Career Ladder for non clinical people

[SAEdwards]

I moved from bedside nursing to the Outcomes Dept in August. I've been amazed at how much goes on "behind the scenes" that I had never really thought about. While at the bedside I took part in our hospitals CAP (clinical advancement program) but they do not offer any type of advancement program for non clinical/ non bedside staff. I understand that the typical reason for the CAP type programs are to provide incentives to retain bedside nurses and recognize them for their patient care and beyond. However, those working behind the scenes work hard as well and should be recognized when going above and beyond.

During our UBC meeting we discussed creating an advancement system for non clinical/ non bedside individuals. It was taken to the higher ups and they said they would consider a program if we created one.

I was wondering if one here could provide any information to help us get started. If your institution offers something like this could you please assist me?

Thank you in advance.

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Idk, the concept seems kind of redundant to me. The types of programs/activities that are generally the centerpiece for clinical ladder programs is part of most non-clinical staff's job descriptions. You can do a good job or a bad job at your job, but you're still just doing your job. In theory, if you do well at your job, you get annual raises/bonuses and/or promotions.

The clinical ladder program at the bedside is about going beyond one's job description. My job literally only requires that I show up, provide patient care, and go home. Most clinical ladder programs incentivize doing things that benefit the unit but aren't required, or even expected, for our jobs (committee membership, certification, QI project participation, etc.)

It seems like you could accomplish the exact same goal you've described by having annual merit-based raises/bonuses, promotions, and meaningful, specific feedback from managers on projects (as with any business). While there isn't anything wrong with it, it seems like creating a complex clinical ladder system would generate a bunch of unnecessary hoopla and headaches over something that should already exist. From a QI perspective, it might be more helpful to decipher if/why people are feeling like they don't get adequate recognition or compensation (the two primary goals of a clinical ladder); perhaps the clinical ladder would be a good solution, or there may be solutions which are much more simple and effective to implement.