Even before the economic meltdown, we were successful in recruiting staff of all healthcare disciplines here in CT due to a series of factors. 1. State benefits; 2: The linkage to the University of Connecticut; 3. Emphasis on training and professional skill development.
Retaining people has been an evolving practice. We have: 1) an active staff appreciation and retention committee; 2) we have an education committee that includes line staff; 3) we have active training- both on site and on line with CME and CEU credits; 4) we have been active in staff outreach and communication: people are encouraged to use a Suggestion system or to e-mail me as the Executive Director with suggestions or concerns; 5) we are working to emply as many people in learning and applying new skills with full support- both in IT areas and clinical areas: disease management processes, new interventions; 6) we have built a QA/QI program engageing local staff with local staff leadership- including training for selected staff in 6 Sigma methodology; 7) we have an active program of student trainees throughout our system- nursing, social work, psychology, medical students, residents and fellows who work with our line staff in a formal, structured supervised manner; 8) we are working hard to hold everyone accountable- supervisors, managers, line staff-- as this culture has evolved, there has been a growing level of mutual respect that we anticipate will reflect well in retention and engagement.
It has been an incremental process of building a vision with our staff (about 820 folks), reinforcing it, demonstrating a consistent commitment to that vision, and reflecting that commitment by rewards and recognition for achievement.