Queens Hospital Center, Health and Hospitals Corporation & Adelphi University School of Nursing
Nurse Retention Project
- Kathleen Kane, PhD, RN, Sr Assoc Director, Staff Education & Development, Queens Hospital Center, HHC
- Patrick Coonan, EdD, RN, CNAA, Dean & Professor, Adelphi University School of Nursing
The Nurse Retention Project aims to increase the retention rate of newly hired nurses at Queens Hospital Center (QHC) through a structured nurse preceptor/mentor program. The program fosters a supportive culture for newly hired QHC nurses and is designed to specifically target the first two years of employment at QHC, the time period during which recently hired nurses are most likely resign. The program simultaneously aims to reduce the high professional and fiscal costs of replacing nurses who resign during the initial years of employment.
The project provides newly hired nurses with a trained preceptor/mentor appropriate to their competency and level of practice. Preceptors/mentors are provided didactic and practical training in supporting and guiding newly hired nurses. Nursing unit councils create procedures for welcoming and supporting newly hired nurses. Discussion groups are held for newly hired nurses and preceptors/mentors to review participant case studies and nurse narratives. The discussion groups also serve as a venue for participants to identify and discuss role-related issues that could impact nurse retention.
Monitoring and evaluation metrics include nurse attrition rates; education; experience; length of time hired (employed at QHC); time since graduation; and number and complexity of assigned patients. Qualitative data are collected through participant interviews over the length of the project, including data from exit interviews of participants who resign from QHC. Data are analyzed and compared to data from previous years.
