Supporting Nurses,
Team
Benefits
PEOPLE
Values
oFFICES
MAKE AN IMPACT
Cleveland Clinic creates stepping stones to nursing success with help from donors like you.
Our Vital Front-Line Caregivers
For the past two decades, nursing has ranked number one in Gallup’s poll of the most ethical and trusted professions.
Skilled and compassionate, Cleveland Clinic nurses have vast experience and diverse expertise. They are our largest caregiver group, working in positions of leadership, advanced practice, quality, research, education and more.
Nurses’ intent focus on patients’ wellbeing makes them critical at the front lines of care. At our most vulnerable moments, Cleveland Clinic’s nurses are there.
But they need our help.
The Story
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About
Thousands of Patient Care Nursing Assistants (PCNAs) work at Cleveland Clinic. Their retention is vital to our care teams, so our Nursing Education leaders created THRIVE, a revolutionary work-readiness program that teaches life skills and provides ongoing career coaching to each PCNA.
TODAY The salaries of the career coaches cost about $500,000 a year, and we cannot add more career coaches without donor support.
TOMORROW With your support, we can expand our team and invest more resources to recruiting, mentoring, and retaining PCNAs.
THRIVE Program Coaches for Success
Philanthropic Priorities
Stepping Stones to Success
A Vital Role for Donors
MAKE AN IMPACT
Nursing is one of the most essential professions in the world.
As healthcare providers face unprecedented need, we invite you to partner with us to implement, scale and accelerate proven initiatives that will help us care for our nurses the way they care for our patients.
Cleveland Clinic is a dynamic and technologically advanced environment where nurses learn, grow and remain professionally challenged as they shape their nursing careers.
You can help us attract and educate the nurses of tomorrow, and retain and develop the nurses of today.
Make A Gift
Howley ASPIRE Program
Launched in 2017 with a philanthropic seed gift, ASPIRE is a high school enrichment initiative for vulnerable students from racial, economic and ethnic minority groups. ASPIRE provides scholarships and stipends, opening pathways to healthcare careers and helping to build a new generation of diverse and expertly trained nurses at Cleveland Clinic.
TODAY Scholarships and stipends cost Cleveland Clinic about $450,000 a year.
TOMORROW Your support would provide more students with education and career opportunities.
Today and Tomorrow
Philanthropic Priorities
Stepping stones to success
A Growing Crisis in Nursing
There’s a proven link between well-educated nurses and patient safety. Knowledgeable nurses provide patients with the latest evidence-based care, leading to fewer complications, early recognition of problems and, ultimately, shorter hospital stays and fewer deaths.
A Destination for Top Nurses
The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes our nursing excellence by awarding us the highest levels of distinction. Highly trained and skilled, our nurses must be the best because Cleveland Clinic is the best in the world.
The Important Role of Philanthropy
Everyone, at one time or another, requires the care of highly trained and compassionate nurses, for ourselves or loved ones. To meet this need, we must help nurses deliver the best possible care to patients.
LEARN MORE
Unfortunately, we’re facing a nationwide shortage of nurses and experienced nurse educators. Many long-serving nurses are reaching retirement age, and there aren’t enough new nurses to balance out the losses. Additionally, the U.S. has a large aging population, meaning more people need more care for longer than in the past. These compounding issues result in fewer nurses being available to provide complex care than ever before.
100,000
nurses left the field in 2021 (1.8% of U.S. work force).
44%
of those nurses cited burnout and a high-stress environment.
175,000
job openings are projected per year due to nurses retiring.
TOMORROW With your support, we can double our number of PCNAs.
TODAY The salaries of career coaches cost about $500,000 a year, which doesn’t allow us to take on more participants.
A Lifeling Career
Team
A Pipeline into Nursing
A Nurtured Life in Nursing
A Lifelong Career
TOMORROW With donors who share our vision, we can ensure our nurses have access to the most enriching career paths possible while providing exceptional, patient-centered care.
TODAY The organization invests in nurse training, but there is limited ability to grow these programs.
We work to ensure that our nurses can further their careers with scholarships and tuition coverage for advanced degrees; resources to pursue specialization; training to become nurse leaders; and other opportunities.
Continuing Education
CLOSE
LEARN MORE
LEARN MORE
MAKE A GIFT
CONNECT WITH US
Our Nurse Residency Program has been named a Practice Transition Program® Accredited With Distinction. Magnet® Status has been designated to Cleveland Clinic’s main campus and eight other hospitals; additional hospitals received Journey to Magnet Excellence® and Pathway to Excellence® designations. Our health system has been designated National League of Nursing Center of Excellence in Education. Working with you, we’ll bring more nurses to our acclaimed workforce and ensure all our nurses thrive.
