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Weekly Q&A: Direct-care nurses' participation in recruitment and retention activities

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, January 16, 2007

This week, a reader seeks advice about how to showcase that direct-care nurses participate in recruitment and retention activities. Read the response below from our advisor Gina Boring, BSN, RN, ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®project coordinator at Aultman Health Foundation in Canton, OH.

Q: How can I show that direct-care nurses participate in recruitment and retention activities?

A: Take every opportunity you can to showcase how direct-care nurses participate in both formal and informal recruitment and retention activities. Many hospitals offer formal programs that provide high school students with the opportunity to spend time at the hospital and discuss the challenges and benefits of nursing with professional nursing staff. Mentoring these young people, as well as nursing students on the unit, offers bedside nurses the opportunity to participate in recruitment of new staff. Every time that nurses identify themselves as employees of the organization (e.g., at conferences, job fairs, and blood drives), they have the potential to casually recruit future employees as a result of discussions with colleagues.

The key to illustrating retention in the documentation is through structure, process, and outcomes. Retention is not an accidental phenomenon. Begin the description of nurse retention with explaining the structure that provides stability for the process. For example, if a shared decision-making council is responsible for Nurses Week recognitions, discuss the structure of the council and how these retention efforts are generated.

Once the structure is identified, discuss the process used to encourage positive outcomes. Outcomes are easy to identify through turnover, retention, and satisfaction rates.

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