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Skin Health

May 2022

Nurse retention a priority? Refocus on staff education and evidence-based best practices

Discover 8 training tips to help empower staff to prevent skin injuries.

Female nurse walking with clipboard in one hand and book bag over her shoulder

Clinicians everywhere were hit hard by the stresses and challenges brought on by the pandemic. You’ve likely felt the repercussions of COVID-19 in a variety of ways, including increased nurse fatigue. The average bedside registered nurse turnover rate in 2020 rose to an all-time high of 18.6%.¹ A large number of nurses are considering leaving direct patient care entirely,² and 20% of the workforce plans to retire within the next 5 years.³

At the same time, demand for care is up.

18.6%

RN turnover rate in 2020²

20%

of nurses may retire in 5 years³

When asked what they felt would improve job satistifaction, nurses chose “more staff”—beating out the option for “more money.”⁴ In other words, nurse shortages across care facilities have hit a critical point, and that means you’re doing more, with less.

So, how do you maintain skin and wound care best practices without enough nurses and with a growing number of less experienced nurses filling the vacancies?

One key component to that answer: education and training.

What’s the ROI on staff development?
“Throughout the thick of COVID, health systems refocused all their energy and staff on fighting the pandemic,” says Mike Ellrich, Healthcare Portfolio Manager at Gallup, Inc. “That, along with fewer dollars being available because elective surgery revenue was down much of 2020 and 2021, created the perfect storm when it came to deferring people development,” Ellrich adds.

As you consider ways to bring back more education and training, remember it’s not just a luxury for when there’s time. Staff development has two crucial benefits: staff retention and empowerment.

Staff development fuels staff retention
A report from employee engagement firm Glint revealed that employees value “opportunities to learn and grow” more than ever, moving that work perk up from number eight to number one on a list of top 10 “drivers of a great work culture.”⁵

Similarly, according to a LinkedIn survey, 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development.⁶

“Personal growth and development is an important human need.”

Mike Ellrich

Healthcare Portfolio Manager at Gallup, Inc

It makes sense, Ellrich says. “Personal growth and development is an important human need, so whether through conferences, webinar learning or new job assignments, when those opportunities are deferred for as long as they have been because of COVID, employees miss them and feel the need to seek them out.” If they’re not finding these opportunities at one organization, they may be persuaded to move somewhere that does offer them.

94%

of employees would stay at a company that offers education⁶

Knowledgeable staff feel empowered to do the right thing for their patients
“There are a lot of things that nurse leaders, administrators and educators cannot control that impact a nurse’s day-to-day work,” says Patricia Turner, BSN, RN, CWOCN, CWS, Medline Director of Clinical Resources. “But they can provide education and tools to help nurses feel more confident and competent in the care they’re giving.”

“With the last two years of COVID, you’ve seen an increase in pressure injuries. We need to stabilize a new normal again and get back to basics. Support for staff, patient care and education has to be part of that.”

Patricia Turner

BSN, RN, CWOCN, CWS, Medline Director of Clinical Resource

“With the last two years of COVID, you’ve seen an increase in pressure injuries. We need to stabilize a new normal again and get back to basics,” Turner says. “Support for staff, patient care and education has to be part of that.”

Dionie Bibat, RN, MSN, CWOCN, Medline Clinical Divisional Manager suggests asking yourself, “How can we make it easier for the nurses so the information they need is at their fingertips?” And, she says, “You can’t stay on hold forever. It’s time to jump right in.”

Here are 8 ways to jump in now and reenergize your education and training efforts to help empower staff and improve patient outcomes:

Learn online. With more than 200 free continuing education courses online at Medline University—created for clinicians by clinicians—nurses can log on where and when it fits into their busy schedules.

Invite on-site guest speakers. Make learning an event by reserving a private room at a nearby restaurant or hotel and inviting an outside expert to present a skin health topic. “Everyone is missing the camaraderie,” Turner says. “It’s a treat for them to get together.”

Organize virtual boot camps. Clinical experts at Medline know that time—and funding—can be tight. Let your team know about the free, virtual Skin Health boot camps for nurses at all levels of experience, with topics including wound etiology, basics of prevention and treatment protocols.

Tap your own team. If nurse morale and engagement seems low, it can help to remind staff that their skills and experience are valuable. HR Management firm Strategic HR encourages workplace leaders to “Start your search for training resources by reviewing your internal talent.”⁶Whether it’s a formal lesson or informal discussion, encouraging and recognizing that talent can boost education and confidence.

Watch expert-led webinars. Some of the best and brightest in skin and wound care have shared their knowledge in the Medline Skin Health webinar series, covering everything from pressure injuries to biofilm management to venous stasis. Access all the past webinars here.

Consult with other clinicians. As the saying goes, sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. Consulting with someone outside of your organization can help you identify gaps in patient care that warrant educational interventions. Learn more about how another clinical expert can help you improve outcomes.

Develop Skin Champions. You don’t need to create an educational curriculum from scratch when there are proven programs out there. The Medline Skin Champion Program was developed by certified WOC nurses and provides 24 months of pre-built training modules that are designed to empower frontline staff to confidently care for skin. Medline’s educational offerings also include the Skin Matters Program, specifically targeted to certified nursing assistants.

Download helpful tools. To-the-point posters can reinforce lessons learned and encourage best practices, from prevention to intervention to treatment. Here are two you can use now: How to distinguish common lower extremity wounds and how to identify pressure injury stages.

Key takeaway

Education and training may have taken a back seat during the pandemic, but it’s time to bring them back into the forefront. When you help find ways to develop nurse skills, you also help attract and retain staff, improve patient outcomes and make skin health second nature.

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