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Staff recruitment and retention issues are the biggest headaches for directors of nursing. That is according to the latest edition of the Senior Care Digest Interdisciplinary Report released this week.

A total of 68% of DONs said staff concerns were their biggest frustration, while 52% said too much stress was their biggest concern. Meanwhile, 41% said they worked too many hours.

Directors of nursing around the country report that more than 10% of full-time positions at their nursing facilities remain unfilled. When asked how they plan to address the nurse shortage situation, 61% said they favored more aggressive staff recruitment techniques. 51% reported offering higher salaries as a way to draw new staff, while 17% said they offered perks such as childcare or tuition assistance. 32% took an “other” approach.

Senior Care Digest Interdisciplinary Report is comprehensive survey of all types of long-term care professionals. It is part of the sanofi-aventis Managed Care Digest Series. For a copy of the report, call (202) 246-2525 or send an e-mail to [email protected].