The goal of Parkview’s E-RN program was to create a new, less physically demanding role designed to attract and retain retired and near-retirement RNs. Parkview developed a series of guidelines to meet this objective.

Position description, compensation, work requirements

• Work hours are flexible to meet the emeritus nurse needs, roles can range from 0.2 to 0.8 FTE
  
  
• Four hours per pay period as the suggested minimum to work
  
  
• Functional roles are developed or targeted to emphasize the use of their nursing knowledge with limited physical requirements
  
  
• Compensation is commensurate with years of experience and hours worked. E-RNs are treated as per-diem positions with no other additional benefits

Discussions with leadership identified several key opportunities to deploy E-RNs across four key functional roles: nurse mentorship and support, nursing quality, patient experience, and patient flow.

Using feedback from the initial cohort of E-RNs, leaders, and nursing staff the current E-RN responsibilities have been streamlined and now focus on functions deemed most beneficial for the organization: mentoring new RNs, patient rounding, and discharge phone calls.

After scoping the E-RN role, Parkview’s nursing leadership next focused on recruiting high-value staff to fill the position. Their process is detailed below:

Broadening the candidate pool

Building on this initial success, Parkview has now focuses on proactively transitioning high-performing nurses nearing retirement to the E-RN role. Nurse unit managers identify high performing nurses nearing retirement on their units and elevate the names of these individuals to HR. HR and nursing unit managers then reach out to these staff members prior to their retirement to discuss a potential transition to the E-RN role. During this initial conversation, nurse managers share information about the role and solicit feedback on which job responsibilities would be most engaging to the individual. If a nurse indicates interest in a transition into an E-RN role, they are either offered a position (if available) or placed on a wait list until an opening on an appropriate unit occurs.

Parkview’s E-RNs play a key role in boosting employee wellbeing and promoting a positive organizational culture, using their long experience in the workplace to identify symptoms of burnout and stress in younger nurses and reinforce organizational values. To ensure seamless reintegration to the workforce, Parkview leaders require all E-RNs to participate in new nurse orientation. This participation is essential not only because it serves to bring retired nurses up-to-speed on clinical protocols and best practices, but also because it serves as a platform for introducing the E-RNs to the existing Parkview workforce. The orientation process immediately connects E-RNs to new gradates and enables them to form informal mentorship relationships early on. New nurses have responded well to Parkview’s E-RNs and have reported feeling more comfortable performing in their role and voicing concerns to the E-RN in their facility.