Retention of OR nurses

CuttingEdgeRN · Apr 8, 2006

Excellent management, less call, NO 12 hour shifts, re-train the "one trick ponies"

and "show me the money!" lol

Rnn2003, MSN, RN · Apr 8, 2006

hi blue_cheez, i have been in the o.r for many years and as a nurse i have found that

1. leaving me in the same room for cases is very important to me. i cannot stand being pop around after i have prepared my room :angryfire for the day.

2. leave me with the same tech all day do not keep switching my tech.

3. a manager that will stand behind her nurses and not be intimidated by spoiled surgeons.

4. flexability in schedule (ex days i want to work)

5. lunch is 5thly important charge nurse do not say you forgot me:nono:

6. even distribution of call.

7. and lastly respect.

hope it all helps notice i did not day $$$$$$$$ because every one needs that, but in the o.r over time is always a:madface: with sooo much call the $$$ are easy to get.

ORSmurf · Apr 8, 2006

1. Management that treats all staff FAIRLY

2. A manager that will be a strong advocate for their staff

3. Even call distribution

4. Enough equipment to do the job properly (and in working condition!)

5. Simply being told that your hard work is appreciated - a pat on the back now and then

6. Respect

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 9, 2006

A note on the respect issue, i've noticed a few where i work that gripe about the lack of respect they get, yet i see how they treat others, and that just answers that question.

grimmy, RN · Apr 10, 2006

i don't mind call all that much, as long as it's evenly distributed. where i work, it works out fairly well.

one of my gripes with my workplace is that the management is practically non-existent. there are certain nurses and/or techs that have been in their "niche" for far too long, lord it over every and anyone, and need to be "sprung." i'm not saying fired, but geez, the micro-management by some of them is just beyond frustrating...or...they are consistently late, display poor practice, and no one has the cujones to do or say anything. a couple of our teams are in deep doo-doo because of this. no one wants to join the team(s), and the person(s) in question is (are)entrenched. the slow downward slide toward chaos is becoming precipitous. a little rotation, or mixing it up would be sweet, but i don't see it happening anytime soon.

i sure do wish that those of us who are interested in going to aorn conferences would be able to go on educational leave, but only a select few get to go consistently. the only way to be guaranteed edu leave is to have a poster presentation get accepted. (believe me, i've been trying to get on research committee for over a year now).

other than that (and that's a big item), i like my workplace. our schedule is fairly flexible with the options of 8, 10 or 12-hour shifts. call is pretty decent, but the pay could be better. i say this because the cost of living in this area, not to mention the real estate prices, are very high. we got a $0.35/hr raise this month for cola, but it seems like milk money. average home prices are over 250k, and that is out of the county. in-county is more like 300k, and the property taxes are pretty steep in the city.

ah, well...i don't want to sound like a constant complainer. i love my work. these are the things that need some improvement.

sig · Apr 13, 2006

hey guys, based from your experiences, what are the factors that retain or nurses & keep them happy? any suggestions are very much appreciated! thanks!

ah yes, retention. this issue is directly related to management according to gallup (the polling folks). nurses leave primarily because of poor management. it is no surprise that institutions with low turnover are also institutions that hold their management accountable for turnover. it all makes sense. so, to answer your question, having good management is the single most important factor in reducing turnover. so good luck! grimmy understands this concept. when you have weak, scared, non-risk takers as leaders everyone suffers. nurses need to be proactive in this area by seeking management education and experience. if we don't, the void will be filled by non-nursing people.

sig · Apr 15, 2006

hey guys, based from your experiences, what are the factors that retain OR nurses & keep them happy? any suggestions are very much appreciated! thanks!

According the Gallup, nurses leave because of management. Or should I say poor management. Hospitals look at patients and surgeons as clients. Nurses have to be looked at in the same manner these days. When we are valued, we stay. The Magnet Recognition Program is trying to differentiate these facilites and it is up to us to let them know what we think. I know some institutions that are seeking it now (Grimmy ). You can go here to say your peace. http://www.nursecredentialing.org/magnet/snsurvey.html Give em' hell.