More Powell Valley Healthcare staff are sticking around than in the last year.

At a recent board of directors meeting, CEO Terry Odom announced that in July and especially August, staff turnover had been below the previous year and in or below the range the hospital had set as the goal for the year. 

“We’re doing a better job of rounding with people,” she said. “Talking with them, see why they want to stay, how to keep them here.”

Last year there was an average of 19.80% turnover overall at the hospital and this year’s goal (fiscal year 2023) is 17-19%. In July it was 18.03% and in August 15.97%. 

In 2018 the rate was 23.24%, in 2019 was the recent low of 14.49% and in 2020, 17.54%.

Clinical turnover is quite a bit higher than nonclinical turnover but amongst both, the average monthly turnovers decreased in the last two months, with clinical turnover down to 17.73% in August from an average of 21.36% last year and nonclinical down to 13.14% from an average of 16.01%.  

There are 459 employees at PVHC, six of those being employees who had left and since returned, including two in the lab, which Odom said was very helpful. 

These rounding sessions are done frequently. One staff member said the weekly rounding session in the ER had been helpful, especially with goodies also being provided. 

“We currently work on having 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, 10-12 months conversations with staff members to gain feedback on how we are doing as an employer and how they feel they are doing as an employee,” HR director Carrie Tinsley said. 

The hospital has also implemented a year-long clinical residency program for recently graduated staff that Odom said is also meant to improve retention past the one-year mark. There are two LPNs, two paramedics and two RNs in the program.