Why UAB Nursing
The mission of UAB nursing is to be the national leader in the practice of professional nursing: innovative, focused on improving quality, and relentless in our pursuit to deliver the highest quality care for every patient, every family, every time. Our commitment to excellence in all that we do is exactly why UAB nurses are seen as valued members of the care team and invited to participate on or lead many interdisciplinary teams and committees. We are respected, valued, and a voice for our patients.
Excellence in Nursing
There’s more to the small, gold pin on a UAB nurse’s badge than meets the eye. Part of the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) created the Magnet Recognition Program® to recognize nursing staffs for leadership, innovation, excellence of care, and empowerment of their nurses. UAB Hospital first achieved Magnet Status in 2002 and was recertified in 2006, 2011, 2014 and again in 2019. We were the 21st organization in the world to earn this honor five times, and we were first in Alabama and are currently the only one in our state. Magnet status means that UAB nurses are part of an elite group, and we wear our pins as a badge of honor.
A Next Level Nursing Career
With 14 nursing specialties, UAB allows you to explore different paths, challenge your skills, and work with new patient populations across the entirety of your career. Inpatient or outpatient, critical care or women’s, you’ll easily find your niche. And whether you stay at the bedside or move up the clinical ladder, we have programs in place to support your career growth. If you are not sure where to get started, click here to learn more about our RN Internship Program. Our Professional Nursing Development Program is a three-level program, designed and led by nurses, that rewards staff as they pursue achievements in leadership, education, research, and clinical care. It’s UAB’s way of showing our appreciation for your dedication and encouraging each nurse to function at the highest level of professionalism.
Support Along the Way
UAB gives you the autonomy you need to be a strong nurse but also provides support when you need it. Our blended orientation model ensures both new and experienced nurses are prepared to tackle whatever comes their way. In addition to UAB Medicine’s general orientation, we offer five half days of classroom orientation to cover everything from risk management to wound care. Once you’re on the unit, you’ll have a 1:1 preceptorship to guide you through. New nursing graduates are automatically entered into our UAB Medicine Nurse Residency Program, which is designed to ease the transition from the classroom setting to the clinical practice environment by providing a wide range of learning opportunities.
Committed to Advancing Knowledge
The knowledge you acquire at UAB isn’t limited to your hands-on experience. We offer 100% tuition assistance at UAB to pursue your degree or an advanced diploma. Click to learn more about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at UAB and the School of Nursing. We provide a host of CEU offerings, from unit-based classes and in-service education to grand rounds and specialty seminars and conferences on site, plus we offer qualifying eligible nurses financial help to achieve professional certification.
The previous requirement for obtaining a BSN is permanently waived for RN staff who become a full-time member of our nursing team. Our education assistance program, with 100% assistance at UAB, will still be available to benefitted new employees interested in furthering their education.
UAB Center for Nursing Excellence
Throughout your career, UAB’s Center for Nursing Excellence is a dedicated resource to improve your practice. It’s our formal infrastructure for supporting evidence-based practices and research as well as partnerships and collaborative efforts at UAB, with UAB School of Nursing, and with other nurse service systems throughout our state, region, and beyond. The center also oversees our Nursing Practice Congress, part of our shared governance model, in which UAB nurses are active agents for change, bringing issues to the table, identifying goals, and testing and promoting evidence-based solutions to improve our organization.