Recruitment, Retention and Morally Inhabitable Environments

Abstract

The FNS expected much of its nurses. The work was difficult, demanding and the hours long, even when compared to the equally dismal hospital standards which existed at the time outside of the region. In addition to this, the physical environment was isolated, rough, rustic and rural and the culture alien to all those outside of Appalachia, even to other Americans coming into the area. Yet Breckinridge managed to keep her staff at a time when other organizations and institutions outside of Appalachia with less physically and emotionally demanding work environments could not. Breckinridge’s personal background, education and professional employment history prior to founding the FNS equipped her to understand the challenges she would face in decreasing her nurses’ responses to ‘burnout’ in such an environment. It also helped her to develop a health care delivery system that promoted positive adaptation and facilitated quality care. These personal qualities as well as professional expertise are characteristics that set the tone of any organization’s culture [1].