Through its deliberations, the committee developed four key messages:

• Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.
• Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.
• Nurses should be full partners, with physicians and other health care professionals, in redesigning health care in the United States.
• Effective workforce planning and policy making require better data collection and information infrastructure.

Not only will these ideas improve patient care, it will improve nurse morale, recruitment and retention.

To learn more ways to recruit the nurses you need and retain the best nurse you have, contact me.

Pat Rutherford, MS, RN,  Vice President at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement has several suggestions.

One strategy that makes a great difference is decreasing redundant documentation.

Another is moving supplies and equipment closer to where nurses are using them so they spend less time hunting and gathering.

A third is to move nursing workstations closer to where patients are.

Investing in these improvements will not only improve patient care and satisfaction, but nurse satisfaction too. This is the best way to recruit nurses and to retain nurses too.

To learn more ways to recruit and retain nurses, contact me. I’d love to speak to your hospital or organization to help you recruit the nurses you need and retain the best you have.

She contends that we need to optimize the working conditions for the nursing resources we currently have at the bedside and remove all of the inefficiencies and barriers that prevent nurses from providing optimal patient care.

We can remove the wasted time  and re-invest it  into activities that provide value for patients and family members. In TCAB, (Transforming Care at the Bedside) staff have redesigned key clinical processes, and on average, double staff time at the bedside.

So what makes more sense? Increasing the number of nurses on a shift, or doubling the amount of time nurses spend in direct patient care? Allowing nurses to care for patients always improves morale and satisfaction for nurses and patients.

This is the best way to recruit nurses into our profession and to retain nurses too.

To learn more strategies to recruit and retain nurses, contact me. I’d love to come speak at your hospital to increase nurse satisfaction and nurse recruitment and retention.

Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) is a joint effort by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI.) The key goal of the  initiative is to increase the amount of time nurses spend with patients. (www.ihi.org.) The American Organization of Nurse Executives is also collaborating.

A large body of research shows that if nurses spend more time in direct patient care, clinical outcomes are better and complications are fewer.  The typical nurse spends only about 30 percent of her or his day in direct patient care. The rest of the time they are on the phone, looking for other staff or equipment, tracking down medications, charting at a central nurses’ station, running errands…well you know the rest.

Nurses entered our benevolent profession to care for people. Allowing us to do so increases morale and satisfaction. This is perhaps the greatest nurse retention tool.

To learn more strategies to recruit and retain nurses, contact me. I’d love to come speak at your hospital to increase nurse satisfaction, recruitment and retention.

Certainly CEOs, CNOs and hospital boards could do a better job of that, but so could all team members. Here are a few tips for more effective communication:

–Acknowledge one another with eye contact and welcoming words

–Use a tone of voice that conveys concern and caring.

–Make sure your body language matches your positive words.

–Listen attentively and don’t interrupt.

–Let them know you understand.

–Offer to explain processes, policies or confusing information.

–Keep people informed of changes, new expectations, and timetables.

–Provide continuous updates.

Communicating better results in improved employee engagement, and ultimately better nurse retention.

What are some of your best communication techniques?

To learn more ways to recruit and retain your nurses, contact me.

Science has proven that laughter increases endorphins, the production of cancer killing cells, and boosts your immune system. It truly is the best medicine. Recent research has shown that even smiling releases chemicals in the brain that improves moods.

So smile, chuckle, and laugh a little. It will boost moods, productivity and nurse retention!

When I speak at hospitals to help with nurse recruitment and retention, I suggest the creat a laughter bulletin board or cupboard front. One unit took my advice and all brought their prom pictures! Now that was funny!

What do you do to create laughter at work. Add a comment to share.

To learn more ways to bring laughter to the workplace,  contact me.

Most performance appraisal forms are full of areas needing improvement. While continuous improvement is important, every person excels at certain tasks.

This is where the “sandwich” approach is helpful. Begin by stating with a strength in an area in which the person does well. Then move to the area of needed improvement. End with another strength and your willingness to help them develop even more.

Whether you are a supervisor or a staff nurse, this technique is a great way to build strong teams, and to retain good nurses.

For more strategies to retain and recruit nurses, contact me.

We must model positive attitudes. If we are grumblers and complainers, we can expect others to be also. Colleagues often take their behavioral cues from you. If you welcome them with a cheery, “Good Morning,” they are likely to do the same. If you maintain a professional atmosphere, they usually follow suit.

Yet if you correct their behavior without adjusting your own less-than-favorable habits, they will see you as hypocritical.

To retain nurses, we need to all model the behavior you want to see in others.

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

Listening is one of easiest and fastest ways to increase loyalty and retention. Nurses who feel like their ideas are heard are more likely to stay than those who believe their thoughts, suggestions and feelings don’t matter. Being listened to increases a person’s self-esteem, confidence and their belief that he/she can achieve goals and tasks.

Too often we might respond to a new idea with, “We tried that before. You’re new here and don’t really understand. You haven’t had the experience I’ve had. I am the leader here.” While these comments might be true, they serve to create barriers, not bridges, making employees want to leave for someplace where they will feel more appreciated.

Acknowledge every idea and suggestion, even if they can’t be implemented. Doing so makes the person feel like an important part of the team. If necessary, explain why the idea is not workable at this time, then encourage them to bring more ideas forth in the future. Remind them, they are appreciated and their ideas have merit.

To learn more “free” ways to retain nurses, contact me.

Often the best recognition is not related to compensation. A personal thank you card or simply saying “nice job” can a log way in retaining a good nurse. It’s important however that the feedback happens immediately.

Some hospitals have a quarterly review to evaluate the growth of the nurse, where they have improved from the previous quarter, where they still need improvement, and if any compensation changes need to be made based on the nurse’s progress. This is another great opportunity to acknowledge the compassionate and competent care they give. Many hospitals also have Nurse of the Month, Nurse of the Unit, along with the celebration of Nurses’ Week each year.

Thanking nurses is one of the best retention tools, plus it doesn’t have to cost a dime.

To learn more ways to recruit and retain nurses, contact me.