Here's What We Asked Our Readers

Nurses were asked to rate each statement using the scale below for the hospital where they work.

Scale   
1-Strongly disagree
2-Disagree
3-Neutral
4-Agree
5-Strongly agree

Quality of Care
This Hospital:
1. Consistently provides high quality care to patients
2. Offers appropriate medical experts for its patient population
3. Provides consistent, adequate nurse staffing
4. Assures all staff are properly trained and educated
5. Provides state-of-the-art treatment technology
6. Strives to ensure medical devices and supplies are the highest quality
7. Enforces a plan to ensure safe, accurate treatment of patients
8. Promotes a holistic plan of care
9. Implements evidence-based practice
10. Provides nurses with time and tools for effective patient education

Organizational Culture
This Hospital:
1. Advocates for its nurses
2. Supports shared governance
3. Has respectful physician-nurse relationships
4. Embraces nurses of all cultures
5. Demonstrates respect for nurses
6. Has a nursing staff that supports each other
7. Has a culture of accountability
8. Supports patient advocacy
9. Maintains a safe working environment
10. Promotes collaboration across all disciplines

Communication
This Hospital:
1. Has nurses who exhibit respectful behavior toward each other
2. Encourages clear and respectful communication
3. Has an effective process for reporting errors
4. Has appropriate tools for intra-hospital communication
5. Involves nurses in strategic planning
6. Has management that is accessible
7. Has management that keeps nurses informed
8. Provides ongoing feedback to nurses
9. Has an effective process for performance appraisal
10. Promotes community outreach

Professional Development
This Hospital:
1. Compensates for independent continuing education
2. Offers tuition reimbursement for degreed programs
3. Supports attendance to nursing conferences
4. Encourages membership in professional associations
5. Encourages and rewards certification
6. Utilizes career ladders
7. Has an effective orientation program
8. Has an effective staff development department
9. Provides opportunities for nursing research
10. Provides state-of-the-art nursing technology

Retention Efforts
This Hospital:
1. Offers a competitive salary
2. Has a competitive benefits package
3. Has appropriate workloads
4. Provides flexibility with work schedules
5. Values and accommodates older nurses
6. Recognizes employees
7. Provides growth opportunity
8. Rewards longevity
9. Compensates advanced education
10. Is financially stable