I was just reading an article about a nurse who left her job at one hospital because she felt nurses weren't being treated properly and were  not receiving decent benefits. You can read the article here. The hospital sited in the article has an estimated 20% turnover rate. Are any of your places of employment facing similar problems? Do you think it is just because benefits aren't adaquate, or is it something more?

The turnover rate at the MD office I work for is stupid ridiculous, for both clinical and office staffing.....

Much of the time, turnover is related to a general dissatisfaction with the relationships nurses have in the organization. 

People don't usually go looking for another job if they feel:

1. Valued


2. Respected


3. Part of a Team


4. Like they Can Contribute


5. Compensated


6. Appreciated


7. Competent

We usually blame others for the issues that cause us to feel powerless & jump ship. 

Sometimes we're right, but other times, we're simply burnt-out & take our misery with us to the next organization.

Definitely, though - the constant nonsense training that teaches to the "lowest common denominator" like basic customer service training drives people away.  It seems that instead of holding people accountable for basic standards, we just keep jamming more junk down everyone's throat.  (this comes from an ex-trainer!)

#1 thing administration can do to decrease turnover:  Recognize Nurses as Professionals!

#1 thing nurses can do to decrease turnover:  Take Responsiblity for Your Own Wellbeing!

greenergrass, wow!  I think you said a lot, and very accurately!

If you read my last post in demombs venting colunm I have voiced that we need to come up with standard ways to deal with the basic issues we are all unhappy with.  If we developed a standard way to approach the problems then perhaps thing could change a bit.  I feel in my position as a hospital staff nurse the the admin is to busy looking at number and does not take the time to look at the problems realistically.  I recently had a few boardmembers as pt's.  They would say things like when I have a break perhaps I could come down and chat with them.   I explained to them that I really do not have the time to take breaks.  They then of course stated that we are entitled to 3-10 min breaks and 1-30 min break for lunch.  I said if I did that then my work would never get done.  I do not think they really belived me the first night.  However by the end of thier stay they had a much better understanding of what we do.  I do not expect changes from those encounters, however I think that if there were more instances where the higher ups could see what it is that we actually do perhaps they would better understand our position and help with a few of our needs.  The way things are being handled now actually bring morale down.  We almost never hear good words from our managment team.  Heaven helps the people who actually do something wrong because all heck breaks loose.  I am allowed 3 sick days a year on my job.  I get verbal, written, and then can be fired for more sick days.  Hello,  I work in an isolation ward.  I am bound to get sick sometimes.  Even with a Dr. note stating that I am under his care and on meds.  I do not get recognized that I was really truely to sick to go in.  I am being the responsible one. I went to the Dr. got meds. and am trying to get better the fastest way I know how so that I do not pass anything on to my already sick pts.  I am the one getting penalized?  Why?  When asking for a vacation leave I was told that all of the vacations spots were taken for the year.  What?  So I can not even go to see my family?  My manager has had three vacations so far since she started (less then 6 months ago).  Sorry if I sound so disgruntled, but I am>>>>  I work hard for my pts'.  I love what I do for my pts' I am tired of admin.....not listening and seeing what they are doing to thier workers.  We  (as workers) are thier eyes, ears, and mouths to the real inner workings........

Grennergrass wrote:

What positive steps can we, as professional nurses, make to take back the broken healthcare system so these riducuous situations no longer drive us crazy?

It was funny this winter we recieved a message from infection control telling us not to come in if we even had any s/s of the flu......  I re-faxed the message back to her informing her that this was not possible for all of the staff to do.  She then asked me why?  I sent her a fax with our sick day policy to her and informed her that some of us already had taken our three days of sick leave for the year.  She went to the head of the hospital and talked it over with him.  He stated that they had to keep the policy in force due to people taking time off while they were not really sick.  She told him it was impossible to do her job if she could not keep sick employees at home where they belong.  She then asked about the Dr. note to excuse people who are really sick and he stated that he could not make people go to the Dr. to get the note everytime they are sick.  Round and round they went.  Well needless to say when she was done she felt pretty much the same way I do.  Disgusted.....  I told my manager one time that for people in the office who are pushing papers all the time 3 is ok but for those of us in the trenches with the real sick people perhaps we should recieve more days aspecially if we have a Dr. stating that we should not be there.  Then I pointed out another flaw in the policy.  For people with children at home they are aloowed to call in and say they are needed at home to care for a sick child and they are not counted out as sick!!!  This is great for the employees with children at home.  They can stay home even if they themselves are not sick.  ugh!!! what to do????

The sick call issue is confusing. I worked in a small town and everyone was sick with the flu, we had people dying from this flu. There wasn't anyone to work, I came to work ill. I had a coughing spell, so I went into an empty room for it. A doctor walked wanting to know if that was me, ya sure. He jumped all over me "people are dying and you come to work?" "You could be responsible for people dying." I just cried, I felt like crap, but really I couldn't call in.  The doctor went to the administrator of the hospital and the nurse manager told me I shouldn't have come to work and sent me home.

Now I'm at a place that has been quarentined twice for influenza, since I've been there. I had a temp 102-105, sick. I was told I would be written up if I called in because there wasn't anyone to work. It was awful the sick people had to wear masks all the time so we didn't get anyone else sick.

 

It seems to me if hospitals, nursing facilities made their nurses happy they would benefit greatly. I think nurses would bend over backwards if they were treated with respect. I would love to have a nurse owned hospital, co-op, nurses could buy shares of a hospital..so nurses would be in control. We would have to work together to make it work, to come together and figure out how to make staff and the patients happy and healthy.

nursetb38 is your hospital not represented by CNA?  I honestly have never heard a hospital only allowing 3 sick days per year.  This is just bizarre.

California Nurses Association is CNA and i'm astounded you aren't familiar with them

 you will always have big turnover rates if the pay and bennies are not that good

what can CNA do for those of us that are not in California?