Nursing Shortages: Job Satisfaction & Demographics Drive Demand - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to a free market, labour supply expects to be in line with market demand. Higher wages and job security are the reasons that attract people to pursue a particular profession. The case with the nursing profession is different because it does not follow free-market laws. There are different reasons for continued nursing shortages. Job satisfaction and nurse demographics are the competing needs that influence nursing shortages. The concept of job satisfaction is complex. According to Halcomb, Smyth, & McInnes (2018), he defines job satisfaction as the way a person feels about their job, the nature of the job, and what they expect throughout career developments. The current nursing workforce is faced with insufficient staff, causing an increase in nurse stress levels. High administrative workloads are forcing nurses to quit a nursing career in search of careers with better job satisfaction and consistency in work life.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The nursing demography is another competing needs leading to nursing shortages due to high nurse retirements. Americans are now living for a more extended time because of improved medical sciences and improved living conditions. The trend is that there are now increased populations aged above 65 years. These populations require medical care because most of them are likely to suffer from chronic diseases. The demand for nurses is now at a high rate because of high populations aged above 65 who require nursing care. The problem is that nurses do not complete their careers, and most of them go on early retirement. The early retirements are contributing to high nursing turnover facing the nursing industry. The time it takes a person to be a nurse implies that it will take longer to solve nursing shortages because of competition between nursing demographics and an increase in populations that require nursing care.

Organizational Policy That May Influence Nursing Shortages

The valuing process of nurses in my organizations is influencing nursing shortages within the firm. The organization has adopted a policy where nurses are considered as part of an asset in the balance sheet rather than as an expense. The policy is working well towards influencing nursing retention within the firm and in the nursing industry. During financial meltdowns, most organizations watch their budget lines closely, which in turn may affect nurses negatively, increasing their chances of them quitting because of frustrations. The policy of changing the way nursing executives view their staff is a determining force in the working environment of nurses. One requirement of the policy is that nursing leaders within the firm are required to develop distinct skills that ensure the valuing of nurses. There should be a partnership between the nursing executive and human resource office to discuss ways in which their nurses are valued while opening up for new suggestions. The objective of the valuing nurses is to ensure continued career development of nurses while attracting new entrance. The organization is teaming up with relevant nursing bodies to ensure that they identify benefits that are able to retain nurses in our working environment while ensuring they remain satisfied with their jobs. Under the nursing valuing strategy adopted by my organizations, there is an annual interview carried within our firm and hospitals around my state to help find out what causes nurses' dissatisfaction with their work and suggestions to solve the problem. The policies are per research by Nevidjon & Erickson (2001), who suggests that organization leaders have a role in ensuring that they help nurses to identify their roles. Organizations are expected to develop flexible working conditions that help the advancement of benefits.

Critique of Policy Based on Ethical Considerations

The policy to change nursing retention policies through valuing strategies is faced with ethical dimensions. Nurses have to overwork themselves to ensure they remain resourceful to the organization because they are faced with the burden of responsibility after receiving beneficial treatment from organization leadership. The nursing shortage within the firm is still a challenge despite the implementation of shortage retention policies. Since the organization fulfil their part of valuing nurses, the policy puts the few nurses under pressure of questioning their ethical responsibilities requiring them to serve their patients as expected. There is also an ethical dilemma between the organization's human resource management and the nursing executive team. The policy requires the organization to compromise its financial goals in order to ensure that nurses remain satisfied through the establishment of a conducive working environment.

The strength of valuing nursing policy is that it does not interfere with regulatory and nursing policies. The policy is an internal affair that can be established based on an agreement with departments within the organization. Hospitals who apply the retention policy offer nurses a chance to continue career development through supportive initiatives. The policy is, therefore, in line with the overall nursing industry goal of ensuring that nurses are retained hence a long-term approach to solve the nursing shortage. The weakness of valuing policy strategy is that it put pressure on already understaffed nurses to deliver quality care to nurses. The nurse's expectation increases since their dissatisfaction at work are solved using the policy. The policy also can raise conflict of interest between the top management, who will have to compromise their financial goals to ensure nurses remain in the assets sections of the balance sheet instead of the expense section.

Policy Recommendation

A recommendation should be made to change the policies on recruitment of nursing students. According to Nevidjon & Erickson (2001) nursing, enrollment is decreasing yearly across all academic levels. The reason for the decrease in nursing enrollment is due to the current nursing programs practices. Young people are now in a position to apply for different careers, leaving out nursing on the grounds that it is a stressful career. Recommendations are made to ensure that already practicing nurses should educate new nurses. Nurses often leave nursing for other careers because they feel that practicing as a nurse lack development. Example of ensuring performance measurement skills is through the introduction of new learning models for new nurses. Recruitment of nurses should ensure that practicing is in line with education programs. Universities and hospital systems should develop strategies that support nurses' careers through scholarship and creating additional learning slots for nurses. Healthcare organizations, schools and government should collaborate to increase nursing enrollment of minority students.

According to research by Nevidjon & Erickson (2001), they established that Boston State developed a project called Choose Nursing, whose objective was to recruit minority students into the nursing profession. States and nursing organizations should adapt this recruitment to assist in increasing the recruitment of nurses as a long-term solution to nurse shortages. The strength of using this strategic measure is that it is attainable if rigorous campaigns are implemented to ensure young people enroll for nursing careers. The policy also offers an opportunity to reach increase nursing recruitments through early reach out for students at a young age. The weakness of this strategy is that sceptics who feel these influences as not worth view reaching out to children at a young age to influence their choice for a career in nursing as unethical. Online information influences the current society making it a challenge to change the minds of young students to consider a career in nursing.

References

Halcomb, E., Smyth, E., & McInnes, S. (2018). Job satisfaction and career intentions of registered nurses in primary health care: an integrative review. BMC family practice, 19(1), 136. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-018-0819-1

Nevidjon, B., & Erickson, J. I. (2001). The nursing shortage: Solutions for the short and long term. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 6(1), 4. Available: www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume62001/No1Jan01/NursingShortageSolutions.aspx