Nursing Shortage And Turnover Case Study

Nursing shortage and turnover is a continuous struggle throughout health care facilities. This in turn affects the quality of patient care and the workload of other nurses, causing an increase in nursing burnout. Nursing shortage occurs when there is a smaller amount of nurses who are employed at the time when the demand for them is drastically higher, where turnover is defined as the loss of an employee due to any number of reasons (Huber, 2010). Numerous studies have been done and it has been found that with the baby boomers aging and the increased responsibilities/duties of nurses throughout healthcare, the need for nurses will continue to grow. It is projected by 2025 the nursing shortage will be up to 260,000 jobs for RN’s (AACN, 2014).
This is done by ensuring that new nurses have adequate training and orientation to their work environment so that they don’t feel overwhelmed. Managers should also make sure staff has access to continuing education and training programs and also encourage their staff to further their knowledge and skills. Managers can do this by making sure these resources are available to their staff as well as directing them on the proper steps for tuition reimbursement. Not only will this help with nursing shortage and turnover rates, but allowing flexible scheduling also helps keep staff happy and they are more likely to cover extra shifts when the need arises. Managers also need to be able to communicate well with their staff so that they are aware of what is going on within their department and any concerns staff may
By ensuring that a facility is adequately staffed workload, stress and they physical and mental demand on staff is decrease. Also it will allow for flexibility in staff schedules. This in turn will allow nurses to continue their education and ultimately allow for more qualified individuals to teach at nursing schools across the country which would allow for bigger/more classes availability in nursing schools. Most importantly the writer believes that all managers and leaders should work together to help ensure that the staff’s needs and concerns are heard and the right steps are taken because this will provide a sense of team work throughout the entire health care facility. Health care facilities also need to ensure that nursing staff receives competitive pay as well as benefits to help prevent their staff from looking for a different job that offer these things as many times this is one of the deciding factors on where an individual chooses to work. It is also important to show staff appreciation within the workplace as it serves as motivation for staff to strive to better their selves and provide the best possible care to their