INTEGRIS Health has expanded internal nursing workforce development programs, including structured mentorship arrangements and additional pathways for current staff to pursue advanced nursing credentials while continuing to work. The initiatives reflect a broader strategy among Oklahoma health systems of building nursing talent from within their existing workforce rather than relying solely on external recruitment.
Health system leaders describe the approach as a response to sustained pressure on nursing staffing levels, a challenge that has affected hospitals nationally in recent years but carries particular weight in Oklahoma given the state's mix of urban and rural care settings. Rather than treating recruitment and retention as separate problems, the expanded programs aim to address both by giving existing staff clearer paths for advancement within the same health system.
Mentorship as a Retention Strategy
New nurses joining INTEGRIS facilities are now paired with more experienced colleagues through formalized mentorship arrangements, an approach designed to smooth the transition from nursing school into full clinical practice. Health system administrators say the early period after starting a nursing career is often when turnover risk is highest, making structured support during that window particularly valuable.
Mentors receive additional compensation and training for their role, an arrangement intended to make mentorship itself a recognized part of a nurse's professional development rather than an informal, unpaid expectation. Health system officials say early feedback from both mentors and new nurses participating in the program has been positive, though they acknowledge that measuring long-term retention impact will require tracking outcomes over a longer period.
Supporting Advanced Credentialing
Beyond mentorship, INTEGRIS has expanded tuition support and scheduling flexibility for nurses pursuing advanced degrees or specialty certifications while continuing to work. Health system leaders say this approach recognizes that many nurses interested in career advancement cannot afford to step away from paid work entirely to pursue additional education, making workplace support for continued study an important recruitment and retention tool.
The expanded programs come as Oklahoma hospitals across the state continue to navigate nursing staffing challenges that predate recent years but have not meaningfully eased. Health system officials say internal workforce development, while not a complete solution on its own, represents a meaningful complement to ongoing external recruitment efforts aimed at attracting nurses from nursing schools across the region.
INTEGRIS administrators say they plan to expand the mentorship and credentialing support programs to additional facilities within the health system over the coming year, based on outcomes observed at the initial sites where the programs launched.
