Inflexible hours, doing tasks of other hospital staff members cited as reasons for VA's poor nurse retention
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
October 29, 2008
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the state of nursing at the Veterans Administration may give clues to an industry trend: poor nurse recruitment and retention, reports The Wall Street Journal Health Blog. The report shows that nurses are often performing the tasks of other members of a hospital's staff. These include answering phones, changing linens, and transporting patients. Nurses' morale is low because of the amount of time spent doing these tasks.
Additionally, more flexible hours for VA nurses were guaranteed by Congress in 2004. Such combinations as three 12-hour shifts per week or the option to work full time for nine months and then take three months off were supposed to be offered to nurses; however, these hours are rarely available, the report says.
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