By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Clinical ladders have been used in nursing for over three decades. They are designed as professional development tools to reward nurses for education and certification, research, clinical skills, and leadership. These programs have offered a means for the bedside or staff nurse to advance in the profession. Nurses generally put together portfolios of activities to support advancement. Advancement on a clinical ladder usually involves a promotion (nurse 1-4 as an example) and a salary increase. Historically, they have been found to increase the quality of care, increase staff competency and retain nurses at the bedside.
Given what I know about clinical ladders, I have been surprised by how many managers now tell me that their young new graduates are not interested in pursuing their clinical ladders. Managers no longer view it as the strong staff retention strategy that it was in the past. Some recent comments made by nurses to their managers include the following:
- It is too much work for too little extra money.
- If I need extra money – I will work another shift.
- I don’t plan to be in this position very long, so why bother.
- Working at the bedside is a stepping stone to something better and not a career path.
- I see no future for myself in hospital work – it is just too hard.
- My goal is graduate school and not a clinical ladder.
- Why get certified in a staff nurse role when I need to get certified as an NP?
These observations seem to be consistent with recent employment information, which suggests that today’s workforce has no interest in “climbing a ladder.” Younger staff (which will soon be the majority of the nursing workforce) tend to view jobs as “tours of duty” on an evolving career path. Work-life balance and wellbeing are essential to both Millennials and Generation Z. Advancing oneself professionally is viewed differently.
Nurse leaders worry that future relationships will be much more transactional about the needs of the nurse and less about commitment to the organization or profession. So the question is whether this might be a “COVID Effect” or is it a shift in direction from the past. I have learned in my career that sometimes things work well until they don’t.
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
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