The Baylor Family
Increasing Shortages of Nurses and Physicians
Baylor faces the same marketplace realities related to nurse and physician shortages as other health care organizations. But Baylor is fortunate to have nurtured an environment of quality care, integrity and respect, where employees want to stay. Baylor's nursing turnover rate is less than 10% annually - far below the regional rate for bedside nurses.
Baylor is proud to offer nurses the opportunity to work in an environment that is safe, healthy and rewarding for themselves and their patients. By providing staffing that is appropriate to the workload, Baylor supports nurses to meet the needs of patients. There is no mandatory overtime at Baylor, and flexible scheduling is offered. The result? Baylor attracts 30% of the graduates from local nursing schools. And Baylor Dallas has earned the prestigious designation of Nursing Magnet* hospital - the highest level of recognition for the professional practice of nursing in a hospital setting.
"The reason I love my job at Baylor is because of the interdisciplinary team that competently works beside me - caring, supportive RNs who work as a team and assist when patient volume is high; competent, meticulous MDs who appreciate my role; managers who lead with integrity and fairness; and other departments with great people who want to make a difference in the lives of others."
Judith Joiner, R.N.
Supervisor for 14 years
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas
Medical Education and Research
A Medical Training Ground
Each year, Baylor Dallas and Baylor Medical Center at Garland train nearly 200 interns, residents and fellows as part of Baylor's commitment to medical education. At the conclusion of their residencies, many young doctors stay to set up private practices to serve the area's rapidly growing population. Others take their Baylor medical education and skills to other communities in Texas and across the nation, supporting the larger medical community. Baylor is proud to be a resource to the local, national and international medical community.
Baylor Dallas and Baylor Garland have outpatient clinics staffed by physicians on their medical staffs. These physicians serve as role models for residents and students during daily formal and informal interactions in conferences, in one-on-one meetings and at the patient's bedside.
Several Baylor facilities also serve as clinical rotation sites for allied health professionals and nursing students from Baylor University, El Centro Community College, Tarrant County Community College, Texas Woman's University and the University of Texas at Arlington. Pulmonary, physical, occupational and speech therapy students receive clinical rotation experience at Our Children's House at Baylor. Baylor Specialty Hospital provides hands-on training experience for physical therapy students through clinical rotations. In addition, master's level speech pathology students and college students studying physical and respiratory therapy, as well as nursing, receive important hands-on medical experience during clinical training sessions with highly trained clinical staff at the hospital.
Conducting Patient-centered Medical Research
In 2004, Baylor's research arm - Baylor Research Institute - launched ODC Therapy Inc., a biotech company which is developing, producing and distributing customized cancer vaccines for use throughout the world. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Phase II trials to expedite the investigation of this approach to cancer treatment, potentially giving hope to gravely ill patients with melanoma.
Baylor's patient-centered research focuses on finding prevention therapies and treatments for diseases and illnesses affecting the community. Baylor Research Institute has more than 650 active research protocols in more than 20 medical specialties, including research in cancer vaccines, autoimmune and infectious disease, blood pressure, cholesterol and cardiovascular research, and molecular medicine, as well as pancreatic islet cell transplantation for the treatment of diabetes and treatments that reduce the incidence of organ transplant rejection. Physicians and researchers on the medical staff at Baylor continue to publish their work in top peer-reviewed journals.
Baylor Research Institute receives funding through many sources. In fiscal year 2006, the National Institutes of Health and other government organizations funded 37% of Baylor's research. Approximately 24% of funding came from industry grants and 39% came from private foundations. However, Baylor's research efforts would not exist without private philanthropy from supportive individuals in the community.
Charitable gifts move scientific theory from the research bench to clinical trials and, ultimately, patient care at the bedside, helping Baylor further its mission of patient-centered medical research.