Managing paraprofessional turnover in long-term care settings: An organizational approac

This capstone project provided an analysis of retention problems in long-term care organizations across the United States. More specifically, the project examined contributing organizational factors for improvement of retention of the paraprofessional and direct support staff in long-term care settings. A comprehensive literature review was conducted as the primary data collection method. A comparative analysis was performed on various organizational factors including: management practices, team work environment, salary and benefits and other common organizational factors such as career advancement. The literature examined consisted of peer reviewed journal articles, case studies and surveys using search engines and websites including: Utica College Library, ProQuest and Bureau of Labor Statistics. These studies and surveys were utilized in the comparative analysis to examine organizational factors specific to leadership practices, team work environments and shared decision-making and their impact on retention of the paraprofessional. Findings supported the analysis and revealed a strong correlation between positive leadership practices and organizational design in relation to paraprofessional retention. Practical application of the findings included principles of frontline empowerment, shared decision-making models and formal leadership trainings. It is anticipated that this document may be utilized as a reference tool for organizational leadership and human resource professionals to further promote the importance of developing leadership trainings and fostering team work environments within the long-term care setting. The objective of this project was to create a value-added reference which emphasized the importance of positive management practices and team work environments to the reader.