Retention of Existing Operating Nurses
Manuel Valdes Jr
University of Phoenix
NSG/498: Senior Leader Practicum
Karissa Stewart
10/28/20
Retention of Existing Operating Nurses
Identifying a problem is the first step; after defining it, you get on the ground and find out the solutions available in solving it. Retention of existing nurses is a challenge that entirely affects the healthcare realm; through examining leaders and peer interviews a strategy for dealing with this issue can be drawn. The patients are at the center of the healthcare business, and their views and opinion play a vital role in accomplishing the goals. The quality improvement (QI) policy has immensely affected the healthcare industry; it would be wise to consider the reports from the facility. Retention of existing nurses is a challenge that can result in the highest risk; this ought to be looked upon with due diligence.
Data from the leader and peer interview
The healthcare sector is governed by panels, where leaders report through interviews and other platforms on their plans of advancing and solving issues that affect delivering care virtually. On the matter of recruitment and retention, the board advises on appropriate strategy since it’s an issue that has adverse effects on providing health services at the OR. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing forum has come on different occasions to address this matter. According to Spector et al. (2020), the NCSBN suggested the cause to be at the recruitment process. Both the developing and developed nations have reported high numbers of vacant posts for nurses. The board claims that nurse retention matter is acted upon without the associates’ support and in ignorance of the cost incurred and the benefits to be gained. They estimate the employment case to be a serious one as countries like the UK and the USA have a turnover rate of around 20%.
The NCSBN recommends having a proper recruitment process, particularly the orientation procedure, which is an opportunity to set a job satisfaction atmosphere for the nurses. This notion is one of the ways of solving the problem at some level. Board members also propose quality training sessions to empower these new members and ease their job description. To have leaders who lead by example, Health managers should understand the critical need to motivate health workers even with scarce resources. The participants listed three dynamics that play a significant role in the nursing performance and will to remain(1) the ability of staff to do their work; (2) motivation of staff to work better; (3) organizational support to the workers (Spector et al., 2020). The leader’s standpoint is clear to both developed and developing states. To gauge nurses’ seriousness on their assignment, they evaluate how nurses identify themselves regarding their ability, whether they are willing, and finally, whether there have the means to do the work. It should then be the key areas to work on for there to be a solution in bridging this gap in the healthcare industry. Due to the immense role that the health care sector plays nationwide, the concern of registered nurses (RN) turnover should be a paramount agenda at all times- considering both non-economic and economic sources that lead to this predicament. Members are happy to see that the issue of nurse retention is currently being taken up by a wide array of individuals, from hospital executives, nurse managers, and health care economists.
On peer interviews, it is a different ball game all over. The nurses here take it personally and break it down from the victim’s side. Wei et al. (2018) agree that the nurses are unwilling to work in some scenarios due to other unavoidable circumstances. Nurses confess that personal factors cause them to quit, i.e., physical, mental-emotional, and social. They regard these issues as matters that can be addressed if the organizations and management cooperate with them. They also feel the organizational factors (job stress, job satisfaction, and social support) should be put on the forefront as they contribute a lot to their ability to focus and enjoy what they do. The nurses feel unappreciated, as the patients seem to be the ones favored more than them who put their lives on the risk for others. Saving a life at the expense of another life is working backward, losing rather than attaining nurses deliberates.
Patient/customer survey
Patients are always on the receiving side on matters of healthcare challenges. Hospitals and organizations are affected in cost, the safety of surgeries, and the success they look forward to attaining. Patients in the OR are on the verge of life and death; the agony of not having a nurse take them through is the worst nightmare in this scenario. Whenever there is a nursing shortage, more errors are expected, dissatisfied clients, increased mortality rates, and higher morbidity (White et al., 2019). In many cases, the number of patients in a hospital cannot be controlled. Yet, all patients regard their matters as more urgent, and they want to see the value for their money, mainly in the private institution. Poor service is one way an organization is subjected to negativity; thus, hospitals need to satisfy their clients. Hospitals are in the business even as they offer help to society; hence they need to protect their reputation.
Quality improvement (QI) reports from the facility
The Quality Improvement (QI) approach is a suitable structure to improve care delivery to patients in times of challenges. Phieffer et al. (2017) report on the multiple factors that tend to influence the ORs sector efficiency, which is costly to run. The information is from a large, academic medical center with 26 ORs. Report from these 26 ORs shows in October 2011, the only cases that started on time were 49%. The nursing shortage was the primary reason since they play a vital role in ensuring the patients are booked in and prepared for the procedure. The Operating Room Committee decided to apply six sigma tools to resolve this issue. The steps were; (a.) problem mapping (b.) improving on enough personnel for preoperative procedures, (c.) informatics support improvement, and (d.) continuous measurement and feedback from existing nurses. After working on these areas in June 2013, the review showed a peak of 92% of cases was on time. Through continuations and sustained QI, the nurses proved to be more satisfied and willing to help even in other areas.
Baseline data
The aim of the six sigma tools used at the large academic medical center with 26 ORs was to improve when the cases are scheduled, as delays have been experienced there before. On many occasions, the problem has been experienced; in 2009, Canadian Nurse Associates looked at the future database and projected 60,000 vacancies by 2022 (White et al., 2019). Some experienced nurses can work hand in hand with the ORs, but the study shows that most of them are over 40years and the administrator’s retirement affects newly employed nurses’ growth. The deteriorating numbers are limiting elements for the operations in the ORs, especially the urgent ones. The plan applied took 1,600 nurses for R&R programs but ended up launching all the programs without formal evaluation component, and the tracking of varied nurses in the state was poorly carried out.
The level of risk and frequency of the problem
According to Spector et al. (2020), there are four levels of risks in retaining existing operation nurses’ challenges: at the job level, unit level, patient level, and situation level. The patient-level and situation level are what leads to job level workload then to the unit level stage. For successful surgeries, the workforce ought to cooperate reasonably to avoid loopholes in the caregiving process. The ORs are a place of mostly emergency cases that calls for accuracy and readiness. The frequency at which this challenge is experienced here is enormously given that there is no time for consultations and replacement in some situations. The risk level here is too high since all patients with different conditions are handled for operations and guidance care. If retention of existing operating nurses is not addressed in the ORs, there are possibilities of high mortality and the healthcare industry can face a counterattack even from the community.
References
Phieffer, L., Hefner, J. L., Rahmanian, A., Swartz, J., Ellison, C. E., Harter, R., … & Moffatt-Bruce, S. D. (2017). Improving operating room efficiency: First case on-time start project. The Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ), 39(5), e70-e78.
Spector, N., Silvestre, J., Alexander, M., Martin, B., Hooper, J. I., Squires, A., & Ojemeni, M. (2020). NCSBN Regulatory Guidelines and Evidence-Based Quality Indicators for Nursing Education Programs. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 11(2), S1-S64.
Wei, H., Sewell, K. A., Woody, G., & Rose, M. A. (2018). The state of the science of nurse work environments in the United States: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 5(3), 287-300.
White, E. M., Aiken, L. H., & McHugh, M. D. (2019). Registered nurse burnout, job dissatisfaction, and missed care in nursing homes. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(10), 2065-2071.