Digital Research: IUPUI Databases and Credible Sources

During the first stages of research, we focused on scholarly articles to explore evidence-based methods and strategies targeting employee retention in nursing homes. We used IUPUI databases such as Medline (OVID), ProQuest, and EBSCOhost to find information specific to the nursing field. Google Scholar was also used in conjunction which provides access to a wide range of professional writings such as articles and books. The following search terms allowed us to obtain narrowed results:

• “Employee retention” AND “Nursing home”

• “Nurse preceptor” AND “Mentoring programs”

• “Preceptor” OR “Mentor”

• “Employee preparedness”

• “Employee embeddedness”

• “Employee engagement”

• “Employee recognition”

• “Communication”

• “Teamwork” AND “nursing home”

 

Along with our digital research, we sought professionals in the healthcare field to gain an understanding of methods implemented in the Indiana community to approach retention of licensed nurses. We interviewed Nancy Buss who is an administrator at Franciscan VNS and learned about a performance program that can benefit Copper Trace. Lastly, we conducted a local study on nurses and CNAs at Copper Trace to learn about the work environment of the employees and areas in which the organization is successful or requires improvement. The Team Study section provides in depth commentary on our primary research.

 

Team Study: Survey of Licensed Nurses at Copper Trace

After our team’s 150+ hours of online and database research our team still needed direct data about Copper Trace’s employees and their specific concerns and climate experience. Our team chose to use Qualtrics, a cloud based survey creation tool, to build and distribute a survey to Copper Trace nursing staff (CNAs, RNs, and LPNs). The survey consisted of a total of 14 questions, some of which were only presented based on previous answers of the surveyed individuals. 

 

Qualtrics Survey Tool

Qualtrics was chosen for our survey construction due to the unique factors Qualtrics has to offer. The multipath questioning and analysis based on previous answers allowed us to target specific populations within Copper Trace and ask them unique questions as well as organize the response by seniority and staff type (CNA, RN, or LPN). These features allowed us to collect and analyze the survey data in a way which best supported our recommendation formation and support and target specific subsamples of our population. The Qualtrics survey also worked well for Copper Trace nursing staff as it was accessible via phone and QR code, this made distributing the survey easier and helped increase our rate of response.

 

Question Type

The survey consisted of multiple choice questions. Some questions were scale questions (strongly agree to strongly disagree) while others were select all that apply style questions which included an optional free response other section. These question types were selected for the survey due to the ease with which they can be answered, as the nursing staff at Copper Trace is very busy and often short on time. The multiple choice questions were also used to ensure the data could be easily analyzed and organized for use in this report.

 

Distribution and Response

Our survey attempted to reach the Copper Trace nursing staff and served to collect data on their opinions and experiences working at Copper Trace. The survey was available for a week from Tuesday, March 29th to Sunday April 10th. Fliers were dropped off and distributed on Tuesday, March 29th with the help of Chelsea Russell to all four units of Copper Trace along with donut holes, which were distributed to incentivise the survey. 

 

The survey had a relatively low number of respondents with 17 people out of around 170 completing the survey. The total was around a 10% response rate from the nursing staff. The low response rate can be explained by the small population size and quick turn around of the survey. This was much lower than our original goal of 30% however this low response rate was compensated for by the diversity of respondents we received submissions from. This diversity is indicative of a better sample of the Copper Trace nursing staff and according to Jon Krosnick, an Ohio State University professor, “surveys with very low response rates can be more accurate than surveys with much higher response rates” (Krosnick, J. A., 1999). The connection between the diverse response set and accuracy led our team to conclude that the results gained from our survey were applicable.

 

See Appendix A for more information on this survey.

 

Expert Testimony: Interview with Executive Administrator

The final research our team conducted was an interview with an expert in employee management of nursing staff in the healthcare field. We met with Nancy Buss RN MSA, the former executive administrator of Goshen Hospital and VNS of Indianapolis on Friday the 8th of April. During our interview we discussed her experience with employee retention and management. During our discussion a program she felt played a major role in the improvement of both Goshen Hospital and VNS of Indianapolis: The Uncommon Leader program. Ms. Buss informed me that the Uncommon Leader program improved the following factors:

• Cost minimization

• Communication between units and floors and management

• Socialization and sense of community among employees

• Problem solving

• Employee sense of purpose

• Employee recognition

 

The program discussed and quotes from the interview are discussed and analyzed further in the analysis and recommendation sections of this report, as well as Appendix D.

 

Moving Forward: Using Findings to Shape Recommendations

Our findings informed us of many factors that relate to retention of employees and their specific applications to Copper Trace’s unique environment. Additionally, we found a specific program widely used in the healthcare industry that addresses some of the factors that affect retention. Our team then analyzed our survey results with the findings found from both our digital research and interview to lay a foundation for our recommendations.