In my previous blog, I discussed our training program for nurse leaders. Now, the statistics are in for the first completed class of the Ohio Civil Monetary Penalty Grant Nurse Leadership Training Program. For this training, Tobin & Associates partnered with Ohio Health Care Association.

Enrollment Requirements

  • Limited to 12 facilities per session to allot for one on one interaction
  • Limited to facilities 50 to 130 residents
  • Facility nursing staff turnover rate greater than 30%
  • Facility resident/family satisfaction survey less than 85%
  • Applicants must be a registered nurse (RN) with at least 2 years of experience in a long term care.
  • If participants leave the facility before the training is completed, they will be unable to continue in the Nurse Leadership Training Program.

Expected Outcomes

  1. Decrease each participating facility’s direct care staff turnover rate by 5% for CY 2018, with additional 1% decreases in CY 2019 and in CY 2020. This will be measured using facilities’ human resource records and documentation.
  2. Increase each participating facility’s Resident and Family satisfaction survey scores by 7% each for CY 2018, with additional 2% increases in both surveys in CY 2019 and in CY 2020. This will be measured using the Tobin & Associates Resident and Family surveys that have been developed specifically for this project.

Results

  1. Nurse staff turnover (percentages provided by facilities).
Facility Initial Nurse Turnover Rate %Final Nurse Turnover Rate %18-May18-Jun18-Jul
Convalarium of Dublin47.00%15%20.7Improved 32%
Delaware Court35%2%Improved 33%
Echo Manor62%10%10109Improved 52%
Friendship Village56%Did not complete program
Heartland of Bellfontaine64%23%24.297.1437.94Improved 41%
Otterbein Gahanna45%40%Improved 5%
Otterbein New Albany70%Did not complete program
Prestige Gardens52% Left company
Summit’s Trace91%5%366Improved 86%
West Park85.70%6%3.7713.211.96Improved 79.7%
Whetstone Care Center67%3%02.786.06Improved 64%
Winchester Care73%<97%>93.7598101.4<Digressed 24%>
  1. Resident/Family satisfaction surveys (provided by resident and families)
Facility Initial Resident Score%Final Resident Score %
Convalarium of Dublin63%92% (improved 29%)
Delaware Court78%90% (improved 12%)
Echo Manor68%78% (improved 10%)
Friendship Village65%did not complete program
Heartland of Bellfontaine70%82% (improved 12%)
Otterbein Gahanna66%96% (improved 30%)
Otterbein New Albany61%did not complete program
Prestige Gardens64%                            left company
Summit’s Trace51%93% (improved 41%)
West Park60%87% (improved 27%)
Whetstone Care Center67%90% (improved 23%)
Winchester Care60%86% (improved 26%)

The six-month Nurse Leadership Training Program with follow up mentoring programs are written and taught by Mary Taylor, RN, LNHA. Esq. and myself. The OHCA Nursing Core of Knowledge training session included in this program has multiple professional presenters (of which I am one) and is the property of Ohio Health Care Association.

This CMP Nurse Leadership Training Program has presented evidence that proper Training of Nurse Managers can make a ‘significant’ difference in nursing staff turnover and resident/family satisfaction. Therefore, what do you say long term care industry, shall we ‘all’ get on board and give our nurse managers the tools to be successful?   

The second class is half way through their sessions and not one of the participants has left their position nor dropped out of the program.  Currently, the average nursing turnover rate for the 12 facilities involved in the second training program has already decreased by 7%.

Am I excited? You bet I am!  One nurse, one facility at a time!  I am not certain all the classes will yield these top notch statistics but I do believe each class will yield positive results.

I appreciate this training program is making a difference but I am not foolish enough to think that staff turnover rest solely on the ability of the nurse mangers to lead. I am aware that there are many components that affect turnover; it is for certain we cannot continue to do what we have done in long term care and think everything will be OK!

Onward and upward! We are slated to teach five more classes, and I can’t wait to see the results.

Peg Tobin, RN, is the owner/president of Tobin and Associates.