CLOSE
We must produce scalable, sustainable solutions that equip nurses with tools and opportunities. By providing access to education, advanced training and career development, philanthropic support will help Cleveland Clinic build a pipeline for the future and offer fulfilling careers for current nurses.
Today’s industry-wide nursing shortage creates a sense of urgency. Only with philanthropy will we be able to build the proper framework of support for our 35,000 nurses enterprise-wide.
CLOSE
TODAY Hundreds of qualified candidates are turned away year after year.
TOMORROW Your gift will enable us to accept more of these students.
In this immersive summer program, students between their junior and senior year of nursing school work alongside Cleveland Clinic RNs, earning pay and joining their mentors on 8- to 12-hour shifts. The program is highly competitive, with 400 to 500 hopefuls from around the U.S. typically vying for 100 positions a year.
Nurse Associate Externship Program
TODAY Scholarships and stipends cost Cleveland Clinic about $450,000 a year.
TOMORROW Your support would provide more students with education and career opportunities.
Launched in 2017 with a philanthropic seed gift, ASPIRE is a high school enrichment initiative for vulnerable students from racial, economic and ethnic minority groups. ASPIRE provides scholarships and stipends, opening pathways to healthcare careers and helping to build a new generation of diverse and expertly trained nurses at Cleveland Clinic.
Howley ASPIRE Program
TOMORROW Gifts to support nursing research will ensure our nurses have the resources and backing to investigate, grow and share their biggest ideas.
TODAY Our work encompasses all specialty areas and often goes hand-in-hand with physician-led medical research.
Research has been at the heart of Cleveland Clinic since its founding in 1921. We continue to integrate clinical care with robust research and education. Our Office of Nursing Research and Innovation operates in that spirit of breakthrough thinking.
Research and Innovation
TOMORROW With additional donor investment, we can open spaces at every Cleveland Clinic location and invest in programs for nurse wellness.
TODAY With donor support, we opened one Lavender Lounge on main campus.
On the job, nurses are expected to operate at a high level of efficiency while struggling with the emotional demands of patients who have extreme health challenges. The Lavender Lounge is a private space where nursing staff can decompress and process their emotions.
A Soothing Space
TOMORROW With transformational donor support, we can ensure our nurses continue to lead the way for generations to come.
TODAY While Cleveland Clinic strives to support every exceptional nursing idea, our nurse innovators consistently outpace the resources available to make their ideas succeed.
Cleveland Clinic’s generous supporters provide hospital leaders with the resources to be creative, nimble and proactive as they work to meet current and emergent needs. Discretionary funds are essential to address the requirements of nursing, a dynamic, ever-changing workforce. With these discretionary dollars, we can pursue entrepreneurial ideas and solve problems faster to better serve our patients, caregivers and community.
Support for Nurses Today, Tomorrow
Learn more About Cleveland Clinic's Philanthropy Institute
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Today and Tomorrow
A Growing Crisis for Nurses
There’s a proven link between well-educated nurses and patient safety. Knowledgeable nurses provide patients with the latest evidence-based care, leading to fewer complications, early recognition of problems and, ultimately, shorter hospital stays and fewer deaths.
Unfortunately, we’re facing a nationwide shortage of nurses and experienced nurse educators. Many long-serving nurses are reaching retirement age, and there aren’t enough new nurses to balance out the losses. Additionally, the U.S. has a large aging population, meaning more people need more care for longer than in the past. These compounding issues result in fewer nurses being available to provide complex care than ever before.
There’s a proven link between well-educated nurses and patient safety. Knowledgeable nurses provide patients with the latest evidence-based care, leading to fewer complications, early recognition of problems and, ultimately, shorter hospital stays and fewer deaths.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes our nursing excellence by awarding us the highest levels of distinction. Highly trained and skilled, our nurses must be the best because Cleveland Clinic is the best in the world.
Our Nurse Residency Program has been named a Practice Transition Program® Accredited With Distinction. Magnet® Status has been designated to Cleveland Clinic’s main campus and eight other hospitals; additional hospitals received Journey to Magnet Excellence® and Pathway to Excellence® designations. Our health system has been designated National League of Nursing Center of Excellence in Education. Working with you, we’ll bring more nurses to our acclaimed workforce and ensure all our nurses thrive.
