{"id":11230,"date":"2017-11-01T23:08:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T06:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nursemk.wpengine.com\/change-is-essential-to-retain-long-term-care-nurses\/"},"modified":"2022-03-02T16:03:50","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T21:03:50","slug":"change-is-essential-to-retain-long-term-care-nurses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nurse.com\/solutions\/blog\/change-is-essential-to-retain-long-term-care-nurses","title":{"rendered":"Change Is Essential To Retain Long-Term Care Nurses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The shortage of RNs working in long-term care is real and negatively impacts patients and their families.<\/h2>\n

Many employers find that recruiting and retaining RNs is an ongoing and difficult problem.<\/a> With a U.S. population of those 65 and older expected to double by the year 2050, \u201cresolving the nursing shortage in long-term care presents a big challenge,\u201d said Urvi Patel, director of quality improvement with the American Health Care Association in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cRural areas and smaller facilities generally have a more difficult time recruiting and retaining nursing staff <\/a>as compared to urban areas, like other types of businesses,\u201d Patel continued. \u201cFewer available workers due to a smaller population can contribute to staffing challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Factors that contribute to the long-term care nursing shortage<\/h3>\n

Robert E. Burke, PhD, director of the Wertlieb Educational Institute for Long Term Care at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., said working in long-term care is not considered a prestigious career by society, the media, and many times by others in healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome see nurses working in long-term care as diaper changers and not doing real nursing,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, caring for the geriatric population requires RNs to work at the top of their game and have a heart for the elderly population, he said.<\/p>\n

Adding to the RN shortage in long-term care are pay rates that are typically lower compared with hospital pay. Contributing to the lower pay rates are the low reimbursement rates from both Medicare and state Medicaid programs, Burke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point, for many nurses working in long-term care, they\u2019ll move on to their local hospital where they can earn more money and feel they\u2019re in a more prestigious position,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Limited advancement opportunities stall career growth<\/h3>\n

Pamela Lauer, program director at the state of Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, Center for Health Statistics, said the vacancy rates for most patient care positions in long-term care is high, with the highest rate at 15.7% for RN positions in long-term care facilities in Texas, according to a report by the Texas Department of of State Health Services called the 2016 Long Term Care Nurse Staffing Study: Vacancy and Turnover.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies conducts several types of nurse staffing studies, one of which focuses on long-term care. Its most recent study, conducted in 2016, uncovered high turnover rates for directors of nursing at long-term care facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cFifty percent of the respondents said they\u2019ve been in their position as a director of nursing for less than one year,\u201d said Lauer, referencing the study.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The lack of a career ladder, and limited professional opportunities, also contributes to high vacancy and turnover rates for RNs, Burke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven for directors of nursing there are limited opportunities for growth,\u201d he said. \u201cUnless an organization has several facilities and can promote a director of nursing to a vice president of quality assurance, or other high-level position that oversees several locations, there is no place for a motivated nurse to go within the organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Strategies to recruit and retain nurses<\/h3>\n

Paul Osterman, PhD, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management said, \u201cWe need to attract more people to work in long-term care, and the way to do that is by making these better jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said there are several ways in which this could be accomplished:<\/p>\n