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Make Nurses Happy, Some Hospitals Say
Kaiser Permanente offers nurses (and other employees) concierge services to help with dinner reservations, car repairs, mailing packages and dry cleaning pickup, among other services.
Linda Childers | Monster Contributing Writer
Despite the nursing shortage, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington, has no problem attracting a steady steam of job candidates.
“We’ve never offered nurses a sign-on bonus,” says Kathy Franz, the hospital’s director of human resources. “Sign-on bonuses typically keep nurses in their jobs for two years. Our goal is to attract candidates who want to work here for other reasons.”
Among those reasons are a supportive corporate culture, flexible shifts, numerous opportunities for upward mobility and benefits that include a matching 401k, onsite child care and tuition reimbursement.
charlita
over 5 years ago
2976 comments
This is a wonderful way to attract nurses and to keep them. I recently posted an article on a local Home Health agency that is furnishing it's nurses with a brand new car for their home visits for as long as they are employed. They also pay for the maintemance of the car. I think this is a wonderful incentive.
theala
over 5 years ago
418 comments
That's how to retain nurses. Make them feel valued, and listen to them. Help them make living in the 21st century easier while working long, hard shifts. dmazement: well, the flowers and cards mean less to me than the effort of the CEO and VP of Nursing actually making a real effort to connect with staff. How many CEO's come into the hospital EVERY Christmas? The CEO of the last hospital I worked for required EVERY employee to work part of Christmas Day. That made things hard on empolyees who had to travel to visit family on Christmas, including me as I have a 5 hour drive so Christmas was a bust for me. The CEO and managers got to spend the entire day with family, or travel if they wished. Employees were not allowed to take vacation.
Account Removed
over 5 years ago
I think it's about time, facilities actually realize to retain nurses is to create a healthy work environment, excellent retirement and insurance benefits, flexible shifts, tuition reimbursement and for those with children onsite child care. I could care less about flowers, birthday cards etc, although nice is not necessary to me.