A staff report
Join with some 500 colleagues for Nursing Management 's 2006 Recruitment and Retention Conference, March 24 to 26, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Nevada. Now in its 4th year, the event continues to gain momentum as one of the most informative and enlightening programs available to those involved in engaging and preserving healthcare staff.
"The conference is sure to help you improve patient care, broaden your horizons, reach new heights in career satisfaction, relax a little, and most of all, recognize the magnitude of your own potential," said Conference Chairperson Dennis R. Sherrod, RN, EdD.
Here's a rundown of program highlights from which attendees can choose. Each day also offers exhibit and poster hours.
FRIDAY, MARCH 24
Keynote Address
"Sell Your Message, Strengthen Your Team"
Jeffrey Doucette, RN, MS, CEN, CHE, CNAA, Associate Operation Officer, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
Listen up!! Effective communication is the backbone to any good relationship, personal or professional. Learn how what you say-and how you say it-drives employee satisfaction, ensures quality patient care, and helps maintain a true collaborative culture. Come away with management pointers for getting your message not only heard but better understood. You can inspire and motivate staff with well-chosen words...learn how.
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
"HR Vital Signs"
Thomas F. Mahan, PhD, Professor, Vanderbilt University; President, The Work Institute, Brentwood, Tenn.
Learn critical HR vital signs, including why they're needed, how to develop them, and how to use them to drive operational efficiencies. Hospital workforce vital signs are necessary to manage expense, mitigate risk, and demonstrate affirmative responsibility and integrity. Learn how to become a preferred employer while increasing work-force productivity and effectiveness.
"The Role of the Retention Specialist"
Grant Campbell, RN, Retention Specialist, Morton Plant Mease, Clearwater, Fla.
Many of you've asked about the role of the retention specialist. In this session we'll discuss the role, define the position, and determine the qualifications in order to successfully fulfill the role. This real-life retention specialist will uncover evidence-based outcomes from strategies he's successfully implemented. He'll also describe the processes used to choose particular retention challenges and strategies for measuring performance improvement.
"Retaining Retiring Nurses"
Dennis R. Sherrod, RN, EdD, Conference Chairperson; Forsyth Medical Center Endowed Chair of Recruitment & Retention, Division of Nursing, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, N.C.
With a growing demand for nurses, employers are frantically rehiring individuals who've retired. Why in the world would you ever let them go? Within the next 10 years, an extraordinary number of nurses will be contemplating retirement. The sucking sound you'll hear is nursing expertise and skills being lost down the brain drain. Workplaces must address issues of succession planning, ergonomics, technology, work-place redesign, flexible work arrangements, and innovative roles to encourage mature nurses to remain in the nurse workforce.
"Beyond Recruitment: Retention is the Key"
Susan S. Shelander, RN, CPAN, Director of Recruitment & Retention, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Houston, Tex.
The speaker will provide an understanding of recruitment and retention strategies useful in today's work environment. In this lecture, we'll discuss tips that help managers faced with the challenge of hiring and retaining great staff in a very competitive healthcare market.
"Put Together Your Recruitment Strategy"
Grant Campbell, RN, Retention Specialist, Morton Plant Mease, Clearwater, Fla.
As in all good business, it's most important to have a plan or a strategy to accomplish your overall objective. The speaker will discuss innovative ideas and recruitment strategies for successful outcomes. He'll include the process from advertising to orienting, with critical steps along the way, plus the importance of the roles for the recruiter, manager, human resource personnel, etc. In this session, we'll highlight the strategies that are producing results and how you measure those outcomes.
"Transition New Graduates into the Workplace"
Carole Ricker, BSN, Employment Manager, High Point Regional Health System, High Point, N.C.
In this session, we'll discuss the process of transitioning new graduates from nursing programs into the workplace. The Graduate Nurse Orientation-Success in Specialty (GNOSIS) program (retention rates/outcomes) and several other current initiatives will also be discussed. Learn about competency checklists, satisfaction surveys, one-on-one interviews, timing, and other checkpoints for follow-ups. We'll also learn about preceptor roles and how to develop them.
"Build a High-Retention Culture"
Michael Bratton, RN, MA, Consultant, Healthcare Connection; Staff Nurse, ICU, BryanLGH Medical Center, Lincoln, Neb.
Instead of easing the load, retention programs are apt to add complexity to the workplace. Meanwhile, bedside caregivers cry out for more help as leaders try to discern the best retention strategies which are evidence-based. Thankfully, one key factor for retention already exists in organizations-the meaningful work of caregivers. This presentation will help you experience the art of storytelling to celebrate the contributions of caregivers.
SUNDAY, MARCH 26
"Touch Base: Core Values that Recruit and Retain Staff"
Pamela Hunt, RN, MSN, Administrative Director of Surgical Services and the Division of Critical Care, Marion General Hospital, Marion, Ind.
Do your nurses know they make a difference? Can they even recall why they chose this profession in the first place? Perhaps, if all nurses had the passion and excitement to come to work each day knowing they made a difference to the organization, their patients, and each other, retention wouldn't be such a hurdle.
This presentation explores what frustrates nurses about their career and their organizations, driving up turnover and vacancies. Review the keys to "touch base" with each and every employee so you can uncover the needs and wants most necessary to retain your staff.
"The Foreign Nurse Diorama"
James R. Mayock, JD, Managing Partner, Elliot & Mayock LLP, Certified Specialist, Immigration & Nationality Law, Attorneys at Law, San Francisco, Calif., and Washington, D.C.
This presentation provides a step-by-step explanation of the immigration process for foreign-educated nurses. Its objective is to help attendees understand the entire process from start to finish in order to avoid common pitfalls. A complete overview precedes advice on how to accelerate the arrival of international RNs while controlling costs. A PowerPoint presentation plus two clear examples (Canada and Philippines) highlight the options, aided by informative handouts.
"Teamwork Tool: Transforming Care at the Bedside"
Joyce Batcheller, RN, CNAA, MSN, Senior Vice President of Operations, Chief Nurse Officer, Seton Medical Center, Network Offices, Austin, Tex.
We'll discuss innovations to help a dwindling number of nurses treat a growing number of patients by making changes in systems of care delivery. In this lecture, you'll learn details of a conceptual framework and a package of ideas that explain a fundamental system redesign used to improve safety, effectiveness, patient-centered care, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.
Closing Session
"Look For Shining Eyes"
Sharon Cox, RN, CNAA, MSN, President, Cox & Associates, Brentwood, Tenn.
We often hear that staff engagement is essential for recruitment and retention. This closing session highlights ways to measure the effectiveness of our efforts in staff engagement and build on best practices nationally. Hindrances to staff engagement are also mentioned, as well as ways to maintain the personal energy and motivation for sustained efforts in cultural change.
You can still register at 1-800-346-7844, ext. 7798 or 7750, or visit http://www.promos-lww.com/r7r.html. Call 1-888-732-7117 to reserve a room at the Las Vegas Hilton.