Although nursing students typically receive experience in hospitals before graduation, many do not spend clinical time in the operating room. A nursing student’s lack of exposure to the OR can prevent new nurses from selecting the OR as a place to work upon graduation. Mary Anne Greene, Director of Nursing Education and Practice at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, wanted to change that by creating an introductory course in perioperative nursing that would spark an interest in students to enter the field.

Christopher Parker, chief nursing officer at Shore Health System, saw a need for collaborative decision-making among staff nurses. To address this need, he created a Shared Leadership Global Team—consisting of staff nurses in 2002. Parker thought the team would help with retention efforts because participating nurses would feel more involved as stakeholders within the health system.

In order to address the nursing and allied health shortage, the Maryland Hospital Association created a scholarship program to attract students to Maryland health care careers. Since receiving a grant from BD Diagnostics in 2002, MHA has awarded at least ten $2,500 scholarships each year—84 scholarships total.