Taking on the nurse staffing crisis
Nurse staffing is at an all-time low. For years now, understaffing has been a severe problem in most hospitals all over the world. Every healthcare facility needs nurses; no matter how many new nurses graduate each year, the field cannot keep up with the staffing crisis. Let’s talk about taking on the nurse staffing crisis.
The staffing crisis today
The nursing shortage and understaffed hospitals are a problem that has been solved previously. It’s been here since the 1990s. In a time when hospitals were restructured, the warning bells were rung.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) and other nursing associations warned that decreasing staffing levels would adversely affect the quality of patient care provided. In recent times, there has been more and more research to prove the direct correlation between proper staffing and the quality of patient care.
New laws and legislation are also implemented to mitigate the staffing crisis.
An example of this would be the Washington State legislation of 2008. In this legislation, staffing committees must comprise at least 50% of the staff nurses. These nurses would help determine appropriate staffing levels and staffing plans. Further amendments were made to strengthen this legislation in 2017.
The nurses themselves are one of the most affected by the staffing crisis.
This shortage can lead to increased workloads for existing nurses, leading to burnout and an increased risk of errors.
Various factors cause this staffing crisis, including an aging nursing workforce, a lack of nursing students, and increasing demand for healthcare services due to an aging population.
Additionally, many nurses leave the profession due to high-stress levels, low pay, and lack of job satisfaction.
To address the crisis, healthcare organizations are implementing recruitment and retention strategies. These include strategies such as offering sign-on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, and more flexible schedules.
Additionally, the government has been investing in programs to increase the number of nursing students and retain experienced nurses.
However, the crisis is ongoing, and more must be done to ensure adequate nurses meet the growing demand for healthcare services.
Combatting and taking on the nurse staffing crisis
Be proactive, not reactive
Don’t wait for nurses to get burned out or for the nursing shortage to worsen. Being proactive and taking the initiative is better for the hospital and the staff.
Facilities have offered several temporary solutions to combat the high nurse turnover rate and worsening crisis. These include programs for higher education or sign-on bonuses for travel nurses and other specialty nurses.
Those are merely short-term solutions, however. There must be long-term solutions to retain your nursing working force. Figuring out the root cause of the problem can be a big help.
Are your nurses burned out? Offer programs that can assist their mental health. Too unbalanced patient-to-staff ratio? Adjust the workforce to alleviate some of their stress while considering patients.
Find ways to prevent crises instead of finding solutions for the crisis.
Include your staff when making decisions
As the backbone of the hospital, the nurses know best when it comes to its inner workings.
When the hospital administration makes decisions, it’s essential never to belittle or disregard nurses. These nurses can often give you an honest picture of your hospital’s condition.
Including your staff in decisions will signal to them that they are an essential part of the healthcare community. They are also the most capable of deciding upon matters involving them.
The legislation mentioned above, passed in 2008, is just one situation that proves this. Ensuring nurses are included will do wonders for retaining them and improving the hospital from the inside out.
Increase support for nursing schools
Most nursing schools today need more facilities, resources, or faculty. This has proved a significant problem for the upcoming nurses.
Many who wish to pursue nursing may feel discouraged by this, resulting in fewer nursing graduates per year.
These nursing graduates are valuable in reducing the staffing crisis happening everywhere. Increasing support for these schools will increase funding for nursing education programs, scholarships, and grants for nursing students.
Funding for research in nursing education, as well as funding for clinical training, can help. Investing in nursing education ensures that there are enough qualified nurses to meet the demands of the healthcare industry and improve the quality of care for patients.
Value your nurses
The staffing crisis has shown us that nurses are a precious part of the hospital. Taking on the nurse staffing crisis is a challenge. Healthcare facilities can mitigate the nurse staffing crisis through different strategies and increased support.