Training and Retaining Nurses in the NICU (104)

Many neonatal intensive care units (NICU) are currently struggling to decrease nursing turnover while meeting an increase demand for training new team members. This presentation will discuss innovative training approaches, strategies to build a culture of retention, and the implementation of specific strategies to retain both Millennial and Generation Z nurses.

The pandemic has had long lasting effects on the neonatal nursing workforce. A recent study of three high acuity NICUs revealed that 93% of NICU nurses had considered leaving their current position due to stress experienced in the workplace. As experienced NICU nurses depart the workforce, hospitals face the consequences of turnover including financial expense, an average of 145,000 dollars to replace a NICU nurse, increased training needs and a decrease in retention of NICU RN knowledge and skills. Strategies to mitigate current NICU staffing issues include increase hiring, innovative orientation strategies and a budling a culture that promotes nursing retention. NICU RN turnover results when satisfiers are outweighed by stressors. Transforming a unit culture to a culture of retention requires leaders to focus on modifiable stressors, tackle workplace incivility and abandon a culture of accountability for a culture of ownership. Specific strategies to reduce turnover including mentoring programs, building loyalty through engagement, and noticing and addressing early burnout will be addressed in this talk.

Increased training demands place stress on NICU teams. Several easy to implement training strategies will be discussed including the Married State Preceptor model, innovative scheduling, and a precept the preceptor model. NICU RN turnover results when satisfiers are outweighed by stressors.