Re-engaging Seasoned Nurses - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

So how do I re-engage a nurse who tells me that she is retiring in three years and just wants to be left alone to do her work and finish her time? This is a hard question that many managers tell me that they find themselves dealing with. Some of their most highly seasoned and knowledgeable nurses are no longer willing to become involved in practice councils or mentor younger staff. They find themselves wondering if staff have a right to “check out” at this point in their career. With staff engagement so integral to the patient experience, can we afford to let seasoned nurses decide to do this?

There are no easy answers to this question. We know from recent retirement research that many older workers in the US today continue working because they have to do it financially but their hearts may not be in it. Part of the problem may also be that in some respects, they feel undervalued. Our healthcare organizations have made little effort overall to offer transitional work plans that move nurses from working full-time to part-time prior to a final retirement. From what I am seeing in my practice, their choices are very limited and it often includes working an exhausting 12 hour tour 3-4 times a week on units with high acuity. Changes are so rapid in healthcare that seasoned staff find themselves in a constant learning mode which is not a bad thing but we know our brains are not wired as we age for so much change.

Many years ago when she was the CNO at Shands UF, I remember that Rose Rivers had her Sage Council. The council were her seasoned nurses who provided feedback and often sage advice about the changing practice environment. It made these nurses feel valued about what they had to offer to the organization. Part of the disengagement might be related to a feeling that aging nurses no longer contribute in quite the same way in environments filled with new technologies.

My suggestion to the managers was to coach their seasoned nurses around what they wanted their legacy to be in the organization. I would guess that they may have some great ideas about how they can contribute their talents to improve care. It may not be in traditional practice council or shared governance activities.

One interesting idea is to use our seasoned nurses as communication coaches for younger staff. I recently wrote a blog about research indicating that some younger Millennial nurses are having challenges with communicating and connecting with patients. Part of the problem may be a lack of communication skills. It may also include a lack of life experience with the types of challenges our aging patient population experiences. Our seasoned nurses have that life experience. They know what it means to lose someone close to you because most of them have. They know what it is like to have a serious illness because many of them have had their own life challenges. These experiences shape your thinking and how you nurse. Finding a way to use the knowledge that comes from 30-40 years of practice is our challenge. If we can do it successfully – I believe we could re-engage many seasoned nurses.

Read Rose Sherman’s new book available now – The Nurse Leader Coach: Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave