Nurse Staffing Committee Toolkit
Nurse Staffing Committee Toolkit
During 2023, representatives from VHHA and the Virginia Nurses Association (VNA) worked to develop a Nurse Staffing Committee Framework and Principles for Developing Nurse Staffing Plans. The goal was to create a Framework and Principles that could be used by hospitals and health systems as they develop and implement Nurse Staffing Committees. Nurse Staffing Committees should ensure that nurses are not only members of these committees but that their voices carry meaningful influence in shaping staffing policies in ways that address the realities of patient care and workforce needs.
Nurse Staffing Committees are standing committees that review nurse staffing on a regular basis and collaborate on continuous improvement to ensure positive patient outcomes, a healthy and safe work environment, and a culture of transparency. Staffing committees should ensure that the critical voice of our nursing teams is utilized to solve workload and staffing challenges, and ultimately to ensure optimal care and outcomes.
In April 2024, the VHHA Board of Directors voted to adopt the developed Framework and implement Nurse Staffing Committees in their hospitals.
This toolkit includes resources and documents to assist hospital teams with implementing Nurse Staffing Committees. The Nurse Staffing Committee Framework document should serve as a structured template for this work while also allowing flexibility for individual hospitals to customize plans appropriate for their unique needs. Links to guidance documents are provided below.
September 2024 Nurse Staffing Committee Presentation Slides
Nurse Staffing Committee Framework
FAQ: Nurse Staffing Committees
Sample: Nurse Staffing Committee Purpose, Objective, and Structure Document
Sample: Initial Staffing Committee Agenda
Sample: Standing Staffing Committee Agenda
Sample: Staffing Committee QI Audit Tool