Nursing Shortage And Nurse Turnover

Introduction

The ongoing instability in the nursing workforce has raised many questions about the issue of nursing shortage and nurse turnover (Gates & Jones, 2007). The compressive paper below will discuss the issues of nursing shortage and nurse turnover. The paper will also describe how leaders, as well as nurse managers and leaders, can resolve those problems effectively and the different applicable principles, skills, roles of the leader, and theories of leadership and management.

Factors Contributing to Nursing Shortage and Nurse Turnover

There are various factors that are contributing to the current nursing shortage and turnover; some of the factors include poor nursing staff retention, poor working conditions, nurse burn-out due to working short-staffed, a critical nursing faculty shortage, an aging nursing workforce and greater career choices for women.   Additionally, there is inadequate funding from the federal government for nursing education which in turn has created long waitlists and the turning away of applicants for entry.

Impact of Nursing Shortage on Healthcare

According to Paller (2012), the nursing shortage in different countries,, for example,, the United States, tends not to be the only growing problem but has also become a complex one. Nursing shortage and nurse turnover have become a worsening predicament in the healthcare industry in the United States. Several studies have shown that in 2020, the problem may worsen more than it is today if no measures are taken to resolve the problem.

Role of Leadership in Nursing Workforce Management

For the proper functioning of the hospital facilities, each hospital must have its own managers and leaders who will be responsible for day-to-day running activities in that organization. The future and the success of the hospitals can only be decided by the long-term strategy that the leaders and the overall management implement. Poor management and effective leadership in hospitals usually put the lives of people in danger. It is true that when there are shortages of nurses, the nursing turnover rate will, on the other hand, increase. This is because most employees prefer working in an environment where they are esteemed and where there is less stress at the workplace (Gates & Jones, 2007). For that case, managers and leaders in the hospitals are placing greater emphasis on how to retain the current staff instead of hiring new staff, given that workplace learning is essential to staff and managers, allowing managers to know how they can handle every individual in the workplace. Nurses are able to perform well and meet the organization’s goals if only they can see support from the leadership as well as management. Managers should understand their staff and know what inspires them so as to stick to their facility. According to Northeastern University College of Business Administration (2012), the provision of a good working environment with great opportunities for professional growth and support for the staff encourages worker retention.

Critical Thinking as a Nursing Leadership Philosophy

A good leader should ensure that they have a well established leadership skill by having a clear plan of what they should do and a vision, they should also have a good understanding on how the vision and plans should be achieved, however vision only cannot be sufficient enough. The managers should, therefore, share the vision with their subordinates and find ways of acting upon it as they should try to have excellent interpersonal formal as well as informal relationship skills in solving the problems. According to Wong (2003), effective communication between the managers and staff in the organization is significant since it allows the managers to perform their basic functions, which involve planning, organizing, controlling as well as leading, making them perform their jobs and responsibilities. Similarly, leaders and managers must communicate effectively with their staff members to achieve the set goals since the success of the organization may not be possible without proper communication.

The Role of Critical Thinking in Nursing Leadership

The approach that best fits my personal and professional philosophy of nursing is critical thinking. Critical thinking displays how an individual has intellectual skills and ability towards a certain task assigned; it is also an approach that suits an individual personal leadership style. Nursing work requires proper critical thinking that enables one to apply skilful reasoning for guiding action. Critical thinking in nursing provides clinical decision-making of systematic thinking, which reflects the reasoning process to be used so as to ensure safe nursing practices as well as quality care. According to Heaslip (2008), “Critical thinking, when developed in the practitioner, includes adherence to intellectual standards, proficiency in using reasoning, a commitment to develop and maintain intellectual traits of the mind and habits of thought and the competent use of thinking skills and abilities for sound clinical judgments and safe decision-making”.

Importance of Critical Thinking in Nursing Practice

The practitioners in nursing who happen to be critical in their thinking, in most cases, adhere to the intellectual standards given that they try very hard to strive for clarity, complete logicality, and to be fair while they listen to their clients. Nurses should eliminate illogical thoughts by not being imprecise, unclear, and vague when reasoning about the client’s care. Nurses who are critical thinkers tend to hold all their views and reasoning to these standards ( Heaslip, 2008). The approach of critical thinking in the philosophy of nursing suits my personal leadership skills in various ways, firstly it helps me explore the talents and skills that I have in attending to the clients and secondly it makes me achieve the goals set by the organization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, addressing the nursing shortage and nurse turnover is essential to the sustainability and effectiveness of healthcare delivery. Effective leadership, critical thinking, and proper management play a vital role in improving nurse retention and ensuring a productive and supportive work environment for healthcare professionals.

References

Paller, D. A. (2012). Rx for the Nursing Shortage. Gallup Business Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2012, from http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/13603/nursing-shortage.aspx

Northeastern University, College of Business Administration. (2012). Northeastern University, College of Business Administration. Retrieved November 6, 2012, from web.archive.org/web/20080211140854/http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/skills/writovv.htm

Gates, M., & Jones, C. B. (2007). The Costs and Benefits of Nurse Turnover: A Business Case for Nurse Retention. American Nurses Association. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from http://www.nursingworld.org/mainmenucategories/anamarketplace/anaperiodicals/ojin/tableofcontents/volume122007/no3sept07/nurseretention.aspx

Heaslip, P. (2008). Critical Thinking and Nursing. Critical Thinking. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-and-nursing/834

Wong, A. S. (2003). Verbal Communication Model. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from http://www.vtaide.com/lifeskills/verbalC.htm

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