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Staffing Effectiveness Journey…A Living Process of Discovery and Evolution

A Case Study with USC Medical Center

register September 26, 2007 at 12:00 AM PST
Ellen Whalen, RN, MSN, MS
Chief Nursing Officer

Theresa Murphy, RN, BSN
Director of Medical/Surgical Nursing Services

USC is a growing medical center in Los Angeles. In this highly recognized and regarded university setting, nursing leadership has taken steps to confront the challenges of effective staffing in a highly competitive and complex healthcare market place. Ellen Whalen and Theresa Murphy share their on-going journey towards effective staffing.


Challenges of Staffing

Dense and highly competitive market, Retention and Recruitment, Use of External Labor, Urban Location

Goals

Improve staff satisfaction, retention and recruitment, Lead in competitive market, Manage labor costs, Decrease reliance on contract labor

Living Process of Staffing Effectiveness

Continual learning occurs, Appreciate that you will evolve as you learn, Important to have a process for reviewing proposed changes, to ensure consistency/fairness

Incentive Program Design

Retained current practice, Shift Rewards

ShiftRewards

Avenue to reward for shifts, and other activities and behaviors: extra shifts, unofficial holiday shifts, preceptors, perfect attendance, committee participation

ShiftRewards (Fulfilment of Rewards)

Who redeems, how, length of time it takes, rewards need to be easily accessable, rewards list needs to not be too extensive

Promoting an Optimal Schedule

Seeing earlier sign up for shifts and competition for desirable shifts

Staff Directed Floating

Floating between units is more common now

Summary

Adapt and evolve, it is a learning process along the way