[layna]

Hello Everyone,

I really need your input on an interesting approach to our night staffing.

We are unionized and technically every RN with the exception of the highest senior RN is not entitled to a "patterned" schedule. Despite this fact, all hospital nursing units do their best to facilitate schedule patterns for all RN staff which I do agree with...BUT...in our small OB unit, we need some more experienced staff to go to nights to help mentor our new staff and to assist in OB RN development. I would like to figure out a way to incentivize one or more of our experienced day staff members to go to nights. I will be discussing financial incentives with administration. Do any of you out there do this? If so, I would love to have your input on how this is done! Please do not suggest a mass rotation of schedules as I believe that this would be way too disruptive and detrimental to RN retention.

Thank-you!

[Hellllllo Nurse]

A big noc shift differential w/ a bonus upon completion of the temporary assignment would be good.

[jadednurse]

I was asked once to float from the ICU to a tele/vent stepdown unit to help mentor. Only one other nurse volunteered. Our NM asked us what it would take to do this for 12 weeks. I negotiated weekends off for the entire 12 weeks in exchange for doing this.

[layna]

Thanks so much for your input. I believe that this is the best solution for this problem. If there is anything else that you can think of, please let me know. I might think about a combination of your suggestions!

[angelbear]

Where I work almost all of us will do things like that to earn extra personal days with pay. Just a thought.

[Chaya]

Give the volunteers first shot at the summer vacation-winter holiday season schedule! I have seen this used effectively.

[P_RN]

All of these are good. One thing we had was an hour off for every 8hrs you precepted or did charge on night shift. Two weeks and you got a day off.

[ainz]

Find out what has meaning to the nurses you think are qualified to do the task. Let them tell you what they want and then find a way to make it happen for them. Be creative!! If you get no volunteers, then hire someone to do it, even temporarily.

[layna]

I asked my senior RN's and they believed that a generous shift diff would be effective. I would like to get a hospital wide senior RN task force together to discuss this in order to know what would work best for all since we are unionized here.