Decreasing Staff Burnout and Turnover With Skilled Communication On Med-Surg

Project Topic:

Staff burnout and low morale with increased turnover

Hospital, City and State:

St. Charles Hospital, Luling, Louisiana

Unit:

• Medical-Surgical/Telemetry

CSI Participants:

• Rebecca Talbot, BSN, RN
• Mary Emmons, BSN, RN
• Coach: Fiona Winterbottom, DNP, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, CCRN

Project Goals/Objectives:

1. Increase staff retention 50%
2. Increase staff satisfaction scores 20%
3. Increase patient experience scores 10%
4. Improve Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT)2 communication scores from 3.56 to 5.00
5. Increase Staff log compliance to 100% for 6 consecutive months

Project Outcomes:

1. Increase staff retention 50%: not met
2. Increase employee engagement scores 20%
   • Met. 16% increase 3.44 to 3.99; two different assessments so not significant
3. Increase patient experience scores 10%
   • Not Met. 10% decrease in net promoter satisfaction
   • Met. 12% increase in discharge satisfaction
   • Trending upward for Net Promoter Score
4. Improve Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT)2 communication scores from 3.56 to 5.00: Post implementation survey not completed

Project Overview:

This project was designed to address staff burnout and low morale by restructuring charge nurse responsibilities on each shift and increasing virtual nursing support. In collaboration with the nurse manager, the CSI team revised the charge nurse role to reduce direct patient assignments at specific census thresholds, allowing for greater focus on leadership and staff support. Although staff were initially hesitant about these changes, acceptance grew once the revised responsibilities were implemented and the benefits became more apparent in daily practice.

During month eight of the project, the unit experienced significant leadership and staffing turnover, including the loss of the manager, director, and immediate supervisor, along with several team members. Despite this disruption, virtual nursing services expanded their involvement, particularly in supporting admissions and discharges. This additional support contributed to improvements in patient experience scores and helped maintain workflow stability. Following the hiring of a new nurse manager, the plan is to sustain the revised charge nurse model and continue leveraging virtual nursing support. These strategies are expected to positively impact staff retention, reduce burnout, and improve overall morale moving forward.