Human Resources And Inadequate Staffing

According to Suzanne Gordon “ whether young or old, nurses are disillusioned because they believe that health care systems guided by bottom-line concerns simply don’t recognize the specificity of their work” (234). Nursing is more demanding than many other professions or occupations, due to the combination of difficult patients, exhausting schedules and arduous physical work (Gordon 235). It can take a significant emotional toll on many, hence the higher levels of burnout. Job dissatisfaction as a result of increased workloads and unreasonable demands, such as inappropriate nurse staffing levels, was cited as the number one reason that drives many experienced nurses to leave the profession (Sanford 38+). Studies have shown that such working conditions also affected the retention of new graduate nurses by leaving their first hospital jobs within two years of graduating (Sanford 38+).

Staffing needs affect the nursing department’s budget, staff productivity, the quality of care provided to patients and even the retention of nurses (Jooste, 2013). The nurse manager has to explain to the management of the benefits of change in providing adequate staffing all the time. Adequate staffing helps staff retention. Staff retention saves a lot of money in terms of orienting new people to the unit. Safe staffing always helps in the reduction of falls, infection rates, pressure ulcers, decrease hospital stays and death. Flexible and creative scheduling is essential for retaining staff and promoting a positive work climate (Grohar-Murray & Langan, 2011). Adequate staffing with good staffing ratio will help nurses to concentrate on their patient care which may help in a reduction in medical errors and lawsuits to the hospital.

Nursing shortage has been a global problem that need to be eradicated in order to promote patient care and improve care outcomes. Nursing shortage in America has caused a lot of negative impact on the nurses, patients and nursing profession. It has caused a lot of dissatisfaction on the part of the nurses and the patients (Nardi & Gyurko, 2013). Nurses are prone to injuries, stress and burn-out as a result of nursing shortages. They engaged in working long hours to compensate their coworkers and ensure completion of assigned jobs. They end up breaking down emotionally, physically and psychologically due to poor work-environment and

Current internal and external hospital stressors are impacting NCs nursing shortage. With the release of many reports from different sources suggesting a change is needed. Most have been accurate in their projections; however, the struggle continues. Strong implications for the direction the crisis is heading, from campaign research to thesis and dissertations, written by professional groups and organizations add credibility to the cause; however, the shortage remains. Although some would argue that job satisfaction has no bearing on the nursing shortage and more pressing problems are prevalent; for example, the ageing population, undereducated nurses, patient safety and more positive patient outcomes; therefore, this paper highlights suggestions for change, with a concentration on nursing dissatisfaction and the nursing shortage.

With a shortage of nurses, the care and safety of patients may become compromised. The nurses themselves may be having feelings of dissatisfaction, overwhelm and distress. Nurses who may become overwhelmed with the high number of patients may become frustrated and burnt out. And inadequate staff of nurses may lead to a negative impact on the patient’s outcome. The quality of care the patients may receive in facilities with low staffing may be poor.

According to Hunt (2009), feeling overworked is the number one cause for nurse turnover in health care settings. Other reasons at the top of the list include, lack of support from employers and few opportunities for advancement. Due to the nursing shortage, staffing has been an issue in many healthcare facilities. As a result, units are consistently short staffed, causing nurses to feel overworked and unsupported by management. Cline (2004) highlighted nurse frustration when a participant in the study stated, “When you’re constantly short-staffed and feel your managers aren’t supporting you at least by saying, ‘Thank you, I know you must’ve had a hard

The reporting party (RP) stated on 2/24/16 client Kelly Sullins DOB: 1/5/83 fell off the toilet and broke a tooth. According to the RP emergency service was contact and the client was taken to Anaheim Regional Medical Center. The broken tooth was removed by a surgeon and the client was returned home (509 S. Grove, Anaheim 92805 (714) 776-5243). The RP stated that a staff member was present when the client fell, however turned around right when the client fell off the toilet.

The issue of healthcare personnel scarcity continues to be an ongoing challenge across the globe. Invariably, nurses are at the pinnacle in the delivery of quality care in any healthcare setting. The ever-increasing demands for care stem from a patient populace that is emergent, growing older and needing more care due to the escalating shift in their disease process. Hence, nurses are torn between balancing an overloaded schedule, working extra hours and maintaining astuteness and professionalism. This transcends to compromised patient care, nursing burnout makes it difficult for them to experience the rewards of caring for patients in the way they had expected; thereby, adding to the shortage of

In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen a significant decline in the quality of patient care it provides. This has been the result of reduced staffing levels, overworked nurses, and an extremely high nurse to patient ratio. The importance of nurse staffing in hospital settings is an issue of great controversy. Too much staff results in costs that are too great for the facility to bear, but too little staffing results in patient care that is greatly hindered. Moreover, the shaky economy has led to widespread budget cuts; this, combined with the financial pressures associated with Medicare and private insurance companies have forced facilities to make due with fewer

The current and growing shortage of nurses is posing a real threat to the ability of hospitals, long-term care facilities, and others to provide timely access to quality care. Nurse staffing shortages and nurse turn-over contributes to the growing reduction in the number of staffed patient beds available for services, increasing costs, and rising concerns about the quality of care. Health care organizations highly depend on nurse managers and leaders to reverse this trend. This paper discusses the reasons for nursing shortage and turn-over, different approaches to solve this issue, and my personal philosophy about this issue.

It is likely that most people have heard about the nursing shortage for years now, and perhaps they believe it’s been fixed. However, the nursing profession is experiencing a reoccurring deficiency. According to Brian Hansen, (2002), there was a nation wide shortage in 2001 of 126,000 full-time registered nurses, but the shortage will surge to 808,000 by 2020 if something isn't done. This pattern is a persisting cycle of high vacancies followed by layoffs and a high over supply of registered nurses. Various factors contribute to the lack of nurses within the health care facilities, but today’s shortages are a little different. Many feel that this scarcity is severe and long-drawn-out. The four major issues contributing to

One of the greatest challenges in healthcare, as well as the biggest threat to patient safety, is staffing and the nurse to patient ratio on hospital floors. Studies have shown that low staffing levels lead to increased mortality rates in patients, as well as multiple other adverse effects including falls and pressure ulcers. These adverse effects are all preventable, but policies on staffing must be in place to ensure safety for staff and patients.

The nursing shortage is no longer a projected problem in the healthcare industry in the United States, this problem is present and is not phasing out anytime soon. Addressing this challenge would improve job satisfaction, reduce burnout in the profession and ultimately improve retention.

Thank you for addressing nursing staffing ratio’s. It is very interesting to me how nursing is the most respected profession, rated in the top 10 professions, and yet there is constant talk about “a nursing shortage”. Constringent nursing staffing support for patient care is not recognized or addressed enough! Ultimately, jeopardizing patient care for what price?

The global nursing shortage is resulting in the need to find multiple solutions to providing adequate numbers of nursing personnel. The shortage is exacerbated by nurses leaving the profession and their current positions. Globally, nursing turnover rates range from 10–21% per year, with countries such as the USA and Australia reporting turnover rates of over 20% per year. Retaining nurses in their current positions will reduce the magnitude of consequences associated with the nursing shortage (Cowden and Cummings, 2012).