Nursing Incentives - New Grads and Expereinced

[RNCompConsultant]

I work for a large Healthcare organization and we are looking for creative incentives to attract and retain both New Grad and Experienced Nurses.

What are the most attractive nursing incentives that you have heard offered? What do you wish was offered at your company that has never been mentioned?

We are open to any all compensation and benefit related incentives, whatever it would take to recruit and retain talented nurses.

[beekee]

But never, EVER mandatory OT. Always have a plan in place that does NOT involve requiring a tired nurse to fix your staffing holes.

I flat out refuse to even apply to any place that mandates staff. It shows a complete lack of respect for the nurse.

[LovingLife123]

Appropriate staffing ratios, competitive pay, and the ability to use PTO for vacation. I shouldn't be having to save it in case census goes down.

But honestly, this shouldn't be creative. It's sad that you are on here asking this when the answer is so simple.

I like to be busy at work. I hate to sit around. It makes the day super slow. But I should not be so overwhelmed that I have no time to chart. This goes into training your charge nurses to make appropriate assignments. I feel like our charge nurses have left their brains at the door when it comes to assignments recently.

[Xlorgguss]

Okay so now having been a nurse a bit over a year I think I have a good idea of what's warranted. I'll go with new grads first because I feel like it's probably the easiest. Personally I don't feel like there should really be monetary incentives for new grads to work at a given place. For instance I have heard of new grads getting tablets, expensive earphones etc while current employees got nothing. Experienced nurses that are new hires to organizations are getting sign on bonuses by current staff get nothing. I think that as a new grad what is most attractive to a hospital is a strong residency program that offers meaningful and practical education. It's nice to rotate through different floors to decide where you like before making a commitment to a specific floor. I have seen some organizations do that and I think it's beneficial so new graduates get a feel for the type of nursing they like instead of just taking any job and jumping at the sight of a better opportunity. If you can make an informed decision first and get a feel for the floor you are more likely to stay. Now as far as retention for current staff that's a tough one. I echo what others have said and ensuring safe and reasonable staffing is likely the most important. Aside from that adding incentives to taking charge, incentive to precepting new staff and have that staff successfully come off of orientation. These incentives would more than likely be monetary. But there is a sense of reward in having successfully trained a new graduate or staff and actually be compensated for it. Other things to look at might be uniform policy. Additionally, compensation for becoming certified. Also a clinical ladder for nursing advancement that engages staff is also important. Ideally a blend of compensations for engaging staff and supporting their own advancement would be the way to go. Money isn't always the answer, but tied with engaging and empowering your staff and I think you'll have staff that are happy to be at work and stay at work.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

Nothing says I appreciate you like cold hard cash!

Hppy

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Nurse to patient ratio is critical. Also, don't tout a low ratio while not admitting that to save $$, you don't hire adequate ancillary staff.

IMO, Hospitals just don't seem to get that it's more expensive to constantly hire and train new nurses, when they could retain nurses by staffing appropriately. Sure, expensive on the front end perhaps, but in the long run, it's more cost effective to staff appropriately and keep nurses for years on end (and this makes the patients and families happier as well).