Essay Sample on Crisis Ahead: Nursing Shortage Impacts Healthcare Business

Introduction

The nursing shortage is a significant issue in the healthcare sector. The United States Bureau of Statistics predicted that in the coming years, the healthcare industry will be looking to hire more than two million nurses (WHO, 2016). About 60% of the openings will be due to the current nurse retirement, while 40% will be due to the increased demand for these healthcare providers (Andrews & Dziegielewski, 2005). The nursing shortage has a significant impact on the business side of the healthcare industry. In 2016, nursing turnover in hospitals in the United States was reported to be at 16%, and losses of more than $44,000 per nurse were incurred (WHO, 2016). According to these statistics, the annual losses from turnover can be equated to about $4.2 million. About 92% of emergency departments often report nurse shortages in their Emergency Departments, thus leading to overcrowding (Buerhaus, Donelan, Ulrich, & Norman, 2005). According to the report, about 81% of the patients in various hospitals stay in the hallway for more than six hours while awaiting treatment (WHO, 2016). The primary goal of this paper is to discuss a national healthcare stressor and the impact it has on the organization.

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National Healthcare Stressor/Issue

The national healthcare issue selected is the shortage of nurses in the organization. The nurse-to-patient ration at the organization is 1:6 in the critical care unit and 1:8 at the emergency department. These ratios contradict with the national standards documented in the Nursing Staffing Ration Law, which indicate that the nurse-to-patient ratio in the critical care unit should be 1:2 and 1:4 in the emergency department (Buerhaus, Donelan, Ulrich, Norman, DesRoches, & Dittus, 2007). The impact of the shortage of nurses in the organization is significant. First, the few nurses who are available work for longer shifts and with high nurse-to-patient ratios. Such unfavorable conditions in the workplace often lead to more stress, frustrations, and fatigue, therefore leading to job dissatisfaction (Oulton, 2006). More nurses suffer from burnout fatigue and risk making serious mistakes while on duty. The organization suffers since it cannot deliver a high level of healthcare to its patients, therefore losing many clients. Financial losses are significant when nurses resign, and when more hiring and recruitment is done (Oulton, 2006).

A lot of information is recorded regarding the impact of nurse shortages in the organization. For instance, the delayed nurse responses to pages or calls are at 64%. The patients who have been complaining about nursing care are estimated to be about 82% in the last year. The increased workload affects about 90% of the nurses who have to work for long shifts while providing patient care. There are also increased communication problems between nurses and other staff, and those who experience such problems are estimated to be about 50% of the total population of nurses in the organization. Patient waiting time for surgery and tests has also increased to 68% over the years and discontinued patient care programs in the organization have reduced by 16%.

Information Summary

According to Marc, Bartosiewicz, Burzynska, Chmiel, & Januszewicz (2019), the issue regarding the shortage of nurses in the healthcare sector is global and needs to be strategically addressed. Marc et al. (2019) cite that a widespread shortage of nurses is dangerous, and the shortage has become international, affecting Europe, Asia, America, and other parts of the world. The supply and demand of nurses trigger the problem in the healthcare sector. The World Health Organization in 2013 stated that there is a shortage of about seven million workers in the healthcare sector (WHO, 2016). The Third Global Forum on Human Resources gave a report which indicated that by 2035, there will be a nurse deficit of approximately 12.9 million (WHO, 2016). The World Health Organization also reported that within the next few years, more than 40% of nurses in different hospitals and organizations will leave their work for various reasons (WHO, 2016). Nurses are facing unprecedented challenges, primarily due to the nature of their work and because of population aging too. As many people continue to age, the occurrence of chronic diseases may increase, requiring the patients to be provided with long-term care. The demand of health workers will, therefore, be high. Marc et al. (2019) explain that a shortage of nurses under these circumstances will disable rotation in healthcare, and organizations will experience the global challenge.

The problem regarding nurse shortages is being addressed in different ways in other continents and states. For instance, Marc et al. (2019) cite that hospitals in Great Britain often employ many nurses from countries like Poland, India, and the Philippines. For the strategy to work, the hospitals in Great Britain pay these foreign nurses relatively high salaries thus making the process very expensive. Hospitals in Germany employ economic immigrants from Spain, China, and Portugal to work in their highly understaffed health sectors. Nurses deployed from China often undergo an eight-month cross-cultural training to enable them to adapt and work in foreign countries easily.

In their article, Hassmiller & Cozine (2006) explain that in the past years, the United States hospitals have been experiencing a shortage of nurses. The authors cite that in 2000 alone, there were about 126,000 vacant positions in hospitals that were unfilled. According to Hassmiller & Cozine (2006), the current nurse shortages in various organizations is caused by a variety of factors. For instance, there is an aging workforce, unfavorable work environments, and fewer personnel.

