Department of Nursing welcomes Professional Development Manager for Recruitment and Retention

The Department of Nursing at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is pleased to welcome Ann Marie Reynolds-Lynch, DNP, MSN, RN, to the role of Professional Development Manager for Recruitment and Retention.

Reynolds-Lynch comes to BWFH from Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she has worked part-time as a Nurse Administrator since 2013. She is also an Associate Professor at Worcester State University. A native of Ireland, Reynolds-Lynch first studied business before deciding on a career in the healthcare field and earning her Associates Degree in Nursing. She later earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Worcester State University and later her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from UMass Chan Medical School. She brings with her many years of experience in clinical nurse practice having worked as a staff nurse in critical care and step-down units.

“My friends who were nurses found joy in their work,” she says of her decision to change paths early on in her professional life. “I went on to spend years at the bedside and I absolutely loved it. But I consider myself to be a life-long learner and I have a great need to continuously expand my knowledge and do different things, which has led me down the path toward administration and now this role.”

Here at BWFH, Reynolds-Lynch will work closely with Executive Director of Nursing Professional Development, Practice and Innovation Colleen West, DNP, MBA, RN, CPHQ, and colleagues in Human Resources to focus on recruitment and retention of a diverse, multigenerational workforce.

“There is a crisis in nursing,” she says. “We have never seen as big an exit from the bedside as we are seeing right now, at least in my career. The young nurses I work with tell me they are leaving because they are not fulfilled and they are not finding joy in the work environment.”

Reynolds-Lynch attributes the lack of fulfillment and joy in patient care to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw new nurses working under restrictions that prevented them from forging strong bonds with their fellow nurses and even their patients. Thus, in her new role, she is looking for creative ways to improve nurse satisfaction here at BWFH and foster a culture of joy that will ultimately attract new nurses and improve patient care. “I plan to work closely with nursing leadership and staff to collectively create an environment that supports staff and patients,” she says.

She also has an eye out for supporting diversity in the workforce. “We need to increase our diversity. It is important to people from diverse backgrounds to see people they can connect with. We need to be sensitive to what is important to our workforce and our patients,” she says.

Outside of work, Reynolds-Lynch enjoys traditional Irish music, walking, playing chess and reading.

Published 11/9/22