A Destination for Top Nurses
A Destination for Top Nurses
There’s a proven link between well-educated nurses and patient safety. Knowledgeable nurses provide patients with the latest evidence-based care, leading to fewer complications, early recognition of problems and, ultimately, shorter hospital stays and fewer deaths.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center recognizes our nursing excellence by awarding us the highest levels of distinction. Highly trained and skilled, our nurses must be the best because Cleveland Clinic is the best in the world.
Our Nurse Residency Program has been named a Practice Transition Program® Accredited With Distinction. Magnet® Status has been designated to Cleveland Clinic’s main campus and eight other hospitals; additional hospitals received Journey to Magnet Excellence® and Pathway to Excellence® designations. Our health system has been designated National League of Nursing Center of Excellence in Education. Working with you, we’ll bring more nurses to our acclaimed workforce and ensure all our nurses thrive.
A Destination for Top Nurses
The Important Role of Philanthropy
Associate Externship Program
In this immersive summer program, students between their junior and senior year of nursing school work alongside Cleveland Clinic RNs, earning pay and joining their mentors on 8- to 12-hour shifts. The program is highly competitive, with 400 to 500 hopefuls from around the U.S. typically vying for 100 positions a year.
TODAY Hundreds of qualified candidates are turned away year after year.
TOMORROW Your gift will enable us to accept more of these students.
A Pipeline into Nursing
A Nurtured Life in Nursing
Research has been at the heart of Cleveland Clinic since its founding in 1921. We continue to integrate clinical care with robust research and education. Our Office of Nursing Research and Innovation operates in that spirit of breakthrough thinking.
TODAY Our work encompasses all specialty areas and often goes hand-in-hand with physician-led medical research.
TOMORROW Gifts to support nursing research will ensure our nurses have the resources and backing to investigate, grow and share their biggest ideas.
Research and Innovation
On the job, nurses are expected to operate at a high level of efficiency while struggling with the emotional demands of patients who have extreme health challenges. The Lavender Lounge is a private space where nursing staff can decompress and process their emotions.
TODAY With donor support, we opened one Lavender Lounge on main campus.
TOMORROW With additional donor investment, we can open spaces at every Cleveland Clinic location and invest in programs for nurse wellness.
A Soothing Space
Cleveland Clinic’s generous supporters provide hospital leaders with the resources to be creative, nimble and proactive as they work to meet current and emergent needs. Discretionary funds are essential to address the requirements of nursing, a dynamic, ever-changing workforce. With these discretionary dollars, we can pursue entrepreneurial ideas and solve problems faster to better serve our patients, caregivers and community.
TODAY While Cleveland Clinic strives to support every exceptional nursing idea, our nurse innovators consistently outpace the resources available to make their ideas succeed.
TOMORROW With transformational donor support, we can ensure our nurses continue to lead the way for generations to come.
Support for Nurses Today, Tomorrow
Continuing Education
We work to ensure that our nurses can further their careers with scholarships and tuition coverage for advanced degrees; resources to pursue specialization; training to become nurse leaders; and other opportunities.
TODAY The organization invests in nurse training, but there is limited ability to grow these programs.
TOMORROW With donors who share our vision, we can ensure our nurses have access to the most enriching career paths possible while providing exceptional, patient-centered care.
A Lifelong Career
Connect with Us
Profiles In Nursing
"I hope my story inspires someone not to give up."
Ashley Collins
Myra King
"I didn't find nursing. Nursing found me."
Nestle Alonzo Wilson
"The toughest
part of the job? Feeling someone else's pain."
Denise Smith
"You were my nurse at Cleveland Clinic – I'll never forget you!"
Jiajia Wang
"We have more patients, but the same number of nurses."
Nico Houghton
"Not everyone understands everything that nurses do."
I was placed in foster care at the age of 8, which separated me from my younger siblings. For years, I battled to overcome adversities, longing for stability. I was drawn to healthcare, and I wanted to use what I learned from my childhood struggles to make a positive impact on others. In 2017, I became a clinical technician in the neuro ICU at Cleveland Clinic, which inspired me to become a registered nurse in 2018. I work with the Cleveland Clinic leadership team to develop action plans and solutions to the challenges that our nursing workforce faces.
The pandemic has created staffing shortages within nursing, so it’s crucial that we invest in all nurses and improve retention so that we can provide a continuity of exceptional care for all patients. I’m honored to be able to advocate for my fellow nursing colleagues. I believe that together we can make the changes necessary to again make nursing one of the most fulfilling career choices.
Ashley Collins, BSN, RN, is a clinical care nurse on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.
Ashley Collins
Myra King, DNP, APRN-CNS, ACNS-BC, CCRN-CSC, is a clinical nurse specialist manager at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.
In high school I volunteered as a candy striper, and I saw that nursing suited my personality and values. I knew I’d have the opportunity to show compassion, kindness and respect while promoting healing and relieving suffering.
I can’t talk about my nursing career without talking about my father. Not long after I became a nurse, he was admitted as a patient into the same ICU where I was working. He suffered a cardiac arrest after heart surgery and subsequently passed away. Devastating as that experience was, it inspired me even further to devote my passion and commitment to the cardiac patient population.
I’ve observed countless times when a skilled nurse has bolstered the mood of a patient facing dramatic health challenges, giving them hope. I’ve seen firsthand how nurses help patients become more resilient — and when a person is facing a difficult diagnosis, resilience is one of the things they need most.
Myra King
Nestle Alonzo Wilson, RN, works the night shift in the surgical ICU at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital.
I love singing to my patients. When I sing, hopefully I can make them forget any pain they may be experiencing, at least for a few moments. If they’re older, it might be Doris Day: “Que sera sera ...” For someone from a different generation, I might try Frank Sinatra, “When somebody loves you ...” Or Elvis Presley: “Wise men say ...” Sometimes they’ll start singing along with me.
The toughest part of the job? Feeling someone else’s pain. That’s difficult as a nurse, when you're not able to help them feel better right away. My father is sick back home in the Philippines. I can’t take care of him, but at least I can try to be my best self when I’m taking care of other people. In a vulnerable state, patients can feel the truthful self that you have in your heart as a nurse. Reaching out to people, getting to know them, looking after them. This is what defines me.
Nestle Alonzo Wilson
Jiajia Wang, RN, BSN, is a progressive care certified nurse at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Florida.
I work the night shift in a progressive care unit, which includes monitoring patients and cardiac care. In 10th grade I became interested in the health science program, with teachers who were retired nurses. I didn’t know much English, but they were very kind, always asking if I needed extra explanation. The way they talked about nursing and their careers, how they helped patients, was all very inspiring.
Nurses are the front line in healthcare. It is a nurse who is most likely to say, “This patient isn’t in the same condition that they’ve been in for the last 5, 10 hours.” More and more people are moving to Florida, so we have an more patients, but about the same number of nurses. A few years ago it wasn’t uncommon to get a call telling me that I wasn’t needed on a given night, but I haven’t gotten one of those calls for years!
Jiajia Wang
Nico Houghton, DNP, MBA, ACNP-BC, is Director of Critical Care and Director of Advanced Practice at Cleveland Clinic London.
I was working on the East Coast in a surgical ICU when I saw a job come up at Cleveland Clinic on a nurse practitioner-led critical care transport team. Eventually, I moved into leadership and became a manager for hospital medicine. From there, I was lucky enough to be part of the team that opened Cleveland Clinic London — but not before the pandemic struck. Here I am in a new country, in lockdown and trying to launch a new hospital. Working remotely, we created nearly 1,000 workflows, policies and procedures, combining the best of the U.S. with the best of the U.K.
In my current role, I have fewer direct interactions with patients. I’m designing systems of care and supporting those systems, ensuring that the folks who are delivering care have the tools they need to provide safe, effective and compassionate care. For me, nursing has opened so many doors. It’s been a journey, and I’m still constantly learning.
Nico Houghton
Denise Smith, RN, is an assistant nurse manager educator in a medical-surgical unit at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital in Florida.
I didn’t set out to become a nurse. After my grandfather had a stroke, I became part of his care team. When my family and friends saw everything that I was doing for him, they told me I would make a great nurse. A couple of years ago, a woman stopped me in Costco. I didn’t recognize her at first. She said, “You were my nurse at Cleveland Clinic — I’ll never forget you!” It’s humbling.
A big part of patient care is touch — just putting your hand on someone’s shoulder to let them know they’re in good hands. Sometimes a prognosis is poor, and there’s only so much you can do. Still, you ask yourself: Could I have done more? It can be challenging. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I get to help patients get better, and I get to share what I’ve learned with new nurses and watch them grow and flourish.
Denise Smith