Will I have enough new grad RNs to make a dent in my hospital’s shortage? If not, why?
This question is all too familiar to nursing management. Many hospitals find themselves unable to hire enough new graduate nurses to ease their internal shortage. Why is this?
Many hospitals lack the appropriate number of qualified preceptors to help new graduate nurses transition from nursing students to confident, registered nurses. Additionally, experienced staff nurses tend to be overused to precept these new grads, causing burnout and turnover among core staff. COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges for healthcare workers across the board, dramatically affecting clinical practice and clinical judgment.
A nurse’s regular daily duties have increased significantly with higher patient ratios and more acute cases. The additional responsibility to precept new grad nurses may push limits beyond reasonable expectations for the experienced nurse. When your most experienced and trusted nurses leave or burn out and new nurses don’t feel supported during onboarding, nobody wins.
We often ask our core nursing staff to onboard new nurses due to their vast bedside experience. But does this necessarily mean they are qualified to precept? Or, do we charge these nurses with this task because they are “good nurses”?
Improving Clinical Competency for the Next Generation of Nurses
The truth is a great nurse does not always make a great preceptor. SimpliFi’s Confidence Accelerating Practice (CAP) Program evaluates those in the preceptor role to ensure they are a true “fit”. Nursing education coupled with practical learning experience under the supervision of an experienced nurse changes the trajectory of new graduate nurses and healthcare overall.
Our preceptors are formally trained to ensure their methods are standardized across the residency program, guaranteeing the message to your new grad nurses is aligned with the mission, vision, and performance improvement initiatives of your facility. Our program places qualified and dedicated preceptors in your health system to build novice nurses into confident and experienced RNs that demonstrate clinical competence and self-efficacy.
In a time when new RNs are needed more than ever to accommodate the current rise in patient care demand, standardized precepting is imperative to increase new grad RN retention and reduce turnover. SimpliFi’s CAP program adds bandwidth to your residency program so you can appropriately onboard enough new RNs to reduce your internal nursing shortage. We do this through preceptor assessment, onboarding, and standardized training, in addition to ongoing support, effective communication, and preceptor coaching.
If you’re ready to improve your residency program with qualified, dedicated preceptors and retain the best clinical talent, contact us to start the conversation.