Helping patients with personal hygiene lets nurses use all their assessment, observational and communication skills. We discover how well the patient can coordinate their actions, mentally process what they are told, and how they express themselves. It is a great opportunity to assess patient’s skin integrity and physical state. It is also the best way to learn the early signs of clinical problems.

Equally important. bathing people shows them we have time for them. It helps build trust and the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship as much as medicines or other clinical interventions. Helping a patient bathe is one of the most fundamental and crucial skills available to nurses, regardless of initials behind their names.

When, as a nurse motivational speaker, I help hospitals recruit and retain their nurses, I often hear from staff that they are so busy doing technical care, they miss doing the personal care. To retain nurses, we need to allow them to incorporate high touch with high tech.

For more ways to retain nurses contact me . I have lots of great strategies!

Considering that 20% of first year nurses quit, we need to retain nurses by serving as role models and mentors for them. Contrary to many assumptions, the “millennial” generation is eager to learn from us; they are looking for role models.

As a nurse motivational speaker, I remind nurses that we are always role modeling, whether we want to or not. When we role model compassionate, positive, comprehensive care, we are teaching.  Who are your facility’s role models? Are you a good role model?

To learn more of my nurse recruitment and retention stategies, contact me.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Nursing Schools in the country:

1. University of California
2. University of Washington
3. University of North Carolina
4. University of Illinois
5. University of Pennsylvania
6. University of Pittsburgh
7. University of Texas
   
8. John Hopkins University
9. Yale University
10. University of Michigan

Top ranked Nursing Schools are all recognized and accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC.

Interestingly,these schools are located from one coast to the other, and in mid America too. I applaud these top 10 and am eager to learn more about their recruitment efforts.

To learn how to recruit and retain nurses in your area, contact me. I’ve got lots to share!

Think about it. If every staff member took on the responsibility to make just one change that would make a better work environment, what a positive productive place you’d have!

Form a committee to create a program for each staff member to offer one idea that answers this question: “What changes would you suggest that would make working here a 10?” Then, empower them with the freedom to list these suggestions, the possible obstacles, and solutions.

This will engage your entire team and help you recruit and retain you nurses.

My Each One Reach One Nurse initiative has lots more ideas! Contact me...I’d love to share them!

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. :)

As the population ages, and the baby boomers need  more hospital care, retaining veteran nurses will be even more critical. But today’s nursing workforce is also aging, and numerous surveys find that more than half of today’s employed nurses plan to retire in the next 15 to 20 years.

There are solutions; hospitals, medical centers and other health care organizations can initiate activities that help to keep more veteran nurses at patient bedsides, according to a new study supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and coordinated by The Lewin Group.

The study, “Wisdom at Work: Retaining Experienced Nurses,” finds that many hospitals  lowered turnover rates among experienced nurses by making a concerted effort to improve nurse morale and productivity.

Ergonomic initiatives, such as teams and equipment to help nurses lift patients and other heavy items, did not contribute to an overall drop in turnover among experienced nurses; however, they did improve morale and cut expenses associated with work-related injuries, the study finds.

Foward-thinking hospitals paying attention to the morale of their nurses during these challenging times. When I deliver “Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul” to staff, I give them tools to care for themselves as they care for others and honor them for all they do. They leave renewed, recharged, and recommitted.  I can help boost your staff morale and help you retain your experienced nurses. Contact me.

Some have had to down-size their services or reduce care options for short periods of time because they do not have the staff to cover shifts. This is forcing rural health care employers to find creative ways to attract nurses to rural areas.

When I was helping a rural Kansas hospital recruit and retain nurses, they said they “grew their own.” They regularly go into local schools and tell boys and girls about the joys and excitements of nursing. While some  kids still go “to the city” for awhile, they are often draw back to their “roots” and come “home” to care for their community.

For more ways to attract young people to your facility, contact me.

According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, “flex-time” is the most popular work schedule offered, with two-thirds of the companies offering such a benefit. Because of the increase in two income households, raising children, and the need to find a healthy balance in one’s life, a flexible work schedule has become an important part of a nurse’s career.

Flexibility options can include meal flexibility, part-time work, time for family responsibilities, number of vacation days each year, shorter shifts, providing options for extended unpaid vacations, job sharing, and, for some,  working from home.

As I travel helping hospitals to recruit nurses and retain nurses, I hear repeatedly that flexible work schedules helps increase productivity. It also increase morale and decreases training expenses.

I can help you discover ways to retain employees,too. Contact me.

Most of us baby boomers aged 55 and over are healthy and vibrant with a robust 10 to 30 years of additional life expectancy. Yet more than 82 percent of nurses over 40 plan to retire in the next 20 years.

Most are  intuitive and accomplished in their decision-making skills and, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Wisdom at Work Report,  “Salt of the earth” team players.

As I travel and speak to thousands of nurses each year, the “older” nurses tell me they would love to work more years, if some simple accommodations could be made. In my Each One Reach One Nurse initiative, we list ideas to help retain these experienced wise nurses. Contact me to help your hospital find these solutions, specifically for your staff.