Nurse Satisfaction in the Practice Environment: A "Front Line Winner"

Purpose:
Sustaining a high mean score for the Practice Environment Scale (PES) can be a challenge for a 3 time Magnet designated hospital. We have the highest PES score across our state as hospitals in our state are required to publicly report PES data.

Significance:
Research shows nurses who participate in hospital affairs exhibit energy, involvement and effectiveness. Nurse engagement with their work is an important predictor of job satisfaction, retention, patient satisfaction, patient outcomes and patient safety.

Strategy and Implementation:
High nurse satisfaction in our hospital is achieved through various structures and strategies. Examples include: a robust shared leadership model where bedside staff nurses co-chair over 60% of hospital wide interdisciplinary committees and councils, a pervasive culture of utilizing evidence-based practice and research with over 24 active nurse led studies, a finely tuned professional practice model that guides nursing practice, a career development program that supports professional advancement and helps sustain an 80% BSN prepared and 40% certified clinical workforce, the first CCNE accredited graduate nurse residency program in the country, an unwavering focus on quality care and patient safety, a commitment by management to budget non-productive administrative time for every bedside RN resulting in over 50 nurse driven unit-based projects last year alone, and an accessible, responsive and highly visible nurse executive team.

Evaluation:
Our mean PES score for the past two years has outperformed the comparative Magnet and “like hospital” benchmarks. An internal evaluation of our professional practice advancement program showed the highest scoring item to be “The hospital values bedside nurse advancement” (p=.000).

Implications for Practice:
It is possible to engage staff nurses who will improve their work environment by supporting them with the structures and processes necessary to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes.