What Nurses Want: The Nurse Incentives Project

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Although nurse job satisfaction has been linked to retention, a gap remains in identifying specific factors which can be managed or changed to improve satisfaction and reduce turnover. Knowing that nurse satisfaction is related to physician interactions, policies, or autonomy provides very broad areas of interest with few specific actions that can lead to immediate improvement. Policies are by definition generally applicable to all without making any distinction for generational preferences or needs. Benefits are one of the few variables which can be adjusted for each generation or even each person. A generational analysis of staff nurses in relation to their happiness with their financial and non-financial benefits is...

Rest of the story: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/708170?src=mp&spon=24&uac=87363SX

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[ShayRN]

I didn't read the article, but I can tell you what will retain nurses, increase patient satisfaction and probably lower costs r/t lawsuits. Common sense approaches I have seen after my 11 years as an RN:

Staff according to admissions. This is a no brainer, you cannot take care of 5 people properly if you are in a patient's room for an hour doing paper work.

Staff according to the patients, not the numbers. I can have a night where I have 6 patients that are settled and calm and do my job well. On the other hand I have nights were one patient or family takes up the bulk of my 8 hour shift and my other 4 patients only get seen once or twice.

Make sure I have the supplies to do my job. If I need a bed pan, I should have a freaking bed pan. Nothing more frustrating to me than when I have to spend 15 minutes hunting down supplies.

Bosses/Administration that supports their nurses. When I have a patient/family that is being unreasonable or is just outright crazy and they make an accusation. Let it end there. Support your nurses with the idea that I am innocent until proven guilty. Remember, there are always two sides to a story.

Bosses/Administration that take care of the trouble makers. I am sick and tired of working short because the same aides call off time and time again. I am sick and tired of having to defend myself to bully nurses who feel the need to go back through 6 charts and find the one thing I forgot to do, write, give. Freakin put your big boy/girl panties on and deal with these creatins. The rest of us will be eternally greatful.