Recently, we came across a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 79-page pdf on the web titled, Wisdom at Work:  The Importance of the Older and Experienced Nurse in the Workplace. Published in 2006, the paper was a response to the "current and increasingly daunting crisis resulting from the shortage of nurses." It reviews the literature about the older nurse, presents a business case for implementation of strategies in increase retention and recruitment of the older nurse, shares the results of interviews and surveys with expert nurses, and recommends a set of best practices to address the crisis.

 

An abridged version of Wisdom at Work is available here. It is 18 pages and consists of the Table of Contents, Executive Summary, set of Best Practices, and a sample Healthy System Survey. We thought that the Best Practices recommendations, six pages worth, were very pointed and might be especially useful to you and your organization going forward. Two snippets lifted from the set of recommendations follow: 

  

--Flexible Work Options: "Scripps Health offers two complementary programs: job sharing and flexible work options. Job sharing at Scripps Health is an option for all employees, especially those who want to work part-time or fewer hours. Two employees can share the same job position."

--Training, Lifelong Learning, and Professional Development: "Ohio State University Medical Center has two career enhancement programs -- Program 60+ allows anyone over 60 to audit it classes free of charge, and the Bridge Program helps older workers transition into college."