recruitment & retention best practices

LerRN95 · Sep 5, 2001

Our CFO and DON did research on hospitals the size of ours and the pay scales that they were using. Found out that we were well below average and they increased everyones pay accordingly. Not just nursing.

They did this because we were losing people to other facilities. As far as recruitment. Nothing special. :confused:

ACNORN · Sep 6, 2001

Well at least they did something at your facility, LerRN95. I am the chief nurse at a small specialty acute care hospital and while it has been more difficult to recruit RNs this year versus last, we've been able to institute some innovative programs and have recently been pretty successful with recruiting RNs. We have very competitive salaries, great benefits with top of the line insurance, higher shift differentials, certification differentials, perfect attendance incentives, no floating, consistent scheduling patterns (so the nurses know when they will be off work), recruitment incentives, and numerous recognition programs to reward positive performance.

Now we are reworking the schedules so the nurses will only have to work every third weekend - on a trial basis. It will depend on some staff cooperation, but they seem pretty motivated to make it work. My other big strategy is to make sure that the employees are simply being treated right. I've heard some pretty bad stories from other bigger employers in the area. I don't think that they understand that this shortage and fierce competition for RNs requires a different style of management.

What makes you work at your current facility versus somewhere else?

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Sep 7, 2001

I think the staffing retention strategies are clear from looking at this board. You need to staff for acuity, not numbers. Dump mandatory OT, and mandatory time off. Pay for skills and experience, and offer ways for individuals to improve their skills, then their responsibilities, then their compensation.

I think that is MOT can't be eliminated then the supervisors should be the ones to stay over (and I am a supervisor) because it is their responsibility to provide adequate staff, not the RN's on the floor. A greater RN to aide ratio- with a little luck and a good reputation you should be able to attract enough RN's and LPN's to go with all professional staff for patient care. At night hire someone to do all the nonnursing duties that nurses get stuck with- labs, housekeeping, restocking, stuffing charts.

Most important you should know all your nurses by name and a little about them. I quit a job when I didn't actually see my manager for a year after she was hired, and then she gave me a performance appraisal. Where I am now they allowed me to leave early to go home for Christmas (12h drive) because a storm was coming. The managersplit up my duties and managed to get throught the last few hours. Small considerations like that are remembered for a long time.

Oh yeah- dump the staff that do not support their coworkers when you can, foster a cohesive team and they will be able to get through anything.

LerRN95 · Sep 24, 2001

What makes you work at your current facility versus somewhere else? [/b]

This is my hometown. I love working with people that I know. I don't care about the big city environment. Just a southern county girl is what I am. :)

tiger · Jun 26, 2002

money, scheduling, no mandatory overtime all are good things. also, make your staff(all of them) feel part of the team. we recently got a new manager and it's like she filters everything through one specific charge nurse(who everyone has had problems with). several times we have found out (by the manager) that this charge has not told the truth about what manager has supposedly said. either that or the manager is lying----we think the charge is lying or stretching the truth because the manager has denied things in front of her and we know this charge too well. BUT, we all heard negative things about this manager before she came to us but agreed to keep an open mind. point being--keep in contact with all your staff and ask thier input, listen to thier ideas, let them know what is going on(you, not some go between), and make sure things are done fairly. make people feel like you all are the team instead of just a few team members that make the rules with all the rest to do the work. it will be appreciated.

BadBird, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2002

How about some incentives such as free CEU's

laurako · Jan 27, 2003

I was recently offered a retention package, and a raise. It'll keep me for the contract I signed for 1 year. Next year, the price to keep me is higher. My job is very stressful. Horrible staffing with no regards to patient acuity. The only thing keeping me is the money at this time. I have currently been in my position for 5 years, charge nurse on a 34 bed Med Surg unit. However, happy administration offered me the retention package, (because I was valuable), why shouldn't the other nurses get the same?

RED_ALERT37 · Jan 27, 2003

LISTEN and LEARN from your RNS.... they are the ones that run the hospital and know the needs. A simple wow you are doing a great job, instead of only approaching when negativity is in order goes alonnnnnnng way...

As far as the obvious.... better pay, no mandatory OT, safe patient staffing ratios, and not throwing your new nurses to the wolves help......

One thing that impressed alot of our staff was actually in a census pinch seeing our CNO and a few SUITES actually working on the floor in scrubs to help out....... WOW what a sight !!!!!

rileygrl11, BSN, RN · Feb 6, 2003

At our facility, they are experimenting with the length of shift RN's work. We have some who have been hired to work four 9 hr shifts. Some come in 1 hr early others stay 1 hr later. Those that come in early help out the current shift by taking admits to get the pt settled, paperwork done, pass meds, etc. so that that shift can get report and get out on time. Those that stay late do the same thing. If things are pretty calm and the person is not needed to stay the hour over, that person can leave at the same time the 8 hr RN's do. People seem to like it b/c they don't have to work five 8 hr shifts or three 12 hr shifts.

berry · Feb 6, 2003

this is the completely different than all the other post but keep manadatory overtime the er i work in has for the past 2-3 years worked a 36/48 two week schedule we got a new director and now we lost the extra 12 of overtime the slack is being picked up by prn and float pool people. You want to talk to some pissed of rns come meet us. We just took a 7000-10000 a year pay cut. The upside is so many people are lookin for new jobs they may have to give us back the ot.

mother/babyRN, RN · Feb 17, 2003

Stop floating excessively and mandatory overtime....AND, note that when people are sick, they are sick..Don't punish people with ridiculous sick policies...Make them fair...Tell people what good jobs they do vs telling them what they didn't do right...Simple....