Analysis of a Pertinent Healthcare Issue
Running Head; ANALYSIS OF A PERTINENT HEALTHCARE ISSUE: NURSING SHORTAGE 1
ANALYSIS OF A PERTINENT HEALTHCARE ISSUE: NURSING SHORTAGE 2
Analysis of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue: Nursing Shortage
Mbirigfamm Abmabnhe
NURS 6053: Interprofessional Organizational And Systems Leadership
Walden University
9/7/2019
Analysis of A Pertinent Healthcare Issue: Nursing Shortage
The provision of quality healthcare is a major priority to any nation across the globe. However, many problems continue to plague the healthcare sector. This has called for a continuous search for quality improvement measures to maintain the standards of healthcare outcomes. If pursued successfully, the Quadruple Aim of healthcare is a good example of a tool that can be used to focus on specific goals that are supposed to be achieved by the healthcare sector to improve outcomes. The tool asserts that leaders in the sector need to ensure that they not only identify stressors but also contribute towards making the necessary changes. This approach effectively reduces the stress that the sector faces in as far as delivering quality healthcare is concerned. This white paper focuses on the problem of a looming shortage of nurses and the impact on healthcare quality outcomes. Good introduction
The Pertinent Healthcare Issue
A significant increase in the world population has caused the healthcare sector to have several challenges. One area of concern that has persisted is the problem of nurse shortages. Just like many other healthcare practitioners, nurses are critical to the overall functioning of the sector. Therefore, a shortage of practitioners in this field is a real threat to its future. Nursing organizations and institutions, as well as curious researchers, have investigated the causes of this to try and find solutions to it. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), this nursing shortage is expected to intensify as the baby boomers age, which is _______________(Reference?). The demographics indicate that many of the current nurses are within this age (what age is that?), implying that there is going to be a problem when this population of workers lot retires. Additionally, research by Ball, Doyle & Oocumma, (2015) also indicateds that very few young people are currently pursuing the profession of nursing. This has forced the AACN to work hand in hand with policymakers, educational institutions and nursing organizations to bring attention to this healthcare concern (Reference?).
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2016-2026, the Registered Nursing (RN) profession is not only a great job but also offers more in terms of opportunities for growth (Reference?). While this is the case, a forecast published in the January 2012 issue of the American Journal of Medical Quality called “United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast” indicated that a shortage of registered nurses is projected to spread across the country between 2009 and 2030 (I do not see this reference on your reference page). There are several causes of this shortage; first, there is a shortage of nursing school faculty that is restricting the enrollment of students to nursing programs. Additionally, a significant segment of the nursing workforce is nearing retirement age (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2018). This will, by far, increase the problem considering that a significant percentage of this population will retire soon, with no one to replace them. Another key issue is changing demographics, with the current trend signaling a need for more nurses to care for our the aging population (Ortman, Velkoff, & Hogan, 2014). This means that the ratio of nurse to patient needs to be revisited to allow for better healthcare provision even to an increased population with special needs. Another significant issue regards insufficient staffing is raising the stress level of nurses, impacting job satisfaction, and driving many nurses to leave the profession (Aiken, et al., 2017). Good background information
This dire nursing shortage will affect the delivery of healthcare to a large extent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be a shortage of more than 1 million nurses by 2022, if nothing happens to change the situation. Creative solutions have been proposed by many researchers and private institutions for the government to implement. Healthcare institutions have been forced to look for short- term solutions such as increasing the working hours of the current lot workforce while offering them financial incentives instead of cutting back on available hospital beds. How can they cut back on beds? Where would the sick patients go? Another short term solution has been to have temporary ‘travel nurses’ who would not only work in shifts but also work from one geographical location to another. This also attracts financial incentives, which are not only costly to the organizations but also increase the chances of poor delivery of services due to fatigue. As such, the only viable solution that will serve in the long term is to ensure that the next generation of nurses is not only available but well trained. Won’t the shortage of nurses highten awareness and cause more folks to go into nursing?
Recommendations
This purpose of this shite (what is a shite?) paper is to provides a series of recommendations that can be implemented by the government to solve this problem. First, there is a need to focus on employee development of nurses. Indeed, the nursing profession is known to stagnate with little or no improvement opportunities (reference?). As such, the sector needs to focus on continued development and training of its employees by providing a basis of education for practitioners to follow. This includes having in place a firm curriculum that is capable of equipping nurses with the necessary skills to further their profession (are you just suggesting this or did you find this in a scholarly source?).
Another solution is to develop mentorship programs for young and upcoming nurses who are interested in pursuing the profession. This will go a long way to ensure that a seasoned employee does not leave with years of experience and knowledge. Instead, they will be able to pass on this knowledge to someone younger who will also be able to pass it along (Reference?).
Nurses are also encouraged to focus on their duties and responsibilities so that they are more productive. In some instances, increasing the number of nurses available may encourage some to relax and lessen their overall work. Therefore, while strategies to increase the number of nurses are being emphasized on, it is also important to insist on the output expected as far as nurse per patient ratio is concerned (Reference?). How would you pay for these additional nurses?
It is also important to ensure that nurses are valued. Employee satisfaction is perhaps a big issue of concern to many young nursing students who view their role as weak and insignificant/undervalued. This has left the profession with few individuals who are not passionate about their work. As such, it is prudent for organizations to recognize quality work, offer help for stress management, and reward their positive contributions made by nurses. This will go a long way to encourage others to enroll (Reference?). This assignment was not an editorial seeking your opinions. The goal was to do a literature review and report what you found.
Conclusion
References
Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D., Griffiths, P., Rafferty, A. M., Bruyneel, L., McHugh, M., ... & Sermeus, W. (2017). Nursing skill mix in European hospitals: cross-sectional study of the association with mortality, patient ratings, and quality of care. BMJ Qual Saf, 26(7), 559-568.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2012). Enrollment and graduations in baccalaureate and graduate programs in nursing. Washington: American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Auerbach, D. I., Buerhaus, P. I., & Staiger, D. O. (2015). Will the RN workforce weather the retirement of the baby boomers? Medical Care, 53(10), 850-856.
Ball, K., Doyle, D., & Oocumma, N. I. (2015). Nursing shortages in the OR: solutions for new models of education. AORN journal, 101(1), 115-136.
Murdaugh, C. L., Parsons, M. A., & Pender, N. J. (2018). Health promotion in nursing practice. Pearson Education Canada.
Ortman, J. M., Velkoff, V. A., & Hogan, H. (2014). An aging nation: the older population in the United States (pp. 25-1140). Washington, DC: United States Census Bureau, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Department of Commerce.
Rosseter, R. (2015). Nursing faculty shortage fact sheet. American Association of Colleges of Nursing.