I often find articles about recruiting and retaining nurses to be irrelevant to our work, because they generally miss the major issues we face. However, I just read this article from Hospital & Health Networks, and I think it makes some excellent points. I especially like their 9 Principles to Foster Staff Retention:
 
1. Respectful collegial communication and behavior    
• Team orientation
• Presence of trust
• Respect for diversity
2. Communication-rich culture    
• Clear and respectful
• Open and trusting
3. A culture of accountability    
• Role expectations are clearly defined
• Everyone is accountable
4. The presence of adequate numbers of qualified nurses    
• Ability to provide quality care to meet client/patient needs
• Work and home life balance
5. The presence of expert, competent, credible, visible leadership    
• Serve as an advocate for nursing practice
• Support shared decision-making
• Allocate resources to support nursing
6. Shared decision-making at all levels    
• Nurses participate in system, organizational and process decisions
• Formal structure exists to support shared decision-making
• Nurses have control over their practice
7. The encouragement of professional practice and continued growth/ development 
• Continuing education/certification is supported/encouraged
• Participation in professional association encouraged
• An information-rich environment is supported
8. Recognition of the value of nursing’s contribution    
• Reward and pay for performance
• Career mobility and expansion
9. Recognition of nurses for their meaningful contribution to the practice
 
[Nurse Retention: An Executive's Guide to Keeping One of Your Hospital's Most Valuable Resources]