Recruitment & retention report: Called into question: What nurses want
Linda M. Lacey

$3.95 		Nursing Management
February 2003 
Volume 34  Number 2
Pages 25 - 26
 
  PDF Version Available!

ABSTRACT
Reducing the turnover rate among staff nurses remains one of the most effective strategies for fighting the nursing shortage. Not only does this proactive approach save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in recruitment costs and lost productivity, but it also ensures the presence of a loyal and seasoned staff.

Nurses employed for 3 years or less experience the highest job turnover, so maintaining a stable workforce means finding ways to reduce the need for new hires as much as possible. 1 But before deciding what types of retention programs to put in place, it's important to understand which aspects of organizational culture, work place environment, and facility policy prove most effective in retaining nurses.

First, ask

As part of a recent survey of staff nurses in which 62% of all eligible respondents participated, the North Carolina Center for Nursing identified staff RNs and LPNs employed in the same hospital for 5 years or more and asked them why they stayed with their employer. The survey provided an understanding of the factors that influence retention, not those that impact turnover. 2

Staff RNs and LPNs value the same characteristics in a work environment: good compensation, a positive culture, and flexible scheduling. Other factors also influence nurses' decisions to stay with their hospital. Staff RNs and LPNs differ slightly in which factors warrant the most importance, but the overall results for both groups showed similarities. (See ' Why they stay .') Adequate staffing levels hold more importance for staff RNs than LPNs in their decision to stay with an employer.

Why they stay Who's here, and why?

We investigated the relationship between the different reasons nurses gave for staying with an employer and their level of satisfaction with their current job. To measure satisfaction, we asked nurses to indicate their agreement with a set of 4 statements:



  • ♦ I'm happy with ...

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