Research to Practice: Long-Term Care Charge Nurse Peer Mentoring
There are a variety of issues facing long-term care nursing facilities.Grantee Name
Foundation for Long Term Care
Funding Area
Special Projects Fund
Publication Date
April 2013
Grant Amount
$154,000
Grant Date:
January 1, 2008–May 17, 2010
There are a variety of issues facing long-term care nursing facilities.
First, there is a severe shortage of long-term care registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in New York State. According to a 2006 report by LeadingAge New York, about 65% of New York nursing homes reported having unfilled RN and LPN positions. In addition, nursing programs rarely train students in management. Yet when RNs or LPNs start working in long-term care settings, they are thrust into management and leadership positions as charge nurses, leading to difficulties in these roles and a resulting high turnover rate. In September 2007, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) awarded the Foundation for Long Term Care (FLTC) a grant to expand across New York State the Pathways to Leadership program, a leadership, management, and communications training program aimed at reducing turnover of charge nurses.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Led a half-day session for administrators on the rationale and benefits of a leadership program for charge nurses, options for implementing it, and best practices. A total of 165 nursing home administrators attended the session.
- Led a two-day train-the-trainer session for nurses to deliver the program to others at their facility. Topics included teaching management, leadership, and communication skills in nursing home settings; practice; and confidence-building. A total of 194 nurses attended the two-day train-the-trainer session.
- Organized three focus groups to gain a better understanding of the project’s outcomes and impact.
- Made a series of recommendations to promote successful implementation and efficient grant management of a charge nurse peer-mentoring program.