The University of Rhode Island College of Nursing has started an effort to test ways of keeping nurses in the workforce, beginning with a meeting of nurses, hospital leaders and other healthcare professionals in Providence.
Participants met Oct. 20 at the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, according to URI's Oct. 23 announcement. The Nurse Wellbeing and Workforce Retention Initiative will examine both preparation for clinical work and the conditions nurses encounter once they are on the job.
The initial discussions included nursing-residency programs for people beginning practice, more flexible schedules and financial incentives for experienced staff who train new nurses. Participants also considered staffing workloads and the physical layout of hospital wards.
Those are ideas being considered, rather than staffing rules or benefits already adopted by participating hospitals. URI says the initiative will develop and test approaches with healthcare partners.
The group included bedside nurses from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, chief nursing officers, quality-and-safety specialists and URI faculty. Dean Danny Willis said the effort is intended to connect nursing education with work on professional well-being and retention.
URI plans to involve additional healthcare organizations, professional groups, policymakers, researchers and community partners. Its announcement does not give a budget, a list of hospitals adopting changes or a timetable for measuring results.