Discussion:Importance of Nursing Retention

Discuss Importance of Nursing Retention Practices

In a short essay, respond to the Alegent Health case The
two questions at the end of the case should be incorporated into the response
Use APA format (modified) and be sure to properly cite all sources used You do
not need a cover sheet or an abstract, but be sure to put a title for your
essay, and citations per APA Two sources required

ALEGENT HEALTH

Alegent Health is an Omaha based non profit health care
system composed of seven hospitals with about 2,000 beds and more than 200
clinic and outpatient locations, 1,200 physicians, and over 7,500 other
employees who work throughout the organization

Several years ago, Alegent recognized that HR issues needed
“acute care treatment” Turnover rates of 24%, coupled with over 500
unfilled positions, were costing the firm over $15 million annually

Four years later, the turnover rates have declined to 12%
and open positions have dropped to fewer than 100 Because of their
improvements, Alegent’s HR practices, and especially its retention successes,
won several local and national awards Alegent was named one of the “Best
Places to Work in Omaha” The award was based on surveys of employees that
asked about credibility, respect and fairness, pride, and camaraderie Alegent
also received a Workforce Management’s Optimas Award in the financial impact
category for its success at recruiting and retaining key staff Alegent is
clearly being effective with some HR activities to win all the awards

Specifically regarding retention efforts, Alegent created an
Employee Retention Task Force whose focus was to decrease turnover and increase
employee satisfaction The task force identified several strategies to be used

One program illustrates how Alegent approached retention of
nurses The Nursing Residence Program has caught national attention Each
resident (or new nurse) is paired with an experienced nurse or “preceptor’
based on interests, personality, and so on Also, a mentor outside the nursing
department adds support and encouragement to individuals Nursing staff meet
monthly for training In addition, they can visit various other departments
(pediatrics, cardiology, etc) in which they may have career interests Nurses
interested in management can shadow the department director to see how the
department is managed Returning nurses who have been out of the field five or
more years are enrolled, retrained, and paired with recently finished
residents

Alegent Health is the exception to the turnover levels in
nursing Compared to the US health care industry rate of 20%, Alegent’s
turnover rate of 76% is exceptional Another key to aiding nursing recruitment
and retention is an extensive training and development program Many different
short courses and classes are provided to Alegent employees at no cost As part
of this program, Alegent pays up to $20,000 for employees selected for a career
advancement program to obtain nursing degrees

Questions

1 Discuss
how Alegent’s practices match with the recommended retention practices covered
in the chapter

2 Why was a
broadbased approach to nursing retention important?

3 As the HR
manager, you have been asked to provide the senior management team with
turnover costs for one high-turnover position Using wwwtalentkeeperscom and
wwwkeepemployeescom, calculate turnover and analyze the variable involved
Also identify any other data that might be relevant

The position is: Machine Operator

Number of employees: 250

Number of turnovers: 85

Average Wage: $1150/hour

Cost of benefits: 38% of payroll

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