Nurses are integral to the ecosystem of any medical institution. The projection by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that there is a need for over 275,000 additional nurses in a ten-year span between 2020 to 2030. Not only should healthcare facilities get creative during recruitment but they should also step up in thinking of innovative nurse retention strategies to retain nurses.

Here are some ideas for facilities to entice nurses to join their team and want to stay.

First thing’s first: Strategize!

From the recruitment process down to continuing initiatives that will keep employees engaged and motivated, everything should be carefully planned and strategized. Medical facilities must not only stop until the recruitment stage. 

Once they find the nursing workforce that they need, they should implement strategic plans and policies to make these nurses want to stay. With an overwhelming workload due to understaffing, personal burnout, lack of work-life balance, and not enough incentivization, the nursing industry experiences high turnover.

One way to combat this is to come up with innovative nurse retention strategies to retain nurses. Address the issues that cause resignation and make your plans sustainable in the long run.

Follow a good nurse-patient ratio

One of the primary reasons why nurses quit their jobs is too much work. There should be a good nurse-to-patient ratio to ensure that all patients are cared for and nurses are not overwhelmed with too much workload.

The management, through its nurse leaders, should monitor operations to check if the nurse-to-patient ratio is still good. By preventing burnout due to work fatigue, nurse retention gets better.

Have empathetic nurse leaders

Leaders such as team leads, head nurses, and supervisors must learn and practice empathy. After all, these leaders guide and coordinate with their team members, especially recently hired nurses, in doing their tasks.

They should practice empathy and learn to listen and collaborate with the nurses under their wing. When nurses feel that they are being listened to and have a seat at the table, they will want to stay.

It should be the right mix of personal and professional approaches. Be professional in teaching nurses how to do their responsibilities and be personal enough to understand that they are humans, not robots.

Create a residency program

Hospitals often have a residency program for doctors. However, not all facilities implement a residency program for nurses. Having one in your medical facility is one of the innovative nurse retention strategies to retain nurses.

With a residency program, you have plans laid out from start to finish. New hires will be able to see that it doesn’t stop until they are hired. You have strategies in place to hone their skills and make them better in their craft.

In these programs, there will be a preceptor who will monitor, supervise, assist, and teach nurse hires. A streamlined onboarding process will help them adjust smoothly to your facility. Preceptors are there to ensure that there is personal and professional growth.

Highlight career development

Some nurses resign because they feel that they are going nowhere career-wise. By highlighting career development in your workplace, you motivate your nurses and other healthcare workers to grow professionally.

Don’t just do lip service. Have policies, activities, and initiatives that foster continuous learning. Organize seminars, talks, and training to impart knowledge, give industry updates, and hone clinical skills further. Be open to sponsoring graduate studies if the budget permits.

Incentivize and reward

Nurses are often underappreciated and not given enough acknowledgment for the work that they do. Make the nurses in your medical facility feel that you appreciate all that they do. Among the best innovative nurse retention strategies to retain nurses is to offer benefits, incentives, and rewards.

While salary increase is still up for debate with many factors to consider, start small by giving simple yet meaningful incentives — gift certificates, gym memberships, and additional paid time off. Rewards will motivate nurses to do good.

Give special recognition to nurses who have exemplary clinical performance. Acknowledge those who have stayed long and have given years of service.

Organize social gatherings

Build a community within the healthcare workers in your facility. Interaction happens during shifts but you should also pave the way for them to get to know each other beyond work.

Hold mini gatherings in your facility where they can talk to each other over good food. Team-building activities also foster camaraderie and unity among the members of your team. Make your facility not just another place for work but also a family and community.

Communication is key

For the management to be able to assess how your nurses are doing professionally and personally, there should be open communication. Implement initiatives where nurses can bring up issues, comments, and recommendations for improvement.

Do they have problems with the workload? Is the scheduling system good? Are they compensated enough?

Have a feedback box where they can say what they want anonymously. This feedback should be taken as the basis for how to improve your medical facility. You may also have townhall meetings or sit-down discussions.

Be creative and open

Remember that you should not stop until you get the nursing workforce you need. Implement innovative nurse retention strategies to retain nurses. Have activities, initiatives, and policies that will motivate and encourage your nurses. At the same time, incentivize and give rewards and recognition to those who deserve them.