Table of Contents
- Increased workload-nurse patient ratio is often times ignored, specifically in understaffed units. Ideally, 1 nurse should care for 6 patients on a non-acute unit, however this is often not the case. Nurses are often caring for up to 9 patients per 1 nurse, this causes workplace stress, medications errors, and impaired work life balance.
- Training-BHM takes pride in long-term training and professional development. This type of training is not always required; however it does improve knowledge and skills necessary to be a proficient nurse.
- Pay-regardless of the job, pay is always a priority. Nurses are underpaid in many states; therefore, retention can easily be related to compensation and/or benefits offered by the employer.
- Shifts- 8- and 12-hours shifts are personal preference. It is important to let nurses choose shift lengths which allows flexibility and options that are best for personal obligations, work life balance, and overall health/wellness.
- Policy changes-nursing shortages continue, developments and policy changes are an effective way to recruit new nurses and amend retention. This is also a way to present workable solutions that will reduce the effects of nursing shortages on patient care and along with company revenue.
Major reasons for nurse turnover:
Employee turnover occurs on the basis of lack of emotional intelligence, bad behavior, unable to make effective decisions etc. by the nurses. The turnover can also occur due to the heavy load of work as the organization wants to improve the quality of care with low cost. Sometimes training the nurses can’t teach them everything like that of coordinating with other staff which can lead to rise in conflicts.
Proven strategies to improve retention:
Organizations can start to give stipend to the nurses so they can continue their career growth. Nurses who work very hard and spends most of their time to care the patients, if get acknowledgement, can increase their interest in their work. Providing job incentives and other vacation leave so that they can also take a break from their hectic lives. Changing the culture of an organization can help the employees to regain interest in their work.
Ways to develop short- and long-term strategies:
It is important to first make a difference between short term and long-term goals. Organization needs to understand the achievable and non-achievable goals so that it can manage it effectively. Ultimately, it is needed to measure the goals and divide it into short- and long-term goals. For the development of strategies, it is important to make action and implement those measures effectively.
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CFO Letter
Healthcare is a 24-hour business, and all our staff members have to be treated equally and with respect and appreciation. This means we plan meetings and educational sessions in such a way that all staff members can attend at a time that’s suitable to them. Those of us in leadership are the ones who need to be flexible. We need to have regular huddles with staff on those “off-rotations.” More than once, I’ve heard an employee say, “I never met my previous manager, I only saw him or her once a year for my evaluation. “I would add another factor that has helped me show appreciation for my staff—the power of personal presence, of getting to know the people you’re called to lead. I’m not talking about needing to be personal friends or socializing, but just getting to know who they are, their strengths, their challenges, the issues that affect them, and the things they can cope with easily. Obviously, this requires a certain time commitment, but it also requires that you consider spending time with the night crew and those working weekends or evenings.
With my business and finance background, I was surprised at the lack of focus on developing the business side of nursing leadership. It’s time to make a business case for successful transition planning. The average estimated cost of replacing a nurse is between $22,000 and $64,000. In addition to the monetary loss, there’s an impact on patient loyalty and satisfaction, as well as patient safety. As the nursing shortage increases, it’s in the best interest of our business to attract and retain talented nurses and develop plans to make our future leaders successful.
My nurses have done well with the practice of hourly rounding. This is evidenced by improved patient satisfaction scores, reduced fall rates, and decreased call lights. Yet, there still seems to be something missing. I considered all the other changes and technology we’ve implemented to get nurses to the patient, such as bar code medication scanning, point-of-care testing, and workstations on wheels. All of these changes are aimed at providing safe, effective care. Nevertheless, as I observed nurses working on a busy unit, I noticed that, although nurses were using the tactics and technology as recommended, they were hurriedly returning to the nurses’ station to document, make phone calls, and socialize instead of staying at the bedside with the patient to complete their tasks. As nurse leaders, have we missed something?
Perhaps we should consider the unintended consequences of these practices and technology and ask ourselves if we’ve made it possible for nurses to be the center of the care they provide. Are we hardwiring the task and the script, but overlooking the core culture? If the focus in healthcare today is patient-centered care, and as leaders our focus is to make it easier for nurses to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing, isn’t it time to start leading that way?
Our patients need competent, caring nurses with excellent critical thinking skills. As a nurse leader, it’s my job and my desire to provide high quality staff to meet these needs. I plan to follow up with you in the next 3 months to discuss these implementations as well as the positive effect in our current healthcare setting.
