An Approach to Recruitment and Retention of Certified Nursing Assistants Using Innovation and Collaboration

Turnover rates for nursing assistants (NAs) cause considerable financial cost to healthcare organizations and negatively impact the quality of care and patient satisfaction. In 1 organization, a task force was created to focus on NA recruitment and retention. The task force evolved into a committee consisting of NAs representing all inpatient settings, a nursing director and manager, and human resources. Recruitment and retention were evaluated, and collaborative strategies were initiated for improvement in recruiting and retention of the current NA workforce.