Creating Roles to Retain the Experienced Mature Nurse in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

Creative strategies are needed to retain the mature (older/aging) experienced nurse in clinical settings. In the post-anesthesia care unit, as in other perioperative and critical care units, it is essential to keep skilled practitioners in their specialty. These skills take years to develop and are necessary to deliver safe patient care. A strategy focused on retaining experienced nurses is necessary to ensure the transference of knowledge from baby boomers to future generations, especially Generation Y the generation large enough to fill the nursing void left when baby boomers retire. The goal is to create roles attractive enough to entice mature nurses to continue working. This will require the development of multiple strategies such as improving working conditions and enhancing communication and team building between multiple generations that currently make up the workforce. Retaining the mature experienced nurse will make a difference in the quality of care, enhance the quality of nursing orientation and education, and contribute to the quality of patient care.