ANSWER
Shortage of nurses and high nurse turnover
There is a critical shortage of registered nurses in the United States. The demand for nursing services appears to be greater than the supply. As a result, hospital administrators face significant challenges. The high turnover rates have significantly contributed to the current shortage. The turnover has negatively affected the nurses who have remained in the profession. It has decreased unit cohesion, job satisfaction, the burden on existing employees, and decreased patient care quality (Warner, 2014). The increased cost of hiring, recruiting, selecting, placing, and training new personnel results in additional costs for relevant facilities. Numerous factors contribute to the high rate of nursing turnover. Scheduling flexibility, clinical staff competency, work-related stress, the need for recognition, an aging workforce, and poor leadership and management skills are just a few examples.
The aging population is expected to increase demand for healthcare services as many baby boomers reach retirement age and their healthcare needs intensify (Chapman, 2012). As a result of the ongoing nursing shortage, the population will be deprived of quality care. Nurse managers and leaders must devise strategies to address shortages and turnover issues.
Approaching the Nursing Shortage and Nurse Turnover Problem
Nurse Supervisor
A nurse manager is responsible for ensuring that everything works as it should, regardless of whether they manage a division, unit, or service line. As a result, a nurse manager is responsible for quality improvement, patient care planning, goal setting, quality improvement, and budgeting. A nurse manager is also in charge of staff schedules, professional development, and performance, among other things (Huber, 2014). As a result, a nurse manager can use their position to reduce the current level of nursing turnover. This can be accomplished by ensuring that nurses working under them receive the necessary job satisfaction. A nurse manager should ensure flexibility when allocating tasks so that nurses do not feel overburdened. The goals outlined to nurses should also be realistic and achievable to reduce frustration among nurses. This will also help to reduce work-related stress and thus increase job satisfaction. As a result, turnover will be significantly reduced.
A nurse manager must also be proficient in communication, critical thinking, coaching, guidance, and strategy, among other things. This will ensure that nursing directives are clearly understood and aligned with the relevant organizational objectives. This aspect will result in nurses doing what is necessary, thus fulfilling their scope (Murray, 2017). As a result, turnover related to competency will be significantly reduced, assisting in the long-term eradication of the nursing shortage.
The nurse manager could also use the system approach theory to solve the problem. Using this theory to manage will assist the manager in organizing all interconnected parts of the organization to ensure smooth operations. Everyone is happy when all of the subsystems are operating efficiently because they are not overburdened by inefficiency from other areas, and there is also increased cohesiveness. The feature boosts nurse satisfaction, which leads to a higher retention rate.
Nurse Manager
On the other hand, a nurse leader is more concerned with driving change, establishing standards, and influencing and inspiring the team. The roles involved focus on quality control, policy development, and patient and staff satisfaction. A nurse leader can easily use her or his policy-making role to increase nurses’ job satisfaction. This is accomplished by ensuring policies are implemented to improve the working environment. Employee satisfaction from such aspects motivates them to stay in the profession for a long time, lowering turnover rates.
A nurse leader must exhibit emotional intelligence, critical thinking, communication, professional socialization, mentorship, decision-making, and team building abilities (Murray, 2017). These skills allow the nurse leader to connect with the nurses more personally. He or she can see them as people, not just resources. This benefits their development because of the aspects transferred from the leader. Because there is a positive working environment, it helps to create a sense of belonging, which reduces turnover rates.
Nursing shortages and turnover would benefit from trait leadership theory. This will necessitate the nurse leader exhibiting characteristics such as self-confidence, integrity, and the ability to motivate. There are times when nurses may experience a lack of motivation at work, leading some to leave the profession in search of “greener pastures” (Murray, 2017). A leader who can motivate employees will help reduce turnover. Employee motivation helps them see that they can handle any situation that comes their way.
The approach that best corresponds to my nursing philosophy
The approach I value most in addressing the issue of nurse shortage and turnover is creating a positive workplace environment. The majority of the reasons for increased nurse turnover are related to a lack of job satisfaction. A positive work environment fosters a supportive culture that promotes growth for individuals and organizations. Such an environment also aids in the prevention of adverse outcomes such as hostility, stress, unhappiness, team conflict, and dismissal fears (Warner, 2014). These things can easily cause anxiety, insomnia, and depression in nurses, lowering their competence levels and leading to a turnover. A positive work environment will instil pride in nurses because they believe in the facility. This will help reduce turnover and encourage more people to join the profession because they will see how nurses enjoy their work based on their work environment.
Potential Funding Source
Nursing shortages and turnover can be addressed by recruiting more nurses for various institutions. This will necessitate an increase in the number of students pursuing nursing degrees to supplement the workforce and alleviate the inherent shortage. As a result, increased funding for nursing education will be required. Loans, grants, and scholarships are available to students. The FNSNA Scholarship, BS Nursing Scholarship, ENA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship, and American Assembly for Men in Nursing Scholarship are the relevant funding sources for this case.
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QUESTION
Leadership and Management Approaches that Work
In this assignment, you will write a 1,000-1,250-word essay describing how nursing leaders and managers approach practice issues differently. Do the following to finish this assignment:
Choose one of the following issues: nursing shortages and nurse turnover, nurse staffing ratios, unit closures and restructuring, use of contract employees (such as registry and travel nurses), continuous quality improvement and patient satisfaction, and magnet designation.
Compare and contrast how you think nursing leaders and managers should approach your chosen issue. Use the theories, principles, skills, and roles of the leader versus manager described in your readings to back up your argument.
Identify the approach that best fits your personal and professional nursing philosophy and explain why it is appropriate for your personal leadership style.
Determine a potential funding source for your problem. Consider federal, state, and local government organizations. For example, there are numerous grants available through the CDC, HRSA, and other organizations.
Use at least two references other than your text and the course materials.
Prepare this assignment in accordance with the APA guidelines found in the Student Success Center’s APA Style Guide. There is no need for an abstract.
A rubric is used for this assignment. Please review the rubric before beginning the assignment to become acquainted with the requirements for successful completion.
This assignment must be submitted to LopesWrite. Please follow the steps outlined in the Student Success Center.
Use as a Reference:
D. Huber (2014). Nursing care management and leadership (5th ed.). Saunders Elsevier, Maryland Heights, MO. ISBN-13:9781455740710.