Nurses are heroes who find a happy home at AHN
It takes something special to be a nurse. They are the gatekeepers, the first eyes and ears to meet the patient, examine their physical health, and listen to them talk about their lives outside of the hospital walls. Nurses are the first to offer treatment. They also gather the essential information that is the foundation of the care team’s assessment and decision-making about the patient’s wellbeing. More than perhaps any other members of that care team, the nurses get to see the patient as a whole person — and that sort of empathy takes a unique degree of devotion and compassion.
So, it’s only fitting that the larger care team — the physicians, technicians, staff, and administration — dedicate themselves to the personal and professional success of its nurses.
Allegheny Health Network works to empower its more than 6,000 nurses to practice at their highest level in all settings. Whether at one of AHN’s hospitals, in an ambulatory surgery center, or at one of the Allegheny Clinics, AHN embraces evidence-based practice and collaboration across disciplines. At AHN, nurses are a vital and valued part of the group.
“I always feel like we operate as a team,” says Alison Formica, Nurse at AHN. “We work very closely with the physicians, radiologists, and the bigger team. It’s sort of like an orchestra coming together.”
That inclusion starts with AHN’s core values. Nurses come from all walks of life with individual perspectives and aspirations. But one common attribute is that deep personal desire to do good, to make a difference, and to help people. AHN nurses are committed, educated professionals who guide each patient’s health journey ensuring that they are treated with care and respect, have access to the highest quality care, can take part in their own care decisions, and that they deserve honesty and confidentiality from their nurses.
AHN bases everything it does around the health and wellbeing of the patient — and that, above all else, is each AHN nurse’s top priority.
AHN also believes in a Relationship-Based Care (RBC) model. It’s all about creating a genuine human connection with the people in their care, their families, and the larger community. Nurses are a key component of that. They usually spend the most time with the patient and often talk to them and family members, getting to know them perhaps more intimately than anyone else on the care team. Nurses are also typically the member of the care team that patients trust the most.
In the hallways and corridors of any AHN facility, you will find huddles of team members standing side-by-side — nurses, physicians, physician assistants — game planning care for patients. The nurses are always asked their opinion. They are often first to notice if the team is missing some key element in their treatment plans.
“Working here at AHN with the clinician-led healthcare, it really makes you feel like you have a say,” says Connor McWilliams, a Nurse at AHN. “You have a voice.”
In turn, that collaboration offers each individual opportunities to learn and grow in their profession with every patient and every case.
“Having the opportunity to voice our opinion has really shown me that my unit and AHN believe in me,” says AHN Nurse Andra Gardner. “It gives me the confidence that I need to be a better nurse.”
As an organization, AHN also provides its nurses with formal ways to improve themselves and further their careers. The organization is committed to offering the best educational opportunities and training resources available. This includes:
- Citizens School of Nursing: A hands-on clinical experience in medical-surgical, critical care, oncology, mental health, and emergency nursing to prepare nurses for entry-level practice, the RB licensure exam, and Penn State’s BSN.
- West Penn School of Nursing: A 22-month RN program to provide general education courses. Financial aid is available onsite.
- AHN RetuRN To Practice Program: A flexible program that offers 80 hours of clinical practice in AHN facilities to help nurses returning to the profession refresh their skills.
In addition to the structural and educational backing, AHN also offers moral and personal support to its nurses every day.
“Here at AHN, we are like a family,” says Kylie Daley, Nurse at AHN. “You’re never alone. You’re always with some to answer questions, in needed, or to just help you.”
Nurses have many choices of where they can go to work. But in western Pennsylvania and the surrounding region, there is no place that values and supports its nursing staff like AHN. And the need for heroes has never been greater. So if you are compassionate, courageous, and dedicated to the profession of nursing and to the wellbeing of people, AHN has openings for a number of nursing positions, including:
- Registered Nurses (RNs)
- Advance Practice Nurses (APNs)
- Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
- Patient Care Technicians
For more information, a complete list of openings, or begin the application process, visit AHN’s career page here.
“Every day gives me the opportunity to tell people how wonderful the profession of nursing is and how AHN is a great place to practice,” says Claire Zangerle, Chief Nurse Executive at AHN. “Our nurses come to the organization with different hopes and dreams for their career. I can help them build that. As a nurse at AHN, and as a nurse leader, we can say that we change lives.”