On May 31, Up Close Show Host Gary Daigneault interviewed CEO Karen Faulis and Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Moore.
As the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Kathleen Moore plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the Hospital’s services. This demanding position requires extensive education and significant experience.
Daigneault then inquired about the challenges of recruiting nurses for the Hospital, highlighting California’s high nurse-to-patient ratio. Daigneault asked, “Are you able to keep up while you’re getting enough recruits to grow with the community?”
Kathleen Moore: “Well, I don’t think you ever get enough. But we have done a lot of due diligence in recruitment and retention efforts, not only working with local colleges but also trying to capture those students who are graduating that live in the ara and might not be attending school in the community but might want to come back here after they graduate.”
The Hi-Desert Medical Center collaborates closely with Copper Mountain College, providing clinical rotation sites and they also offer preceptorships. These experiences provides the student personal instruction, training, and supervision early in their training. This close connection creates a well-trained generation of healthcare professionals.
Attracting and retaining medical professionals in the high desert is challenging, but the Hospital continually adapts to new technologies to enhance patient care and services. Efforts are ongoing to ensure that the Hi-Desert Medical Center remains a top-tier healthcare facility and continually works to strengthen its connection to the Copper Mountain Nursing Program.
The Medical Center also offers various career paths in nursing, EMS, and other medical fields, providing students with valuable educational and employment opportunities. They also highlight the benefits of high school EMT classes, the High Desert Acute side, and home health continuing care.
For more information about the Hi-Desert Medical Center and its connection to the Copper Mountain Nursing Program, listen to the full interview on the Up Close Show here:
