Registered professional nurses are assigned to provide care 24 hours a day, and they work with a team of nurse assistants and patient care technicians (PCTs). A director of nursing is responsible for leading each of the divisions of the department, while a nurse manager is responsible for directing and coordinating care on each unit.

The nursing specialty areas at Norwalk Hospital include:

• Cardiology
• Emergency Department
• Family Birth Center
• Intensive Care Unit
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Outpatient Observation
• Pediatric
• Psychiatric
• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical/Surgical
  • Rehab
  • Bariatric
  • Orthopedic
  • Neurosurgery
  • Cardiovascular
  • Trauma
  • Digestive Disorders
  • Oncological Surgical Services

We continue to look for qualified staff to join our teams and keep Western Connecticut our premier patient-centered system of care.

Please click here for opportunities at Norwalk Hospital.

Please click here for opportunities at Danbury Hospital.

Please click here for opportunities at New Milford Hospital.

Please click here for opportunities within Western Connecticut Medical Group.

American Nurses Credentialing Center PATHWAY TO EXCELLENCE® DESIGNATION

1. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognizes the Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital with silver Beacon Award for Excellence 

“The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), Aliso Viejo, Calif., recently conferred a silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence on the Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, CT.

The Beacon Award for Excellence – a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments – recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
AACN President Teri Lynn Kiss, RN, MS, MSSW, CNML, CMSRN, applauds the commitment of the caregivers at the Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital for working together to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the Beacon Award for Excellence. These dedicated healthcare professionals join other members of the exceptional community of nurses who set the standard for optimal patient care.

“The Beacon Award for Excellence recognizes caregivers in stellar units whose consistent and systematic approach to evidence-based care optimizes patient outcomes. Units that receive this national recognition serve as role models to others on their journey to excellent patient and family care,” she explains.
The silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence earned by the Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital signifies continuous learning and effective systems to achieve optimal patient care. The Intensive Care Unit Norwalk Hospital earned its silver award by meeting the following evidence-based Beacon Award for Excellence criteria:

• Leadership Structures and Systems
• Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
• Effective Communication, Knowledge Management, Learning and
• Development
• Evidence-Based Practice and Processes
• Outcome Measurement

Other Beacon Award designations include bronze and gold. Recipients who earned a bronze-level award show success in developing, deploying and integrating unit-based performance criteria for optimal outcomes; gold-level awardees demonstrate excellent and sustained unit performance and patient outcomes.
AACN honors the Intensive Care Unit at Norwalk Hospital and other Beacon Award for Excellence recipients with announcements in AACN Bold Voices, the monthly award-winning member magazine distributed to more than 100,000 acute and critical care nurses nationwide. AACN also honors awardees at the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition, the world’s largest educational conference and trade show for nurses who care for acutely and critically ill patients and their families.”

2. Norwalk Hospital is the honored recipient of the Pathways to Excellence Designation (2014) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

“The Pathway to Excellence designation identifies the elements of work environments where nurses can flourish. The designation substantiates the professional satisfaction of nurses at Norwalk Hospital and identifies it as one of the best places to work. It identifies an organization’s commitment to nurses and their contributions toward the pursuit of safe, quality patient care.

The Pathway to Excellence designation is granted based on the confirmed presence of characteristics known as “The Pathway to Excellence Criteria.” For an organization to earn the Pathway to Excellence distinction, it must successfully undergo a thorough review process that documents foundational quality initiatives in creating a positive work environment — as defined by nurses and supported by research. These initiatives must be present in the facility’s practices, policies and culture. Nurses in the organization verify the presence of the criteria in the organization through participation in a completely confidential online survey.

As a Pathway to Excellence® designated organization, Norwalk Hospital is committed to nurses, to what nurses identify as important to their practice, and to valuing nurses’ contributions in the workplace. This designation confirms to the public that nurses working at Norwalk Hospital know their efforts are supported. The honor encourages other nurses to join their colleagues in this desirable and nurturing environment. One hundred and nineteen organizations have achieved this designation nationally, including seven in New England. Norwalk Hospital is the first hospital in Connecticut to achieve this designation.”

Norwalk Hospital is very proud to offer a Nurse Residency Program.  As a newly licensed nurse working in an acute-care facility, there are many transitions that will take place and we look to make these transitions as smooth as possible.

All new graduate nurses hired at Norwalk Hospital will enter into the Nurse Residency Program.  This program is intended to provide support during the first year of employment at Norwalk Hospital.   Included in the Residency Program are the following:

• 12-week orientation with a preceptor
• Weekly lunches to meet with the residency educators for support, sharing and journaling.
• Monthly 8-hour meetings are designed to provide confidence/skills in areas such as, but not limited to:
  • Transitioning into a new role
  • Emergencies at the bedside
  • Conflict management
  • Safety/quality inpatient care
  • Patient-centered care

For any questions or concerns regarding the Nurse Residency Program please contact:

Donna Corsino, RN at 203-852-2169 or Connie Cozens, RN at 203-852-2191

Once again on behalf of the Department of Nursing Education, we welcome you and look forward to working with you.

Making a commitment to provide quality patient care means being willing to continue to learn every day.

The healthcare field is constantly changing and progressing, with new theories on disease, technological advances, patient care trends, new and revised protocols, medical breakthroughs and research findings. Added to that are the vast amounts of information affecting how nurses practice and provide patient care. We know that learning new information can help boost a nurse’s knowledge, skills and competence, which in turn will lead to positive patient outcomes and better patient care.

The goal of the Department of Nursing Education and Research for Western Connecticut Health Network is to help nurses keep pace with this evolving knowledge. We want to support the career and clinical development of all of the nurses in our network.

Drexel University Online

We have a special collaboration with Drexel University Online, allowing you and your immediate family members to earn a top-ranked degree or certificate and receive substantially discounted tuition rates when you enroll in one of Drexel’s distinguished online programs. Drexel has an exceptional reputation for their online curriculum which caters to working professionals, making it convenient to complete online courses. Please contact Drexel University, Attention Ryan Rhodes at 215-895-6290 for more details.

St. Vincent’s College Nursing Pilot Program

Earlier this year we launched a pilot program with St. Vincent’s College to help staff who were interested in becoming a nurse. Currently, 80 staff members from various departments are enrolled in the pilot and taking courses onsite at Danbury Hospital. The Ethics class will be offered again in late January. We are also exploring ways to expand to all three hospitals in the near future. We will share more details as they become available.