Workforce shortages continue to threaten the ability of hospitals to provide proper staffing to care for their patients. The vacancy rate of respiratory therapists in 2007 was 12.5% and the turnover percentage for respiratory therapists was 14.1%. Respiratory Therapy Managers want to know the best strategies that retain their employees.
Two survey instruments were used for this study. One was given to clinical staff Respiratory Therapists and the other was given to managers of Respiratory Therapists. Both groups were asked questions regarding 17 effective retention strategies.
Managers rated 12 of the 17 strategies as effective and the clinicians rated 15 of the 17 as effective. Nine of the 17 strategies were rated significantly different between managers and clinicians. The most highly rated strategy dealt with compensation. Comparisons between clinicians showed little differences as did managers. There are small differences between managers with high retention rates and managers with low retention rates.