There is currently a larger nurse-to-patient ratio than most nurses would like. Along with the stress and long hours associated with the career choice of nursing, nurse burnout is a very common complaint in today’s society. Nurses often complain of being short staffed and having too large of a patient load. Interest in this topic comes from wanting to pursue management at some point in my career and working on a floor in which a second shift nurse could have twelve patients. Not only will nurses feel better, but better patient outcomes occur when units are better staffed.
The Joint Commission (2012) defines risk management in healthcare as “the clinical and administrative acts undertaken to identify and evaluate the risk of injury to staff, patients and visitors and the risk to loss of the organization itself”. Studies have shown that the litigation against nursing homes is on the rise; thus making risk management very important in day to day care. Malpractice insurance premiums for nursing homes are also on the rise; this contributes to bankruptcy and forces many facilities to operate without malpractice coverage (Weinburg M.D & Levine, 2008). This threatens quality of care and access to healthcare for ill elderly people that need round the clock care. Effective risk management in a nursing home requires one to accurately
A George Washington University study published in Science Daily says, “If health care employers are serious about wanting a more highly educated workforce, they will need to go beyond the current ‘soft policies’ and adopt more forceful measures, such as requirements for degree completion and wages that reward nurses who have worked to get a BSN or advanced degrees” (George Washington University, 2013). The problem is that there is such a shortage of nurses that employers hire whomever they can get regardless of the type of degree. As long as the person is a licensed RN, s/he is right for the job. One reason that so many people support a
With this said, a determination needs to be made of why nurses are staying longer then a normally scheduled 12 hour shift. Root Cause Analysis: Staffing shortages will cause a nurse to have to stay over in order to take care of patients. What one might think is being helpful, so they are not working shorthanded, can cause harm just the same . The data for 4E shows numerous occasions of nurses staying well over 12 hours. At this point the nurse is tired and distracted which can lead to error.
Generally the nurses experiences of care for the dementia patient in the acute care setting was one of uncertainty, due to the fact the nurses felt they had a specific lack of knowledge. Nurse’s knowledge and education As the population grows and there’s an increase in the number of dementia patients, nurses in the acute care setting need to be skilled and educated to support patients with dementia as stated by (Archibald & Cunningham 2006 p.55I). Erikson & Saveman (2002) described the lack of specialized education for nurses in regards to dementia patients in the acute care setting. This is of particular concern as there are many demands on nurses in the acute care setting and can influence the nature of the care they give. According to Nolan (2006, p.213) nurses had concerns of
Solutions for Nursing Personnel Shortages Executive Summary Senior Human Resource Management should adopt some changes in order to combat the current growing nursing/healthcare personnel shortage. Employees simply want to be heard and sympathized with. Nowadays the nursing shortage has caused many problems in the healthcare industry. First and foremost, the quality of care being provided to patients is declining due to the fact that there are not as many nurses to care for the patient appropriately. As a matter of fact, the workload being dumped on the employees is steadily increasing.
Running head: NURSING STAFF SHORTAGES Nursing Staff Shortages: Why is There a Problem and What Can be Done to Solve It? Wendy Allen Troy University NURSING STAFF SHORTAGES ABSTRACT Nursing staff shortage is a large problem in today’s healthcare environment. There are fewer nursing students as a result of their being fewer nurses. The population is aging, which is creating a larger demand for healthcare services. Healthcare organizations are finding it difficult to provide quality healthcare services in a timely manner due to the nursing staff shortages.
The major reason for EBP becoming so widely used is because there is a big deficiency in research-based information to back up clinical decision making (Legg, 2008, p.469). Increasing healthcare cost, treatments, and care due to population aging can be another reason for the boom in EBP (Xiaoshi, 2008, p.6-12). If procedures are done just because that’s the way they have always been done and not because of the research that backs it up, a big problem can occur. Ineffective care is very costly for both patients and health departments, due to patients having to stay in the hospital longer, more procedures being done, and more tests being performed. Health departments have been encouraging the development of EBP so the most effective health care is being used and so the best benefits come out of it (Xiaoshi, 2008, p.6-12).
The peak hours actually only make up 36% of the time hospital nurses work. Weekends and/or nights are when patient care is most threatened. Many providers schedule these shifts with less experienced staff. Though there are many factors contributing to the problem and it is an ongoing challenge, patient safety and quality of care should be maintained at
WHY ARE NURSES LEAVING? Nursing shortage has created a serious challenge in the health care delivery system, as there are not enough nurses to meet the patient’s demand. This shortage is a major concern in the health care system as it has a great impact on the quality of care to be provided. It was stated that “ the nursing workforce in the United States, that registered nurse (RN) shortage may exceed five hundred thousand by the year 2025” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2010; Cipriano, 2006; United States Department of Health and Human Services,2002). Several factors have contributed to Registered Nurses (RNs) leaving clinical nursing practice.