Meeting Staffing Needs At Your Facility and Keeping Good Employees Longer
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Meeting Staffing Needs At Your Facility and Keeping Good Employees Longer
By Earl Gifford and Jacqueline Colafemina
There is a nursing shortage that not only impacts the state but the entire nation .
Colleges can ’ t turn new nurses into the industry quickly enough to keep up with need . The issue is even graver for the long term care field . With the severity of the nursing shortage resonating across related care fields , one tool to help manage these shortages and help prevent turnover is knowing how to appeal to millennials and how to get them to commit to your organization .
Millennials have a different perspective than previous generations . Figuring out what is important to millennials and how to keep them engaged can be perplexing for those from other generations . A common misconception is that engagement equals loyalty and commitment . With millennials , this is often not the case . Today ’ s nursing graduates have more expectations . They are more technologically savvy and enjoy being intellectually challenged in new ways but tend to resist outdated training and onboarding methods . They may prefer planned work schedules so they can plan for their outside experiences which , for many , are more valuable than investing in homes .
To attract Millennials , it important to ask questions about the individual during the interview process because Millennials engage when they perceive that their voice and opinion matters and is valued . Examples of questions may include :
• What is most important to your job satisfaction here ?
• What are your career goals ?
• How can I help you achieve them ?
• What type of recognition do you like to receive ?
• What is one thing I can do today to make your work more enjoyable ?
Quickly providing Millennial nurses decision-making power and the ability to be influencers can set them up for future career advancement and anchor them to your facility or organization . Another important point in retaining or attracting Millennials is to understand what their experience growing up may have been and modify business models , training , supervision and responsibility to adapt to people who have had a different experience growing up , and as a result , different needs for training and supervision . Also consider the amount of student loan debt many graduates of nursing programs may have and the importance in engaging them in a position that offers growth , advancement for retention and the ability to pay down that debt . Millennials are looking to advance more quickly in their fields than previous generations in part because of the debt , but also to be able to do what is important to them from charitable endeavors to travel . Offering bonuses , or opportunities to travel can also be powerful incentives .
Since Millennials are an important part of the future of long term care nurses and staff , it is vital to address staffing issues with this demographic effectively . Career Center is a great tool for connecting facilities with these new graduates and providing a pipeline to attract new staff . Connections to universities and nursing schools , allow graduates to post their resumes and begin searching for new opportunities . Members can search for graduates interested in all disciplines of long term care from RN ’ s , to LPN ’ s , CNA ’ s and other administrative staff .
For more information on where you can find your next good employees , go to www . leadingageny . org and click on Career Center at the top of the page .
45 Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Summer 2018