Reasearch

Stacie Staton

Healthcare Human Resource Management

COURSE NUMBER: HLAD 4107

Dr. Kashif Ahmed

10/02/2026

How will you identify the most important reasons for the current nursing shortage?

I would start by collecting information from several sources rather than relying on one explanation. Exit interviews should be reviewed first because they already indicate the financial concerns are a major reason nurses are leaving. I would also conduct confidential employee surveys, focus groups, and interviews with current nurses, nurse managers, and recently departed employees. The hospital should examine turnover and vacancy rates by department, shift, years of employment, and position to identify patterns.

The center should also compare its nursing salaries and benefits with competing hospitals in the surrounding region. Other factors should be evaluated, including understaffing, workload, overtime, scheduling, nurse-to-patient ratios, management relationships, communication, opportunities for advancement, professional development, and recognition. The 40% overall employee turnover rate and 18% RN vacancy rate suggest that the problem extends beyond compensation alone. The reported poor communication and strained relationships between managers and frontline employees may also contribute to dissatisfaction and turnover.

How will you develop short-term and long-term strategies?

Short- term strategies should focus on stabilizing the nursing workforce and maintaining safe patient care. The center could offer temporary retention or hiring incentives, overtime opportunities, referral bonuses, flexible scheduling, and assistance with hard to fill shifts. It could also use temporary or agency nurses while permanent positions are being filled. Management should immediately address understaffing, workload, communication problems, and scheduling concerns. Nurse managers should regularly meet with staff to listen to concerns and provide feedback.

Long-term strategies should focus on making the organization a place where nurses want to remain. The center should develop a competitive compensation and benefits plan as its financial situation allows, establish career advancement and professional- development opportunities, strengthen nurse leadership, and create recognition and retention programs. Partnerships with nursing schools could provide clinical placements, internships, scholarships, and a pipeline for recruiting new graduates. The hospital could also develop programs to help nurses advance their education.

More importantly, the hospital should address the underlying organizational problems- not simply recruiting more nurses. Improving communication between senior management, middle managers, and frontline employees, involving nurses in decision- making, improving staffing levels, and rebuilding trust can improve both employee retention and patient care. Because the hospital has strong community support, that relationship could also be used to develop partnerships and resources that support workforce recruitment and retention.

References

American Organization for Nursing leadership. (2025). Nursing leadership insight study. AONL Nursing leadership Insight Study.

Fundamental of Human Resources in Healthcare, Bruce J. Fried and Carla

Jackie Sampson, Chicago, IL. Health Administration Press, Third Edition, 2023