Nursing Leaders and Managers

Introduction: The Issue

Nurse shortage and turnover are among the major staffing issues that must be carefully attended to since they directly influence patients and nurses’ health. For excellent patient outcomes, nursing leaders and managers must ensure that the nurse-to-patient ratio is within the acceptable range. According to a study by the New York University, approximately 17.5% of freshly registered nurses resign their first job within one year while 33.5% quit within two years (Sofarelli, 1998). Registered nurse turnover is of great significance since the element of turnover is widely deployed to analyze the status of healthcare workforce. For instance, it can assist in projecting the job market for nurses. Hence, as the paper reveals, healthcare leaders have the mandate of collaboratively offering strategies or solutions that can ensure a safer environment for patients and registered nurses.

How Managers and Leaders Address Nurse Shortage and Turnover

Nurse shortage is a global issue that has been witnessed in the United States of America, Africa, and Europe. Many communities in these regions face an increasing healthcare demand and a reducing number of registered nurses. For instance, the United States faces a critical shortage of registered nurses (RNs). In fact, the shortage is projected to worsen as time goes on. If not resolved, it is forecasted that the need for the registered nurses will exceed the supply by roughly 30% within 5-6years. Extensive research on this pending crisis has led to various recommendations that are likely to help improve the recruitment and retention of the existing RNS. One of the significant issues that the nursing labor force is facing is the aging of the nursing faculty. The current average age of employed RNs is 43.3 years (Palumbo, 2009). Various factors contribute to the shortage, including the increasing aging and retirement of nurses, the diminishing number of students who are studying nursing, and/or the increasing global population growth.

In the healthcare sector, job satisfaction and autonomy are of great significance. When nurses feel dictated by their managers, rather than having control within their work setting, they get frustrated, unhappy, and/or tend to leave the job (Zurmehly, 2008). Similar to any other worker, a nurse wishes to experience her worth and acknowledgment. He or she wants to enjoy other benefits such as flexible schedules (Palumbo, 2009). Nurse leaders and managers should ensure that employees work comfortably since this situation directly influences the achievability of the set goals in any institution.

The transformational headship hypothesis combines the principles of nurse leaders, administrators, and supporters. Its main goal is to bond managers and employees. The outcome is a better service delivery that encourages others to practice leadership (Laurent, 2000; Zurmehly, 2008). Transformational headship can relate comfortably with most circumstances among fresh nurses. It not only encourages modernization but also fits the self-motivated healthcare organizations. Fresh caregivers are in an exceptional situation of appraising the outcomes of recent and previous measures and strategies. Via the transformational headship approach, a nursing director can motivate fresh caregivers to provide a response on how effectively entity-definite protocols are handled or executed. The central goal is to establish important proposals that endorse customer results in an effort to assist in developing a headship foundation with fresh nurses. In summary, transformational leadership allows nurses to participate actively in policymaking. This plan can help to curb the resignation of nurses since the manager-employee relationship will be strengthened if this theory is applied in healthcare institutions.

The second theory that can be readily employed by new nurses is the dynamic leader-follower relationship model (Laurent, 2000). The hypothesis focuses on the measures that nurses apply in the detection of patients’ requirements and agony. It further deploys the mutual practices that are required to meet such goals. The exchange between leaders and nurses is dynamic since both parties are vital to the success of any healthcare unit (Gindel, 2009). For instance, the manager provides direction to nurses. However, he or she does not control them. Hence, his or her involvement allows complete participation of the employees. Once employed in the healthcare unit, both parties can be motivated and/or get more committed. Their devotion is vital in terms of enhancing the responsibilities of new employees, hence attracting better clinical outcomes, workers, and patient satisfaction (Coshow, 2009).

The quantum leadership involves leading from the future. Its aims at achieving a future perfect organization. Quantum leadership is exceptional in terms of performance, productivity and profitability (one to three years) in the future (Laurent, 2000). To achieve such an organization, managers play the most crucial role in ensuring that employees are satisfied in their work. The first step involves their (managers) transformation of the healthcare organization from a linear adaptive to a creative adaptive employee mindset (Laurent, 2000). The subsequent element is the quantum rise on the management section where bosses should reflect and act as if the expected ideal condition has been realized. All the three theories oppose the authoritarian leadership model in health institutions.

A Suitable Approach for my Personal and Professional Nursing Philosophy

The philosophy of nursing dictates people’s thoughts concerning the nature of the nursing profession. It provides a foundation of nursing activities. The issue of nurse shortage and turnover should be handled ethically by utilizing a good approach. The common goal of any healthcare facility is to see the team working collaboratively to maximize the community and workers’ health and wellbeing. To enhance nurse enrollment, healthcare facilities must work on conscription, safeguarding, and preservation of their existing human resources. This goal can be achieved if the quantum leadership theory is utilized in this approach. The theory focuses on a better organization in the future. The age of the employees is an important variable in both job satisfaction and retention. A study has shown that senior nurses are less satisfied across the measured dimensions (Porter-O’Grady, 1999). Therefore, healthcare facilities need to major on elements that lead to elevated contentment in grown-up therapists. These elements include salary addition, enrollment, and remuneration. For example, the retention of veteran nurses is possible if they are given part-time hours, shorter shifts, and less acute patients to handle (Porter-O’Grady, 1999). On the other hand, younger nurses prefer flexible schedules and more vacations. The older and younger employees can benefit from policies and programs whose focus is improving retention.

Conclusion

The healthcare system is likely to lose a significant number of nurses if the discussed job dissatisfaction is not handled abruptly. The employed nurses will leave their current positions for better jobs (Ribeiro, 2008). Besides, they can opt to retire early. This situation will negatively influence potential candidates in nursing schools where many of the enrolled students may abandon their studies. The application of the quantum leadership theory in proactive maneuvers such as creating desirable work environments to the older nurses, developing supportive educational programs, and/or designing ways of making the career desirable will be the only way out.

Reference List

Coshow, D. (2009). The ‘Big Dip’: Decrements in RN Satisfaction at Mid-Career. Nursing Economics, 27(1), 15–18.

Gindel, A. (2009). Nurses Nurturing Nurses: Outcomes and Lessons Learned. MEDSURG Nursing, 18(3), 183.

Laurent, L. (2000). A Nursing Theory for Nursing Leadership. Journal of Nursing Management, 8(1), 83-87.

Palumbo, M. (2009). Retaining an Aging Nurse Workforce: Perceptions of Human Resource Practices. Nursing Economic, 27(4), 221–232.

Porter-O’Grady, T. (1999). Quantum Leadership: New Roles for a New Age. Journal of Nursing Administration, 29(10), 37-42.

Ribeiro, A. (2008). Early Retirement Among Registered Nurses: Contributing Factors. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(1), 29–37.

Sofarelli, B. (1998). The need for nursing leadership in uncertain times. Journal of Nursing Management, 6(4), 201-207.

Zurmehly, J. (2008). The Relationship of Educational Preparation, Autonomy, and Critical Thinking to Nursing Job Satisfaction. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39(10), 453–460.