What retention strategies do your hospitals use???

gambroRN · Oct 24, 2002

The hospitals in Florida and not retaining their RN's - that's why there is such a shortage. Increased patient acuity - less staff - more stress - just to name a few. Never mind lousy pay.

I think the hospitals need to look at the recent study done that shows an increase in patient mortality with the increase in RN to patient ratios....

Maybe less patient ratio - more flex scheduling, etc would be a start to retaining professional nurses.

spineCNOR · Oct 24, 2002

The hospital where I work (a 340-bed private for profit hospital) is dealing with a nursing shortage (both acute and chronic)- to date they have not done anything worth mentioning to promote retention. They are offering incentive pay ($8/hr) to people willing to work their off days when the department is short-staffed.

There have been no changes/improvements in benefits.

As far as what would influence me to stay- good working conditions are extremely important- nurses where I work are consistently treated disrespectfully by both doctors and administration - it seems that the work we do is not valued at all.

And of course, more benefits and money would be good too!

lee1 · Oct 24, 2002

"nurses where I work are consistently treated disrespectfully by both doctors and administration - it seems that the work we do is not valued at all. "

AAHH but the patients value us and the health statistics/research done over the last few years show it.

Why has this disprespect continued? Because we have not stood up enough for ourselves????

Doctors and adminstrators of course need a dose of their own medicine just as those who refuse to pass laws that would protect the ordinary person.

Youda · Oct 24, 2002

Awhile back my dearly beloved employer did some real stupid things. To make a long story short, all but 3 nurses quit. We had 3 nurses to run an entire LTC, all 3 shifts, 24/7 . . . well, you get the idea.

They shipped in some nurses from another state until they could hire nurses locally. (Rather pay to put them up in motels than use agency, of course).

They developed a retention plan to keep the nurses they had, and to keep the new hires. It involved increasing morale, appreciation gestures, etc.

To date, they held a BBQ on day shift (none left for afternoon or night shifts), and they hung a big banner across the nurses station "in appreciation." Oh yeah! We also got one ballon bouquet (about 4 balloons) and a package of M&Ms to share between all of us.

I was so grateful and honored to be "appreciated." Such an outpouring, and such effort! Morale has definitely changed. NOT!

:(:(:(

-jt · Oct 24, 2002

what did your newspapers say about the crisis there when ALL but 3 RNs in your whole facility quit?

PS

My hospital has not done a damn thing to retain nurses. They deny we have a retention problem & insist on focusing on hiring new grads. They want to start sign-on bonuses at my facility for new grads. We (the RNs) said NO WAY is that going to happen here. We already obtained salaries for new grads to start with $55,000/yr plus $5,000/yr more for eves/nights differential & another $1800/yr for BSN. That should be enough of a sign-on incentive for someone straight out of school and with not a day of experience. Finding new grads is not the problem. Retaining our experienced nurses is. Hospital says "noooooooo.... we dont have a problem retaining. All those nurses left to pursue other opportunities and interests"

Negotiations for a new contract come up in January. Im already getting a headache from the banging its going to be doing against the wall.

lindalee · Oct 24, 2002

I am active in our retention committee. It has been stated at the last two meetings that the problem is obtaining nurses, not keeping them. "If we have you for two years, we have you." They prefer not to consider pensions, increasing vacation benefits for long-term employees or anything that might make a long-term nurse think twice if she had an offer to go elsewhere. I have loved nursing, but as I approach retirement with my 401K in the gutter I really wish I had spent my career in another field. It is scary to realize that in order to survive I may have to sell my home.

Youda · Oct 24, 2002

>>>

Oh, the newspapers weren't too interested in the nurses. They just talked about the two "J" tags, 2 "G" tags, and 1 "H" tag we got, caused by "short staffing." Well, DUH!

Youda · Oct 24, 2002

So, retention isn't a problem. LOL.

Ok, it took them ten years to get around to doing a study to say that patients are dying, so maybe in another 10 years someone will ask how long nurses have worked in their present job.

lee1 · Oct 25, 2002

Originally posted by Youda
>>>

Oh, the newspapers weren't too interested in the nurses. They just talked about the two "J" tags, 2 "G" tags, and 1 "H" tag we got, caused by "short staffing." Well, DUH!

Obviously the newspaper does not understand either how important nurses are. Did you give them any of the newer research/statistics that we are now being inundated with?? Did they just publish the article WITHOUT any imput from the nurses left???? Poor investigation techniques, if so!!! Were they too afraid to scare the public???

It is interesting that much of the research is being done by nurses who went back to school for their MSN/PHDs, but where are they now???? IN my hospital one is a VP of nursing. Will have to remind her of her findings when we go to the bargaining table for conract negotiations!!!

lee1 · Oct 26, 2002

Originally posted by lindalee
I am active in our retention committee. It has been stated at the last two meetings that the problem is obtaining nurses, not keeping them. "If we have you for two years, we have you." They prefer not to consider pensions, increasing vacation benefits for long-term employees or anything that might make a long-term nurse think twice if she had an offer to go elsewhere. I have loved nursing, but as I approach retirement with my 401K in the gutter I really wish I had spent my career in another field. It is scary to realize that in order to survive I may have to sell my home.

Hospitals are cutting of their noses to spite their faces. Is that how the old saying goes. They take a piece of info out of context but don't look at the whole picture. Agency/travelers now have the same benefit packages that most hospitals offer. What is the point of working for a hospital any longer. You would think with the growing shortae hospitals would have paid attention and done what is needed to prevent the rapid oozing away of their own staff.

Of course, I think personally, that in the long run nurses WOULD be better to not be directly employed by hospitals that have threatened their own nursing licenses by forcing them to work in substandard conditions that foster such possible actions. Then, when a hospital has trouble even contracting with a corporation of nurses for staff THEN maybe they will take immediate action to rectify their problems. What do you all think???

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Oct 26, 2002

Our hospital put out a survey to the RNs only, said they would ask the Lpns later. (That's a whole different post about bashing lpn's, since we do the same exact work as the RNs). It was about staffing and scheduling.

The options they were asked to comment on were: 12 hrs with diff, working 2 doubles a week only, weekends only, working sept thru may with ft benes, working may through august only, working certain shifts for LESS pay (what dimwit in mgmt thought ANYBODY would pick that????????????????), etc. The mgr went around collecting the surveys, this was probably in May or June, and not one word has been said about implementing any of it. Meanwhile, every nurse on the floor that is regular hospital staff has to do at least eight hours mandatory OT every pay period. They keep hiring and people keep quitting.

There was talk of making the contracted agency people work the mandatory OT, but there was enough kicking about that, that it has been dropped at present. WHY they thought agency would have to work mandatory OT or WHY they thought it made any sense is beyond me.

Now this month, they have changed insurance companies, with the coverage being worse and costing more. Not to mention the problems with trying to deny vacations. What other profession is denied vacations????????? People are not taking it, they said, find somebody to work in my place for two weeks, or find somebody to work forever, it's not like we can't get another job when we get back.

People in our hospital system have lost their jobs and been slandered by the company for attempting to organize a union. It has been a big stink. The company fights it too hard. I figure anything they fight so hard must be good for us!!!