By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Net Promoter or Net Promoter Scores are a widely used market research metric that typically takes the form of a survey question asking respondents to rate the likelihood that they would recommend a company, product, or service to a friend or colleague. It is part of the HCAHPS patient satisfaction assessment.
I have rarely seen this metric used to evaluate nurse recruitment and retention, but I think it is worth considering. Younger nurses regularly use online ratings to make decisions about products and services. They are more likely to value a rating or recommendation from a friend about a good place to work versus outreach from your recruiting staff.
A net promoter score for nurse recruitment can be done organization-wide or at the unit level by asking how likely you are to recommend nursing employment on this unit (or in this organization) to your friends and colleagues? The question should be asked using a Likert Scale of 1-10 from very unlikely to very likely, and the NPS is evaluated in the following way:
Promoters (9-10) – these are your most engaged and satisfied nurses who promote employment in your organization.
Neutral (7-8) – these nurses may be content to stay themselves but are not likely to promote the organization to their colleagues or friends.
Detractors (1-6) – these nurses are unhappy and are disengaged. They won’t recommend employment to other nurses and may even actively discourage others from applying.
We can use the example of a critical care unit with high nurse turnover. If I am the manager, I can do a net promoter assessment (should be anonymous), giving me an average score for the unit and breaking down the number of nurses in each group.
You calculate employee net promoter scores by deducting % of detractors from your % of promoters. You ignore those who score 7-8, otherwise known as your ‘passives.’ Your result is measured on a scale from –100 to 100. If 30% of my ICU staff are promoters and 20% are detractors – my net promoter baseline is 10%. I now have a baseline to design a plan to improve it. I would share the data with staff and seek ideas about areas for improvement.
Although an Employee NPS can measure success, it’s only significant compared to a previous score or another organization’s results. On its own, it can’t tell you much. But it is a good place to start. Nurses listen to other nurses, especially in the current environment. If your staff is not promoting your organization, the most expensive recruitment strategies are not likely to work.
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
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