Employee Retention
In these challenging economic times-when many hospitals have imposed a hiring freeze, eliminated unfilled positions, initiated staff layoffs, increasingly restricted or totally eliminated travel and education budgets, and reduced or frozen capital budgets-I believe it is more important then ever to find ways to retain good employees.
In the past, I've tried many things to attract prospective employees to our facility and create a working atmosphere that retains employees. However, I think a little different approach could have an even greater impact on retention than all the other methods I've used.
Here's the idea: everyone instinctively wants to experience joy and be happy. Yet varied challenges stand in our way.
How do we, as leaders in our various facilities and as department managers, supervisors, and lead respiratory therapists, meet the daily challenges that affect our staff and ourselves? How do we create a feeling of happiness and joy no matter the challenges?
This is indeed a formidable task.
Happiness comes to man by putting value into society. We especially admire those geniuses of society, the great value-and-job creators, who raise our standards of living. Man is a social animal, so this happiness is felt during time celebrated together with loved ones, friends, and co-workers.
How often have you heard an employee say, "I hate my job, but I need the money, so I stay day after miserable day"? How do we change that feeling about work from (as one commercial puts it) "have to" to "want to"? How do we help our staff members develop this happiness in the work place? What creates happiness in our profession? It is the opportunity for each of us to produce or create value for society.
People want to work where they feel that they are needed, wanted and appreciated. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions you might want to consider for you department:
- Create or initiate new procedures that will add value to your department, the hospital and society. For example, arterial line insertion, bronchoalveolar lavage; polysomnography, EKG, holter monitoring, EEG, PFT, PICC line insertion, cardiac and/or pulmonary rehabilitation, stress testing, ECP (or EECP as some folks call it), Acapella, PEP, intubation of all age groups for all RCP's, or attendance at all c-sections and high-risk deliveries
- Work with a pulmonologist to do basic spirometry (PFT) at health fairs or county fairs, or do a special day of screening at your hospital.
- Initiate new protocols that will allow your staff to use their knowledge, skills, training and experience to provide better outcomes and increase efficiency and effectiveness. Some ideas include an RT Assess & Treat Protocol, a RSV Protocol, a Ventilator Management Protocol for all age groups, a Ventilator Bundle Protocol, a Nasal CPAP Protocol, a MDI Protocol, or a Polysomnography Protocol. Some facilities prefer to start simpler, with protocols like an Oxygen Protocol, Pulse Oximeter (SpO2) Protocol, Bronchodilator Protocol, Lung Expansion Protocol, Bronchial Hygiene Protocol, or ABG Protocol. You might even consider disease related protocols like an Asthma Protocol, Pneumonia Protocol, or COPD Protocol.
- You may also consider initiating telemedicine consults for patients in rural isolated communities that lack physician specialists or are an underserved population. You might want to mull over telepulmonology, telecardiology, telerehablitation (for cardiac and pulmonary rehab) or telehealth video conferences for COPD education or other healthcare educational issues and concerns. There are now billions of dollars available from the Economic Stimulus Package that can help with purchasing the needed equipment. Partnering with other departments to gain access to this equipment can help rationalize the costs. Some potential practices include Telepsychiatry, Teledermatology, Teleophthalmology, Telepsychology, Telespeech Therapy, and Teleaudiology.
New procedures and protocols allow your staff to use their knowledge, skills, training, and experience to provide value to their patients. That creates a feeling of being able to contribute additional value to our society. It is well established that protocols save unnecessary treatments and often hastens discharge for patients so they can return to their home, family and loved ones.
Some of these suggestions such as the Polysomnography are wonderful revenue producers for the department and hospital. Perhaps, these projects can also help create new positions or more FTE's.
What are your thoughts on how we can attract and retain more good employees at each of our facilities?