,910 $71,940 4,730 $27,570 Registered Nurses 3,280 $56,680 Austin-Round Rock, Texas 965,100 $50,830 44,240 $74,960 20,030 $32,280 Registered Nurses 13,320 $67,060 Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa 353,570 $49,420 18,540 $78,370 7,500 $32,530 Registered Nurses 6,760 $58,400 Madison, Wis. 381,890 $50,830 22,700 $86,110 8,580 $33,570 Registered Nurses 7,260 $75,990 Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C. 292,800 $57,850 29,160 $72,610 11,080 $27,680 Registered Nurses 13,070 $66,550 Raleigh, N.C. 595,370 $50,410 30,530 $77,200 14,440 $29,620 Registered Nurses 10,400 $62,040 Arkansas 1,191,320 $39,590 77,150 $66,400 35,730 $25,490 Registered Nurses 23,380 $57,630 US 140,400,040 $49,630 8,318,500 $79,160 4,043,480 $30,470 Registered Nurses 2,857,180 $72,180 SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics adding offices west of the in- terstate corridor and planting more flags in Springdale, per- haps on the east side of town, in the next several years. Mercy's Rogers hospital since 2014 has seen marked improvement in its Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, a twice-yearly survey and anal- ysis from the nonprofit Leap- frog Group that compares hos- pitals throughout the country using federal data and hospital surveys. The hospital went from a "C" grade in 2014 to an "A" last year, performing well on surgery safety, preventing medical errors and keeping enough nurses on hand. Cer- tain infections and other issues were slightly more common than at the average hospital. Michelle Bass, Mercy vice president for administration, said the system strives to proactively reduce risks like ulcers and falls and encourag- es employees to report safety issues in keeping with the sys- tem's mission for high-quality, safe care. "The Leapfrog 'A' grade is a reflection of a lot of hard work from exceptional care- givers and is a great indicator of the safety and quality of our hospital," she wrote in a statement. "While this is nice, it's not the ultimate goal. We are doing what is right for our patients." NORTHWEST HEALTH Northwest has medical centers in Springdale and Ben- tonville and the Willow Creek Women's Hospital in Johnson. The system added several new or expanded services at those hospitals and clinics in the ar- ea in recent months. Outpatient knee surgery started in mid-2017 at Physi- cians' Specialty Hospital in Fayetteville, which Northwest bought in 2016. Robot-assist- ed lung surgery in Springda- le happened about the same time, which CEO Sharif Omar said was a first for Northwest Arkansas. The urgent care clinic in Siloam Springs add- ed Sunday hours in August, meaning it and other urgent care clinics in Rogers, Spring- dale and Fayetteville are open every day. Robot-assisted surgery uses several doctor-controlled arms to hold or guide instruments, Omar said. The machines can make smaller incisions in patients' bodies during pro- cedures for gynecological, cancer and other treatment needs, often creating shorter recovery times and less pain to control with painkillers. Northwest has also devoted more space to mental health, including expanding the men- tal health unit from 29 beds to 47 at the Springdale hospital that should open this month. "That's a huge demand," Omar said. "We want to make sure we have the resources in the community." A Bentonville primary care clinic near Airport Road opened in January, and Omar said the system's considering more urgent care locations to make it easy for someone to get an appointment. North- west started online schedul- ing for urgent and primary care last year and has started using a smartphone telehealth app that can help patients take care of basic concerns without going to an office. Northwest's Springdale and Bentonville hospitals earned "C" grades on the Leapfrog re- port last fall. The rating found the facilities performed above average when it came to sur- gery safety, such as not leaving objects in patients' bodies and preventing deaths from com- plications. They experienced some infections slightly more often than average and lacked specially trained intensive care unit doctors, according to the report. Omar disputed parts of the report, saying Northwest isn't lacking intensive care unit doctors. Northwest spokes- woman Christina Bull said Northwest didn't participate in the voluntary survey por- tion of the report because the system is focused on quality improvement projects. "Northwest Health is com- mitted to providing safe, qual- ity care for every patient," Bull wrote in an email. Omar said Northwest has made surgery and other as- pects of care safe by focusing in recent years on creating a workplace culture that em- phasizes transparency, putting patients first and speaking up when a problem is noticed. The system partnered with a consultant who had worked with the nuclear-power in- dustry and used tools like checklists to prevent missteps during surgery. WASHINGTON REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER Washington Regional runs clinics for family medicine in the region but concentrates most services at its uptown Fayetteville campus. Many of its expansions this year and last center around that loca- tion. The 66,000-square-foot William Bradley Medical Pla- za opened less than a year ago across Appleby Road from the main hospital. It was named for longtime CEO who retired last year. The building started as a spot for urgent care and imaging services and now houses cardiac rehabilitation, endocrinology and other spe- cialties, spokeswoman Gina Maddox said. CEO Larry Shackelford said the facility's variety and location reflects Washington Regional's