Tips on getting people to come to staff meetings

niccikatie · Jul 19, 2006

food.

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Jul 19, 2006

ITA, that and have it on payday when it is more common to see people there.

Gabie Baby · Jul 19, 2006

Any tips on getting nurses to actually attend staff meetings? Our hospital requires that each nurse attend 6 meetings a year! It is about impossible to get them to attend! Any creative tips???? We have tried keeping minutes in the communication book, but they won't read them. We have several meetings at convenient times for all shifts, but they won't come. We include # of meetings attended in the yearly eval, but this does
not help. Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!!!!! Thanks!

Tie their raise to their staff meeting attendance record.

Don't expect them to come in on their day off more than once per year or so. People need their days off.

How often are you having them? Maybe you're holding too many?

Could you do it in a real modern way? For instance, nurses who are not working at the meeting time could maybe hook up by computer or on their TV to the meeting. Your technical people at your facility should be able to figure out how to do this.

If working staff are expected to attend, is a relief nurse provided so they actually can get away?

Maybe meetings are too far away from the patients and the nurses are uneasy about leaving for too long.

Is a meeting away from the unit always necessary? I have often held the same "meeting" or inservice for 1 or 2 nurses, right at their med cart, and found that was a great way to catch them. I hold it as often as necessary until I meet with everyone. Ideal? Not in every case, of course. But sometimes that will suffice.

Maybe the staff feel they are not really heard. Maybe they get tired of the issues they raise not being addressed and resolved.

Hold it very quickly if possible and bring food.

Is there somewhere for everyone to sit and be reasonably comfortable and be able to see the speaker? Do you have enough handouts for everyone? Be sure you are totally organized so no time is wasted.

Finally, fire them or put them on probation if they don't meet their obligation to attend a certain number of meetings.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jul 19, 2006

Only do it on a payday if that is absolutely necessary! My last employer did that and wouldn't give you a paycheck unless you attended the meeting...and many times it was a CNA meeting but communication broke down and they made the RN's attend! Also, if it was my day off, and I could attend another...that was my choice, and usually taken away from me if I hadn't attended a meeting!

Heck, half the meetings I wrote and did the previous year and an RN was just doing exactly what I wrote out! That really ticked me off badly to have a day off, just want my paycheck cause I needed it right then (which I am entitled to!), and only be told I had to attend a 2 hour meeting in order to get it! Some days I just had to wait for my paycheck because my schedule for a day off didn't include a two hour meeting!

That really ticked me off and same with all the other staff! I wouldn't suggest it if you want people to attend meetings you will not mandate...trust me...I stopped attending all together and waiting a day for my paychecks, and so did other staff!!!

What was nice about some of or scheduled nursing meetins (the ones not on payday, but scheduled every three months) was my administrator and the head RN would make up adorable encouragement baskets or bags with stuff from the dollar tree for attending! Nothing huge...a nice candle, aroma therapy bath salts, lotions, nice pens...stuff like that. Once in a while they would also so a theme like "tea for RN's" where administrative staff decorated the room for tea and gave out a tea cup to all that attended and some tea (dollar tree again!). We never knew what it would be, and it made it kinda fun to find out!

It really wasn't that expensive according to managment...and the attendance was almost 100%. That alone covered the price of a little appreciation present!

Good luck!

Mulan · Jul 19, 2006

I don't like anything, meetings, evaluations, anything on my on duty time because you really can't get away to go, relief does not exist. I would rather schedule my eval for when I'm not on duty whether I get paid or not.

As far as staff meetings go, I would attend before or after my shift or on my day off, I came in because I got paid. Staff meetings were held on payday.

LeahJet, ASN, RN · Jul 19, 2006

PLEASE don't schedule it @ 5 or 6 pm to get the day shift and the night shift. It seems that it's no big deal to ask night people to come in an hour or two early....but that's like asking a day shift person to get up at 4am and go to a meeting then work a 12 hour shift.....yuk.

Lurksalot, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2006

Pay them for their time, if you are not already. Any time we come in for training or meetings, we badge in and out.

How 'bout a clinical ladder? Earn points for meetings, preceptoring, education, joining commitees, any extras. My hospital does something like this, it seems very successful so far in motivating employees to havea more active role in their units/facilities.

Crocuta, RN · Jul 19, 2006

My facility runs three 1 hour staff meetings in the same day for the monthly meeting. The first starts fifteen minutes after night shift ends, the second starts one hour and fifteen minutes before afternoon shift starts and the third starts fifteen minutes after day shift ends. The same material is presented at all three meetings. I'm sure it's hard on the managers to do the multiple meetings, but it surely does respect the time of the staff to make them convenient for each shift. We are also paid our regular hourly rate to attend these meetings.

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jul 19, 2006

Keep the meetings brief. I'd say no more than 30 minutes. I don't attend the ones I should because it's just not convenient. If they were held while I'm there, I'd go. From what I've observed, there are usually 2 distinct groups of day and night shifters. The meeting should be held 4 times to allow people to be there without actually having to come in just for that. The hospital I'm at has enacted a dress code for meetings which makes it harder for me to make myself go. I don't own business casual clothes. I'm not hurting anyone by wearing shorts and a tshirt when it's my day off.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2006

Any tips on getting nurses to actually attend staff meetings? Our hospital requires that each nurse attend 6 meetings a year! It is about impossible to get them to attend! Any creative tips???? We have tried keeping minutes in the communication book, but they won't read them. We have several meetings at convenient times for all shifts, but they won't come. We include # of meetings attended in the yearly eval, but this does not help. Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!!!!! Thanks!

Provide some catering and I will happily come to my staff meetings. You can find me sitting next to the tasty take-out lasagna.

sister--* · Jul 20, 2006

I don't mind attending meetings IF there is someone to take care of my patients while I'm gone. Unfortunately, this is rare.

I also dislike meetings scheduled on a day off.

I've often thought about the time school teachers are alloted to catch-up on their paperwork. Here, they call them teacher in-service days and are scheduled frequently during the school year....no kids, just catch-up.

Would it be asking too much to schedule nurses for in-service days or even in-service hours? I mean Real time when the nurse isn't responsible or scheduled for patient care.

These meetings could be recorded and then reviewed by nurses during their in-service time.