A definition of excellence in staffing is a great start.  The white paper does a good job of this.

Thanks, Kathy. The White Paper is well worth reading and I highly recommend it. It really helped me appreciate that to improve staffing we don't just need to have a bigger scheduling system with more data. We need to develop comprehensive metrics and standards to drive best practices across a wide range of areas, incuding culture, policies, environment, technology, finance, and professional development.

One of the best practices listed in the paper is "environment".  This work stresses the importance of creating an organizational environment that takes care of patients as well as their caregivers.  A healthy work environment is critical to job satisfaction and retention.  One of the things organizations can do to create a good work environment is to provide nurses with flexible scheduling.  Hospitals that are proactive in nurse retention recognize the importance to nurses of work-life balance.  Baby boomer nurses may want to scale back their hours; young female nurses may decide that working part-time is more conducive to raising a family; and nurses past retirement age may want to continue working if they can do so with reduced hours.  Flexible staffing practices have proven to be a significant factor in lowering vacancy rates and increasing an employee's satisfaction and commitment to the organization. 

When I meet with hospitals I am always inspired by the dedication of nurse managers and their sincere desire to create a work environment that meets the needs of their staff.  Flexible scheduling is one benefit and there are other benefits hospitals are implementing, from mentorship programs to shared governance. 

I would love to hear from other readers - what are you doing in your organizations to create environments that promote caregiver satisfaction?   

Kathy, I just watched the webcast that you co-presented with Karlene Kerfoot, Suellyn Ellerbe and Carol Ann Cavouras. It was wonderful. I thought to share it with those who might have missed it. It is located in the Watch section of this site, you can quickly access it.... Click Here .

Thanks for all your efforts in continuing this great work. ~sara

As a 35-year nurse who has been in nursing leadership positions for 30 of those years, I am delighted to see that someone has reached such strong conclusions about staffing and a positive work environment for nurses.  This work is exciting and makes me proud to be a nurse.  I have been out on a sabattical, but am now job hunting and this gives me a compassion to "stay in and keep pushing".  Thanks for your work.  Lorna Martin

Evidence-based staffing is being defined and implemented as we speak. Let's get our voices heard in the process!  Post your thoughts on what staffing in healthcare should look like.