A staff report
The costs of high staff turnover in healthcare can be considerable. Not only are there direct financial costs of replacing staff, but other repercussions such as the loss of key skills, knowledge and experience, and the negative effect on workforce morale, just to name a few. In addition, high turnover represents a substantial burden both on human resources (HR) and nurse managers, as they're constantly recruiting and training new staff. With today's nursing shortage as rampant as it is, these incidents are more widespread than we'd like to admit.
To prevent these incidents from happening, as well as to help you stabilize and retain a strong, trustworthy team, Nursing Management is hosting its 5th Annual Recruitment & Retention Conference. Held at the Hilton Chicago May 4 to 6, the conference offers sessions, exhibits, and presentations designed to inspire, facilitate, and energize your recruitment and retention practices. Closing out the final part of a 3-month series, this month's review focuses on two sessions that'll help keep your healthcare staff satisfied and enthused to come to work.
Strategies that work
As time and technology change the landscape of the nursing profession, the clich' "Good help is hard to find" is as poignant a statement as ever. Kay Clevenger, RN, MSN, retention specialist for nursing, Clarian Health Partners/Indiana University Hospital, Indianapolis, Ind., believes a strategy that yields ongoing benefits is team building retreats. Her session "Creative Retention Strategies that Work!!" discusses the pros of retreats and how they lead to bonding experiences that contribute to team cohesiveness. (See page 22.)
"Developing retention strategies to create a culture that supports nurses must be our top priority," says Clevenger. "Team building retreats create an opportunity away from the often 'pressure cooker' environment. Other successful strategies to be discussed include a celebration committee, a retention council, morale board, wall of fame, team manual, themed events, birthday celebrations, and recognition activities."
For healthcare organizations committed to improving staff retention and creating a positive workplace, the relationship between nursing and HR is crucial. Sharon Cox, RN, CNAA, MSN, founder and principal consultant, Cox & Associates, Brentwood, Tenn., advocates this theory, as her postconference workshop "Partnering with HR to Become the Employer of Choice" presents practical approaches of best practices including job sculpting, tips to re-recruiting top performers, and trends in employee recognition programs.
"The main thing I want to accomplish with this presentation is for us to move away from the 'us and them' relationship that often characterizes how nurses feel about HR and instead begin to foster partnerships around common interests," Cox notes. We need to partner on retention, the onboarding process, peer interviewing, finding a good fit, behavioral interviewing, posthire interviews, and trending exit interviews."
Register today
Register for Nursing Management's Recruitment & Retention Conference at 1-800-346-7844, ext. 6591 or 7750, or fax 1-856-218-0557. For more information or to register online, visit http://www.promos-lww.com/r&r.html To reserve a room at the Hilton Chicago, call 1-877-865-5320.