emphasis on con- venience and keeping up with a growing population. Urgent care is an important invest- ment to reduce some traffic to the emergency department by taking care of needs that don't quite reach the emergency lev- el, such as allergies, ear infec- tions and fevers. After the plaza opened, Washington Regional began what it calls the core renewal project, renovating part of the hospital around the operating and emergency departments and adding 20,000 square feet. The project will add 20 critical care beds for neuro- logical needs and pave the way for more comprehensive stroke care, Shackelford said. It should wrap up in the next year or so. Board members in Febru- ary said they were interested in the idea of an expansion to the expansion, adding a third level above the emergency de- partment for more space for lab equipment, which analyzes and identifies infections and other health issues. Hospital administrator Mark Bever said the project could cost about $9 million and could meet the needs of more and more pa- tients for a decade. "No lab, no hospital," board member and pathologist Dr. Anthony Hui said jokingly during the board meeting, emphasizing the importance of the lab's work. Shackelford said in these projects and others, his goal is to make Washington Regional the best place for providers to give care and for patients to receive it. Newly recruited surgeons and other providers specializing in cardiovascular and neurological care are set to begin working this year, for instance. Leapfrog last fall gave Washington Regional a "B" grade, finding it did better than the average hospital in surgery safety, preventing errors and infections of difficult-to-treat organisms and fostering help- ful communication between doctors and patients. It was be- low average on issues like bed sores and patient falls, which both happened to roughly one patient per 2,000 discharged. The medical center re- cently added a pair of trash- can-sized robots that disinfect patient rooms using ultraviolet light. Officials have said the ro- bots could do a more complete job to prevent infections than the most thorough human. Dan Holtmeyer can be reached at dholtmeyer@nwadg.com and on Twitter @NWADanH. Growth v Continued from Page 1S NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF • @NWABENGOFF McCarthy Building Companies employees work on the new tower at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers. Making the grade Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades is a twice-yearly survey and analysis from the nonprofit Leapfrog Group that compares hospitals throughout the country using federal data and hospital surveys. Here are the rankings for hospitals in Benton and Washington counties. Visit nwadg.com to see full chart showing grades for hospitals in the 12 counties in the northwest corner of the state. Full reports are at hospitalsafetygrade.org. Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Rogers Northwest Medical Center — Bentonville Northwest Medical Center, Springdale Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville Spring 2014 C n/a A C Fall 2014 C B B C Spring 2015 C C C C Fall 2105 B C C B Spring 2016 B C C D Fall 2016 A B B D Spring 2017 A C C C Fall 2017 A C C B SOURCE: Leapfrog in love with the community and the beauty of the region. She said the main reason she sees people taking jobs in Northwest Arkansas is be- cause of the community's growth and potential. "With continuing efforts in mar- ket research, Washington Regional has remained competitive within our region and within specialty medical fields — allowing Washington Re- gional to attract the top talent to pro- vide the best care for our patients," Lightner said. Abby Martens is a native Texan and 2016 University of Arkansas graduate with a bachelor's degree in nursing. Her first job was at Mercy, which she said she loved, but she started working at Highlands On- cology Group in Rogers to have a daytime schedule. "I could easily be making more money in Dallas, like, $6, $7 an hour more," she said, "But basically, salary wasn't a huge deal for me in deciding where to work — it was absolutely the work environment. I wanted to hang around Fayetteville with my friends, and my younger brother was already at UA. I love this area, and that's ultimately why I chose to stay here." Registered nurse Hannah Schnelle graduated from Missouri State Uni- versity in 2016 and got her clinical experience at Mercy in Springfield. "I had heard even better things about the environment and com- munity of Mercy in Northwest Ar- kansas," she said. "So I guess it was mostly the staff and working envi- ronment that drew me to Mercy. I also went hiking in Arkansas a lot and loved the nature and how many people are outdoorsy and friendly here." Arkansas Children's Northwest has recruited talent from around the nation as well as the state, and now has 30 physicians in addition to 293 other employees at its Springdale hospital. Hillary DeMillo, senior media relations specialist, agrees offering competitive salaries and the livability of the region are big factors in re- cruiting experienced, talented med- ical professionals; however, there's much more. "The mission that we have for statewide system of care is to make children better today and healthier tomorrow," DeMillo said. "People are really, really attracted to working for something bigger than themselves. So many people want to come here because of the mission." KEEPING GRADS Those from the Northwest Arkan- sas Council and in higher education said they think expanding second- ary education programs, university scholarships and residency programs