3 posts
Re:Topic 1 DQ 1
The nursing profession is and has been experiencing what is often described as an unendurable shortage of clinical nurses. Throughout the past few decades, U.S. hospitals have faced cyclical shortages of nurses, hospital nursing positions were unfilled and the percentage continued to drop due to a broad set of factors related to recruitment and retention-among them, fewer workers, an aging workforce, and unsatisfying work environments-that have contributed to a different kind of shortage that is more complex, more serious, and expected to last longer than previous shortages (Harris interactive, 2002). Without a sufficient number of nurses, patient care and safety may become compromised, while nurses themselves may be overwhelmed, distressed, and dissatisfied. High patient-to-nurse ratios have been shown to lead to frustration and job burnout, which is linked to higher turnover. For instance, recent studies continue to show that taking care of too many patients and working overtime and long shifts are not uncommon and are associated with errors and poorer quality of care. Fewer …show more content…
This is done by implementing specific strategies to retain experienced nurses in the provision of direct patient care. This is in the form of introducing greater flexibility into work environment structure and scheduling programs, rewarding experienced nurses for serving as mentors and/or preceptors for new registered nurses, and implementing appropriate salary and benefit programs. The profession should create a partnership environment that advances the practice of nursing by establishing appropriate management structures within the healthcare system, ensure adequate nurse staffing, provide nurses with adequate autonomy over their practice in all settings, and also redesign work to enable an aging work force to remain active in direct care
Re:Topic 1 DQ 1
The nursing profession is and has been experiencing what is often described as an unendurable shortage of clinical nurses. Throughout the past few decades, U.S. hospitals have faced cyclical shortages of nurses, hospital nursing positions were unfilled and the percentage continued to drop due to a broad set of factors related to recruitment and retention-among them, fewer workers, an aging workforce, and unsatisfying work environments-that have contributed to a different kind of shortage that is more complex, more serious, and expected to last longer than previous shortages (Harris interactive, 2002). Without a sufficient number of nurses, patient care and safety may become compromised, while nurses themselves may be overwhelmed, distressed, and dissatisfied. High patient-to-nurse ratios have been shown to lead to frustration and job burnout, which is linked to higher turnover. For instance, recent studies continue to show that taking care of too many patients and working overtime and long shifts are not uncommon and are associated with errors and poorer quality of care. Fewer …show more content…
This is done by implementing specific strategies to retain experienced nurses in the provision of direct patient care. This is in the form of introducing greater flexibility into work environment structure and scheduling programs, rewarding experienced nurses for serving as mentors and/or preceptors for new registered nurses, and implementing appropriate salary and benefit programs. The profession should create a partnership environment that advances the practice of nursing by establishing appropriate management structures within the healthcare system, ensure adequate nurse staffing, provide nurses with adequate autonomy over their practice in all settings, and also redesign work to enable an aging work force to remain active in direct care