Retention/Recruitment Through Orientation

Town & Country · Oct 13, 2004

I would answer you but I think most of the things that make nurses stay or go happen AFTER the orientation period.

JMO.

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 13, 2004

Exactly, retention means a hellalot more to us OLD employees than to new orientees, who often were "romanced" with sign-on bonuses to get them to work certain places. SO LITTLE is given to retention, most goes to recruitment.

bargainhound, RN · Oct 13, 2004

Orientation needs to be individualized to the needs of the person.

There is much that is required and standard in the orientation

process, such as safety, OSHA, etc.

The nursing parts should be what is appropriate for the person

and not just a bunch of canned stuff everyone gets...that is a waste

of time and boring for the nurse.

There needs to be flexibility as to the time needed for mentoring

on the specific unit...some need a lot of time and some need

to be allowed to function on their own sooner.

Let the person being oriented have a voice in the length/contents

of their orientation.

THe hospital that I am currently working at offers $8000 total

also as recruitment/retention bonus. Choice is either use the money

for education or take $1000 on starting the job and then again each 6 months

as retention bonus until the total of $8000 is reached.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 13, 2004

I have to do a powerpoint presentation for a class that I am taking. My subject is Retention/Recruitment through orientation and I would like some feedback from you.
What makes you stay in a job, what makes you leave, what can an employer do to make your job better, do you think that orientation to a new job has an impact on retention?

I would emphasize the role that a good orientation can play in preparing a new employee for the realities of the workplace -- solving problems, working within the system, negotiating with colleagues, etc. If an orientation only deals with the "ideal world" and/or with physiology, technical skills, etc. the employee finishes orientation without the full set of "employee skills" needed for success on the job and career satisfaction.

I would also include the need to collect and analyze the data related to turnover patterns in your particular institution. That's one of the things I do for a living -- or at least am trying to do. Do you (or any particular hospital or unit) have significant turnover in the first year or two? Better selection of new employees and/or better orientation might help reduce that type of turnover.

However, if most of the turnover occurs among more experienced staff, you have to look for other causes for the turnover -- and other interventions to reduce it. Too often, we jump in with interventions that are "hot topics" or trendy in the literature without really stopping to analyze the problem first. We end up wasting a lot of time, money, and effort on "solutions" that don't solve the real problem.

Good luck. I think it is a great topic for a student paper, presentation, or research project.

llg

2rntish · Oct 13, 2004

Orientation is important if it is directed towards your position on the floor. We do 3 days of history and tradition of our system. By the time we get the nurses, they are brain dead and ready to quit.

Most orienttes want to be assured they will not be thrown to the wolves and that the real orientation is to their unit, to their job and will not be completed until they are comfortable with the processes on that particular floor.

CardioTrans, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2004

Thanks for all the replies. I am all too familiar with the lack of retention initiatives to us "old" nurses. I have been a nurse for 15 yrs and see it all to often with the "romancing" for new employees.

Im am curious though as to what you all think would be good ways to retain nurses. I went to a meeting today at work and found out that my particular company spent almost 300K last yr in recruitment initiatives. My thought was why not spend some of that money on the current employees. I know that money isnt everything when it comes to job satisfaction, but it never hurts at least every now and then.

Keep sending the ideas. And again thanks for all the replies.

JacelRN, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2004

Cardio Trans,

Here are a few things that have helped me decide to stay in the hospital chain I am currently working, and the reason I will never go back to the hospital I worked for during nursing school (it lacks all I list).

I agree with the other posters regarding orientation, it is highly individualized and can change from day to day, and also I believe you learn the most AFTER orientation.

I plan to stay in my current hospital setting because:

-It allows for growth and is able to support it by having many different areas to transfer to (as I have already done.)

-It gives nice bonuses to remind us how in need and in demand nurses are (some are open to experienced nurses as well as new grads.)

-Management tends to work for the individual, not in every way it should but when it really counts.

-Benefits and pay raises are slow but at least steady and worthwhile.

I hope these help and they're not too late.

JacelRN