for college graduates will help fill the shortage. Susan Patton is the interim di- rector and assistant professor at El- eanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas. She said student loans often weigh heavily on students, especially those going into nursing who aren't paid as much as other medical professionals. Some nursing students are from Texas or other nearby states and end up going home after graduation, Pat- ton said. "They can live with their parents and work nights, because when they're a new nurse that's what they do is work nights. It's a good way to save up some money so they can move out on their own," she said. About 55 percent of UA health profession 2015-16 graduates stayed in the state, either in a job or higher education, according to a universi- ty survey of 247 graduates. Almost 70 percent stayed in one of the four large Northwest Arkansas cities. Nearly 37 percent went out of state for jobs or graduate programs, with 45 percent of those going to Texas. The Northwest Arkansas Council is also working to increase interest of younger residents in the profes- sion. Mike Harvey, the council's chief of operations, said they are working with schools to start and expand career-oriented programs. On the secondary level, at least six schools have health programs and several others want to start, he said. "Some of the issues we are facing could be addressed if you get kids in- terested in these programs and offer them education and a certification to take into the workplace," he said. The first step on the ladder is for a high school student to already be a certified nursing assistant when she graduates, for example, he said. Martens said she thinks work environment is critical for keeping young nurses at a hospital and in the profession. "I did my clinicals primarily at a hospital here where I was not over- ly impressed by the team aspect. It seemed like the nurses didn't like each other and that as a new grad- uate, I might experience the 'nurses eating their young' phenomenon that I heard about in school," she said. "As a new graduate, all I wanted was a place where I would be treated with patience and kindness as I figured out how to do in-patient nursing." MORE THAN MONEY Patton said they teach their stu- dents "evidence-based practices" and that applies to researching what makes a good hospital work environ- ment. "In the first year after graduating from nursing school, the turnover rate is very high, and a lot of nurs- es will leave," she said. "So it is very important to choose the right hos- pital where you can get a lot of sup- port and mentoring and someone to hold your hand and take you through those first few months." Some hospitals are recognized for that. They are called magnet hos- pitals. The American Nurses' Cre- dentialing Center awards that label to hospitals that satisfy criteria de- signed to measure the strength and quality of their nursing, according to the center's website. In Little Rock, Arkansas Chil- dren's and St. Vincent's hospitals have magnet status, and Dallas has more. While the magnet status doesn't automatically carry to Arkansas Chil- dren's Northwest, the level of care extends up from Little Rock, said Laura Spies, human resource man- ager. The hospital has a robust orien- tation program and sent new nurses to Little Rock for training, she said. "They were so dedicated to do that and travel each week," Spies said. "We didn't lose any in the pro- cess, and they are all excited and can't wait to take care of children in NWA. The nursing field has so many opportunities." Spies said the nursing shortage is a nationwide issue and mainly affects bedside nurses who provide direct patient care. "It's tough work. It's 12-hour shifts on your feet, and it can be grueling," she said. "If they do tire of being by the bedside, for example, they can become educators or go into a man- agement position. There are varied levels of training here to increase their skills as well as pay and keep them challenged and engaged." Patton said a residency program is another important thing. "Instead of just throwing you out there, they are going to give you an- other six months or even a year of orientation and working side by side with a good mentor," Patton said. The UA school of nursing worked with hospitals locally to start resi- dency programs. Patton attended Washington Regional's graduation of its fourth cohort in its residency program Feb. 7, and she said that's helping to recruit new nurses to the hospital. Martens said many in her field are excited to have Arkansas Children's Northwest because of its status and because they hope the hospital will pay higher salaries. Patton said, "Immediately when Children's said they were coming here, everyone applied. A rising tide lifts all boats." Ashton Eley can be reached by email at aeley@nwadg.com or Twitter @NWAAshton. Jobs v Continued from Page 1S Visit nwadg.com to find more charts regarding health care employment in Northwest Arkansas. On the Web 2S v SUNDAY, MARCH 4, 2018 ∂ ∂ Health & Wellness Having Problems Wearing Your CPAP? Diplomate of American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine Ken Berley, DDS 5417 Pinnacle Point Drive Suite 200 | Rogers, AR 479-254-0200 www.DrKenBerley.com Our offi ce provides a dental appliance that opens your airway at night and treats sleep apnea without a CPAP. This treatment is covered by most medical insurance companies and Medicare. Call us today to fi nd out how to improve your sleep. It could be as simple as wearing a dental appliance. Dr. Berley is the only Board Certifi ed Dental Sleep Medicine Dentist in Northwest Arkansas.