Secondly, very few nurses are undergoing training, and newly-educated nurses are also reluctant in developing their careers in various hospitals. Most of these nurses cite that they are dissatisfied with their work since they spend a lot of time performing tasks that are not related to their field of expertise. Hassmiller & Cozine (2006) cite that during their research, 43% of the nurses said that they are ere planning to leave their jobs within three years from that period. Every year, nurses work for an extra eight and a half weeks. Working for long hours and taking care of many patients at the same time leads to poor quality of care and patient dissatisfaction. According to Hassmiller & Cozine (2006), the shifts are as long as twelve to sixteen hours every day. Since only a few people are working in nursing in the U.S, those professionals available at the hospital must care for more patients while working under challenging conditions. The impact of nurse shortages for hospitals is significant. For instance, the cost of hiring and recruiting a nurse costs about $42,000 to $60,000, and the investment is higher in the emergency department (Nevidjon & Erickson, 2001).

One of the ways in which the problem on nurse shortages is being addressed in other organizations is through temporary recruitment (Buerhaus et al., 2007). The nurses are being hired through staffing agencies to work on contracts for a specified period of time. However, the issue on the temporary hiring of nurses has led to several concerns regarding these professional's consistencies and their quality of work. One of the problems experienced in the lowering of the morale of the nurses employed directly by the hospital when they work alongside nurses hired by agencies who earn more salaries and bonuses.

Strategies

Various strategies are used by organizations to deal with the issue of nurse shortages. As explained in the previous section, many organizations result in hiring nurses from foreign countries to work in their hospitals. Some of these nurses are hired on a contract basis after which they leave after working for a certain length of time (Buerhaus et al., 2007). The strategy of importing nurses has a positive impact on these organizations since better patient care is provided. With more nurses in the organization, there are less long-shift hours, and there are rare cases of exhaustion. However, hiring nurses from other countries also impacts negatively on the organization. For instance, the recruitment process of a single nurse is costly and is estimated to cost about $40,000, an amount equal to the annual average pay of a regular nurse. The imported nurses are also paid relatively higher salaries than the locals, therefore, making the organization to spend a lot of money for the former's services (Buerhaus et al., 2007). Assigning the foreign nurses to work with the local practitioners reduces the latter's morale when they see their colleagues getting paid huge salaries.

One of the short-term strategies used by various organizations is the hiring of temporary staff, whereby per-diem and traveling nurses are deployed to fill in individual shifts. The strategy helps to reduce the workload of permanent nurses and improve healthcare. However, hiring temporary staff is costly, and the quality of healthcare may be compromised.

Another strategy used by various organizations to deal with the stressor of nurse shortage is through salary and financial benefits (Andrews & Dziegielewski, 2005). These organizations use competitive salaries to hire and recruit nurses since the latter are in high-demand in the healthcare sector. Wages for both the employed nurses and new recruits are increased to enhance employee retention and prevent turnover. The negative impact that financial benefits have on an organization is that a lot of o finances are used which could otherwise be used for other functions. The advantage of the strategy is that organizations can retain their workforce and provide better patient care.

Organizations also use long-term strategies to deal with the issue of the shortage of nurses. Investment in nurse education is one of the most significant measures used. Many organizations are expanding their training capacities and opening new schools to enroll nursing students. These organizations pay for the students' education while expecting the latter to provide a work commitment (Andrews & Dziegielewski, 2005). Most of the trained students in these organizations work there after getting their degrees. The other education strategy is the provision of orientation programs in hospitals to promote employee retention and enhance worker satisfaction. During the orientation period, the new nurses are rotated to identify their best fit. These new nurses are paired with experienced ones so that they can improve their skills in patient care. One of the limitations of this strategy is that these nursing schools have a limited capacity for students. Therefore, not everyone can be accommodated to study there. Moreover, some employees may go to work in other hospitals after being trained and acquiring knowledge, which is a loss to the organization.

Competing Needs

Some of the competing needs in the organization include the needs of the workforce, the available resources, and the provision of quality healthcare to patients (McCaffrey, 2019). Nurses feel pressured to provide the best quality care to their patients since that is the goal of the organization. For instance, the organization has a patient-centered policy whereby the clients are put first and provide the best patient experiences. Some elements, like collaborative working experiences, are incorporated into the nursing sector to ensure that patients receive the best care possible. These patients are essential to the organization since they are a major source of revenue and therefore, must be prioritized so that the hospital does not lose them. The desire to provide quality care to all...