Ahead of the marcus evans National Healthcare CNO Summit 2022, Erin Jaynes discusses effective strategies for combating the nursing shortage in hospitals and healthcare systems.

1. Interview with: Erin Jaynes, Chief
Nursing Officer, SSM Health
“Hospitals and healthcare organizations
cannot be rigid anymore. They must be
flexible to adapt to the changing nature
of their workforce. They must try to
understand what nurses need and give
them a voice. Nurses do not want to
stay in the same unit their entire career
and work 12-hour shifts. To maintain a
stable workforce amid the nursing
shortage, CNOs will have to try new
ways of recruiting and retaining staff,”
says Erin Jaynes, Chief Nursing Officer,
SSM Health.
Jaynes is a speaker at the marcus
evans National Healthcare CNO
Summit 2022.
How is the nursing shortage
impacting SSM Health? How are you
addressing it?
The nursing shortage is affecting all
healthcare organizations across the
country, and now it is even worse as
many nurses are out ill. Many nurses
have chosen to go into travel nursing,
working less hours or have left the
profession altogether. On top of that,
new graduates are finding the transition
to practice more difficult in part due to
their education being conducted
virtually.
What alternate ways of recruiting
and retaining staff have you tried
that worked well?
We try to understand what is important
to our nurses. We increased salaries and
put in place financial incentives to help
them feel valued and well compensated.
We developed a clinical ladder program
so they can understand how they can
grow their careers. We really try to
listen to our nurses and understand
their needs. We are moving away from
traditional models where staff are hired
full-time, part-time for set hours, and
creating more flexible pathways so they
can come in and out of the workplace as
it suits them.
We are also looking at different options
to optimize support staff better, and
take some of the workload off the
nurses, to let them function at the top
of their license. Also, we are considering
ways to expand our virtual RN options,
so more experienced RNs can lend that
expertise to newer nurses.
What is more effective: investing in
recruitment or retention?
There is no one answer. For some staff,
compensation matters a great deal, so
we are always looking for ways to
enhance that. We cannot really compete
with some of the large staffing agencies,
so it is about making our organization
the best one for nurses to work at. As a
mission-driven organization, we try to
attract talent that is mission-focused, as
they align more to our vison for care
delivery. Besides all these pieces
coming together, we need to put our
arms around our nurses, help them feel
safe, supported, and able to grow a
long-term career.
What effective strategies for
increasing nurse retention do some
CNOs underestimate?
It is the importance of having relation-
ship building at the core that is often
underestimated or not prioritized in the
day-to-day business. What nurses want
is to come in and provide the best care
they can. That is what drives them to
nursing. First and foremost, they need
to feel safe. We now face a lot more
violence from patients and family
members than in the past. We have put
in place different systems, so if a
patient has a known history of violence,
different call lights indicate that staff
should be careful or not enter the room
alone. We have technology-based safety
devices they can quickly activate to get
help.
It is about creating a safe environment,
a place where their voice matters as
much as that of the physicians. Nurses
can take the lead and find solutions to
problems. We need to listen to them
and give them opportunities to take
care of their own health and wellness.
We have some wonderful music therapy
and wellness programs in place, spots
where they can take a break and feel
taken care of. CNOs know these things
are helpful, but they do not always
know how to enact them and how to
embrace it as a cultural change.
What trends should CNOs prepare
their organizations for?
We are moving towards more virtual
care, so nurses need to be trained to
deliver care via virtual reality, which
lacks the typical patient contact and
connectivity. So how do we train nurses
to recognize signs and symptoms within
the patient? That is a game-changer in
terms of what is coming.
Any final words of advice?
We will potentially have to partner
across health systems, to break down
some of the barriers between systems
and allow nurses to function at the top
of their license. We likely won’t get the
workforce back at the level we had
three years ago. We really must think
how we can drive the care delivery
model change. That is a heavy lift and
CNOs must be ready to lead the change.
It will mean having more support staff
and shifting a bit to virtual support, so
we are not as reliant on nurses for the
bulk of the work.
Looking at Alternate Ways of
Recruiting and Retaining Nurses
CNOs must
be ready
to lead
the change

2. The Healthcare Network -
marcus evans group delivers
peer-to-peer information on
strategic matters, professional
trends and breakthrough
innovations.
Please note that the Summit is a
closed business event and the
number of participants strictly
limited.
Contact
Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
For more information please send an email to press@marcusevanscy.com
All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced. Kindly
inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, case studies, roundtables and one-on-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
ACO & Payer Leadership Summit - www.f1.acopayerleadership.marcusevans-summits.com
Long-Term Care & Senior Living CXO Summit - www.longtermcaresummit.com
National Healthcare CFO Summit - www.nhcfosummit.com
National Healthcare CXO Summit - www.nhcxosummit.com
To view the web version of this interview, please click here:
https://events.marcusevans-events.com/healthcarecno2022-erin-jaynes
About the National Healthcare CNO Summit 2022
The National Healthcare CNO Summit is an invitation-only, premium Summit
bringing leading Nursing Officers and innovative suppliers and solution providers
together. The Summit’s content is aligned with key clinical trial challenges and
interests, relevant market developments, and practical and progressive ideas and
strategies adopted by successful pioneers.
www.s1.nhcnosummit.com