Ever since I was a little girl and watched Danny Thomas on TV, I dreamed of visiting the hospital he began to help children, regardless of their ability to pay. I was in awe as I toured the beautiful building with whimsical beautiful murals from floor to ceiling. Anyone would feel healthier just stepping into the bright, sunny, positive environment!

But mostly I was in awe of the nurses and staff who care for kids with cancer every day in the 60 bed inpatient hospital and often as many as 300 in outpatient clinics. Many of these heroes have been there 10, 20 even 30 years!

Recruitment isn’t an issue there..lots of people want to work at this Top 100 hospital! The wise and caring coworkers focus on retention, caring for each other as they care for others.

I was privileged to give them life balance tools to help deal with the inevitable compassion fatigue. I think I left as inspired as they!

If I can help your nurses too, please contact me.

For more ideas on how to retain your nurses, contact me.

Their commitment to caring for their staff so remarkable, they gifted each nurse with a copy of my book, Balancing Life in Your ‘War Zones’, a Guide to Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health. The area TV news was impressed with their caring strategy and this great nurse retention tool.

Contact me …I’d love to help your hospital show your commitment to your nurses and their life balance too.

Scheduling changes, such as moving from eight-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts, meant that scheduling could be juggled to allow cutbacks without affecting nurses so dramatically.

Still, as I visit hospitals as an expert on nurse recruitment and retention, I hear that much more attention needs to be given to boosting nurse morale. This is the best nurse retention tool.

To learn how I can help with nurse recruitment and retention at your hospital, contact me.

One of the criteria for the Pathways to Excellence designation is work/life balance. Rarely have I seen a hospital so committed to providing that for their nurses. Not only did they have me deliver my Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul keynote outlining ways to care for themselves as they care for others, they bought every nurse in attendance my Balancing Life book! A great retention tool!

Each nurse then participated in a facilitated discussion, brainstorming ways to create physical, mental, and spiritual balance in their daily lives. Next we shared ideas on how to truly live our priorities. We decided to better listen to our kids and even kiss our husbands!

To have me share life balance with your staff, please call me at 877-844-3626. And learn more at www.NurseRecruitmentandRetention.com

With so many new nurses adapting to night shift work, lack of sleep can become an issue that impacts job satisfaction. No wonder Cheryl Burnette,  Centra’s nurse retention coordinator,  earned national recognition at the 2009 Nursing Management Congress.

With so many new nurses adapting to night shift work, lack of sleep is an issue that impacts job satisfaction.

What a great nurse recruitment and retention tool! Who wouldn’t want to work for a place that cares for their nurses in this way, implementing this quality of life tool?

When I speak to nurses, giving life balance tools, I encourage them to sleep. I’m always amazed at how grateful they are, like this is a new idea!

It is an “old” idea, but a great one. Help your nurses sleep.

To get more of my life balance tools and recruitment and retetention ideas, contact me. I can put your nurses to sleep. :)

One of my best friends and the funniest motivational speaker is Brad Montgomery. Being with Brad, it’s easy to keep up with the little kids who laugh 400 times a day.

Brad called me from a book store in the Seattle airport recently, all excited to tell me he was holding one of my books in his hand, Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul.

I could hear him as he stopped total strangers to say, “I know her! She’s my pal?” I’m sure the looks on their faces were confusing when he added, “She’s right here on the phone, do you want to talk to her?”

Brad reminds me of the benefits of laughter. It releases endorphins and even boosts our immune systems. Maybe that’s the best way to ward off the flu…laugh more often with our friends, family, coworkers and Brad.

If nurses and  all healthcare workers laughed more, we wouldn’t burn out or quit. Laughter in the workplace is a great nurse retention tip.

For more tips on retaining nurses and balancing your life with laughter, contact me.

I overheard “soccer moms” talking about hauling their kids to soccer practice, and piano lessons, and karate and Girl Scouts and…then they have to go to work as a nurse!

Keeping a balance between involvement and insanity becomes tricky. Why is your child so busy…for his sake, or yours? Are you living vicariously through her fun?

A balanced family has quiet time, dinners together, time to laugh. Be sure in the hectic times,  to create life balance and live your priorities. Need some tips? I wrote the book on it!  contact me