1. Staff Recruitment/Retention
Marc-Oliver Wright, Director of QI/IC
NorthShore University HealthSystem
August 14, 2014

2. The Hard Cold Facts
Surge of expected retirees among IPs in the coming years (20% in next 5-7?)
The job itself is more challenging
Expanding responsibilities outstrip resources
Shifting role boundaries create uncertainty
Evolving mechanisms of influence involve trade-offs
The stress of constant change is compounded by chronic recurring challenges 1
No one Is offering more personnel resources
Conway et al. AJIC Nov 13

3. Our challenge With corporate responsibilities, our focus should be
Developing sustained infrastructure for training
Being open to non-traditional applicants when able
Employee engagement for retention

4. Developing sustained infrastructure for training
2009: IPs requested a manual for training
Developed over a 2 year period; with sections divvied out
Focus on operations and technical aspects
How to find the contact isolation lists in Epic, where to document investigations etc.
APIC text, policies and general knowledge not included
Updated annually

5. Being open to non-traditional applicants when able
In the past 7 years I have had the following 6.5 FTEs
RNs (4)
MTs(2)
MPH (3)
Two of which never worked in a hospital before
One was a bank teller before coming here
Each of which would outperform most IPs on most days
CHES (0.5)
The rewards of diversity are different perspectives and fresh ideas

6. Being open to non-traditional applicants when able
When will a non-RN do?
When you have >1 FTE for IC
When you have a support network to assist
When you have the right applicant
What to do with a non-RN?
Invest: Orientation to the floor, shadow clinical staff w/o intrusion
Custom orientation for growth-allow for small successes

7. Being open to non-traditional applicants when able
Evaluate tasks-when is an IP needed?
MRSA isolation: IP not needed, MTs in micro order isolation with the result
LTC notification of MDRO transfers: IP not needed, admin asst completes the communication
NHSN denominator and CDA submission: IP not needed, admin asst does this
Dept of Health calls: IP may not be needed, admin asst triages
I not only need to retain my IPs I need to retain my admin asst.

8. Recruitment Opportunities
Schools of Public Health
Capstone projects can be an opportunity to
Get a project done you always wanted
Build relations with the university
“Test Out” potentially interested applicants
I have hired two IPs through this
An RN finishing her MPH and doing a time motion study with our hospital epidemiologist
An MPH who lead our employee influenza vaccination risk assessment and campaign

9. Recruitment Opportunities
Nursing Schools
Clinical rotations often include optional/elective rotations
Getting in front of nursing students early (pre-clinical) and provoke interest in the profession
Can a new nursing graduate be an IP?
See “when will a non-RN do?”

10. Engagement/Retention
Flexibility
Work : Life balance
Gen Y values flexibility over compensation (NPR8/13/14)
Some IP work can be done anywhere
Abusing HR
Write the job description to require optional perks
Require membership in APIC
Board certification required
What is required, must be reimbursable 
Leverage every opportunity
NorthShore incentivized nurses to get board certification with 5% bump-I argued it should apply to CIC as well

11. Engagement/Retention
Golden Rule
Group Meetings (no MDs allowed)
Weekly in person staff meeting with lab and MDs were helpful but didn’t allow for IP to IP talk
Scheduled an additional meeting every two weeks
Format: Everyone brings a challenge or question to the group for input/discussion
Shared Sacrifice
3% RIF last year
Time of great anxiety-when I explained we avoided cuts by my undertaking another department the staff knew we were all in this together.

12. Engagement/Retention
I have lost the following staff members
1.0 MPH to $. She was underpaid and HR wouldn’t budge. I wrote her letter of recommendation to her new facility and told them if they didn’t pay her well I would steal her back. She got a 45% increase in her new facility.
0.5 RN to retirement after ~40 years
0.5 CHES to a new field

13. Questions or Comments