Staffing issues and nurse retention

[TracieRN]

Hello,

Please let me start by saying that I am currently not in management. I am an ER nurse, and I am almost finished with my Bachelors Degree in Healthcare Administration. I hope to make the big jump very soon.

I was approached by my team leaders yesterday for help with a big problem my ER is currently facing. We currently just employed a new director for our unit that for the past 4 months, has showed little interest in helping our unit, and instead major interest in just helping herself. Our employee moral is at an all time low, and a couple of nurses have already put in their resignation, and more are currently looking for new jobs.

Work load is consistantly increasing, and stress levels are out of control. Our ER holds 17 beds, and an express care of 5 more beds. Our current staffing includes 4-5 nurses for main ER, 1 nurse for express care, and one team leader nurse for each shift. It is not uncommon for us to work with 3 nurses and a team leader. Many days we cannot even place a nurse in triage, have to close down rooms, and utilize anywhere from 0-2 techs a day on each shift. The other day we say 144 patients! The staff have many fears such as safety, burnout, anger, and staff retention. All of the team leaders including me, are trying to help this problem and our number one goal is employ an extra nurse during our busiest time, 10a-10p, to have a float available. This is not in our budget, but an extreme neccessity.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to approach administration and what tools would help us in convincing them of our dire need?