Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper
Introduction
Nursing shortage is identified as a situation in which the available nursing personnel are less than the required number. This means that available nursing personnel are either overworked or nursing tasks are left undone with other medical personnel forced to intervene. This is an issue of concern since nurses provide primary care services and their absence would imply that these services are not completed so that patients are placed at risk (Buerhaus et al., 2017) Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper. The present analysis evaluates the workflow modalities that improve the understanding of the problem as well as the different strategies that can be used to solve the problem.
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Discussion
The present workflow identified the issue of concern as nursing shortage. Next it evaluates the different causes of the issue, having identified eight causes. Firstly, the chart identified lack of career opportunities as a cause of nursing shortage, noting that prospective nurses compare the career opportunities available to nursing personnel and determine that advancement and earning opportunities are less attractive when compared to other medical professions such as physicians and surgeons. This cause can be addressed by improving career awareness and opportunities to include increasing remuneration so that the nursing career becomes more attractive (Kurnat-Thorma et al., 2017) Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper.
Secondly, the chart noted that there could be unfilled nurse positions in which medical facilities experience shortages by do not advertise for these positions to be filled. This cause can be addressed through improved resource management that entails tracking the filled and available nursing positions, and ensuring that each position is filled (Russell, 2016).
Thirdly, the chart identified failing grades as a likely cause of nursing shortage since fewer studies graduate and join the job market. This is a concern since the number of nursing personnel released into the market is less than the personnel who are required to meet the existing demand. This cause can be addressed by improving teaching effectiveness so that students are better able to understanding nursing concepts thus ensuring that they are able to graduate with the required proficiency (Mincer, 2017).
Fourthly, the chart identified emigration and brain drain as a likely cause of the reported shortage. This concern arises from nursing personnel being offered better working terms in other locations thus causing them to immigrate to other locations to pursue better career prospects. This cause can be addressed through presenting more attractive working conditions and remunerations that would make them less inclined to immigrate (Walker, 2017) Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper.
Fifthly, the chart identified unrealistic nursing curriculum programs as a likely cause of the shortage that is because good programs ensure that graduates learn what is required in the market. This issue can be addressed through increasing faculties and improving curriculum to address the market needs (Twigg, 2014).
Sixthly, the chart noted that presenting an unattractive nursing career is a likely cause of the shortage. Through presenting nursing career as unattractive, nurses are motivated to pursue other careers while prospective students become less inclined to pursue a nursing career. This cause can be addressed through enhancing the nurses status so that it becomes a more privileged and attractive career. Also, increasing the remuneration offered to nursing personnel and improving the work environment would make the nurses less inclined to pursue other careers and convince prospective students that pursuing a nursing career is the right decision (Walker, 2017).
Seventhly, the chart noted that the aging nursing workforce is a likely cause of the shortage. In this case, it is noted that even as nursing personnel get older and retire, they leave a gap that is not fully filled by the new nursing personnel in terms of numbers. This cause can be addressed through increasing the retirement age so that nursing personnel remain within the workforce for longer. In addition, the workforce age-mix so that that is a seamless transition between different age groups to imply that even as older nursing personnel get ready to retire, they are able to groom younger personnel to fill the gap they left through their retirement (Russell, 2016) Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper.
Finally, the chart identified high burnout and dissatisfaction levels as a likely cause of the nursing shortage. This is caused by the high intensity and stressful work environment that emotionally and physically task the nursing personnel to result in high turnover figures. This cause can be addressed through improving the working conditions so that nursing personnel are supported to be more productive without unduly stressing them (Twigg, 2014) Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper.
Conclusion/summary
One must accept that although nursing shortage is a single problem, it presents different modalities that are characterized by different causes and possible solutions. In addition, one must acknowledge that there are eight possible causes of nursing shortage to include lack of career opportunities, unfilled nurse positions, falling grades, brain drain, curriculum programs, unattractive nursing career, aging workforce, and high burnout and dissatisfaction. To addressed the mentioned causes, different strategies have been proposed to include improving career awareness, resource management, effective teaching, working conditions, remunerations, faculties, marching market needs to careers, enhancing nurses’ status, work environment, retirement age, workforce age-mix, and work conditions Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper.
References
Buerhaus, P., Skinner, L., Aurhach, D. & Staiger, D. (2017). Four challenges facing the nursing workforce in the United States. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 8(2), 40-46.
Kurnat-Thorma, E., Ganger, M., Peterson, K. & Channell, L. (2017). Reducing Annual Hospital and Registered Nurse Staff Turnover—A 10-Element Onboarding Program Intervention. SAGE Open Nursing, 3. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2377960817697712#articleCitationDownloadContainer
Mincer, J. (2017). Short on staff: nursing crisis strains U.S. hospitals. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-nursing/short-on-staff-nursing-crisis-strains-u-s-hospitals-idUSKBN1CP0BD
Russell, J. (2016). Retirements, aging population cause nursing shortage. Retrieved from https://www.ibj.com/articles/57067-retirements-aging-population-cause-nursing-shortage
Twigg, D. (2014). Nurse retention: a review of strategies to create and enhance positive practice environments in clinical settings. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 51(1), 85-92.
Walker, N. (2017). Embrace action: protect the future of nursing. AORN, 105(6), 535-537 Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper
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Assignment: Creating a Flowchart Workflow analysis aims to determine workflow patterns that maximize the effective use of resources and minimize activities that do not add value. There are a variety of tools that can be used to analyze the workflow of processes and clarify potential avenues for eliminating waste. Flowcharts are a basic and commonly used workflow analysis method that can help highlight areas in need of streamlining. In this Assignment, you select a common event that occurs regularly in your organization and create a flowchart representing the workflow. You analyze the process you have diagrammed and propose changes for improvement. To prepare: Identify a common, simple event that frequently occurs in your organization that you would like to evaluate. Consider how you would design a flowchart to represent the current workflow. Consider what metrics you would use to determine the effectiveness of the current workflow and identify areas of waste. To complete: Write a 3- to 5-page paper which includes the following: Create a simple flowchart of the activity you selected. Next, in your paper: Explain the process you have diagrammed. For each step or decision point in the process, identify the following: Who does this step? (It can be several people.) What technology is used? What policies and rules are involved in determining how, when, why, or where the step is executed? What information is needed for the execution of this step? Describe the metric that is currently used to measure the soundness of the workflow. Is it effective? Nursing Shortage Essay Discussion Paper Describe any areas where improvements could occur and propose changes that could bring about these improvements in the workflow. Summarize why it is important to be aware of the flow of an activity. Remember to include a cover page, introduction, and summary for your paper. N.B; the identified event in my organization is nursing shortage.