Retention, what does your hosptial do?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 3, 2002

We have a recruitment and retention committee to address these concerns. It's not always about money, but the floating policy, the on-call situation, staff ratios, budgeting, etc. Our Vice President of Nursing seems to have understood some of these issues and has tried some of the committee's suggestions. For instance the on-call system for ICU is totally in the hands of the nurses now, no management input (of course trying to get the nurses to agree on what is fair is another thing). They are desparately trying to keep those of us who are there.

adrienurse, LPN · Nov 3, 2002

I was being a real sh!t last week during a nursing council meeting when the subject of retention strategies came up. I asked the CEO of nursing, what they did with the comments made during the exit interviews when nurses left to go elsewhere. She seemed surprised and admitted that there were no interviews when someone left, and nobody ever seemed to send back the questionnaires that were sent out after the fact. Houston, we have a problem.

bagladyrn, RN · Nov 4, 2002

The last hospital I was staff at did nothing for retention - general attitude seemed to be "Don't let the door hit you in the *ss" (still is - I talked w/afriend from there today). That's why I started traveling and have no thought of ever being a staff nurse again!

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · Nov 4, 2002

We were given a $3 per hour raise last July, and there will be a $2000 bonus to all full time RN's, who have worked the whole year...it's actually a certain number of hours, can't remember exactly how many.

Now the increasing cost of our health care....co-pays, deductibles and such...wipes out the hourly raise, and Uncle Sam will take a big chunk of the bonus, but I can use an extra $1000 or so next July.

deespoohbear · Nov 4, 2002

zero! zippo! zilch!!

we get diddly squat for our loyality (or stupidity depending on how you look at it). as matter of fact, it seems the new hires get anything they want and those of us who have been "in the trenches" for years get the shaft....

nimbex, RN · Nov 4, 2002

started by hiring a CEO with this as a priority. Employee pharmacy, child care on site, sick child care facility. Raises, increased shift diff, holiday diff. Clinical ladder, employee activities committee (many fun and cheap things from cruises to day trips), a change in the yearly eval with the emphasis on behavior and teamwork.... you have a bad attitude and don't help others.... might as well get it together or get out!. Quarterly employee forums where our complaints are actually HEARD AND CHANGES HAPPEN!!!!! thats where all the above came from... our complaints.

there is so much more... is morale better? yeah, not fixed... but I've learned that I'm responsible for my morale, not management... if I get involved and participate in changes, I can change many things that bother me.

Every job has it's bull crap, mine too, but now we can change alot of it....

without upper management to support this process, retention.... like throwing money at people won't make them happy... the problems have to be fixed.

I hope your facility has this mindset too.... there are others like mine... you have to look for them.