PROPOSED PROJECT/PLAN 1 - Essay Example

Universal Healthcare System of Affiliation: Universal Healthcare System Shortage of professional nurses has indeed proved to be a dilemma in the healthcare sector, contributing to a number of challenges in the provision of quality healthcare services. Based on the perspective that healthcare services are usually directly involved with the lives of humans, it is important that they should be of the highest quality possible. However, with the challenge of increased shortage of the professional nurses, the provision of quality healthcare services has been faced by obstacles.

In sectors such as that of healthcare, quality is usually the driving force, and therefore, any compromise to such an aspect has a direct effect on the sustainability and success of the sector. It is therefore clear that with the challenge of shortage of nurses, the greatest ethical dilemma faced by the healthcare sector as contributed to by the challenge is the provision of poor services (Robinson, 2010) . Increased shortage of nurses to deliver healthcare services in the sector possesses numerous challenges that require appropriate strategies for effective sustenance and success in the sector.

A number of solutions have been identified with some currently under implementation, in an urge to curb the increasing problem of nurses’ shortage facing the healthcare sector. An important aspect of consideration towards the development of effective strategies is identifying the causes of the shortage. Some of the causes include early retirement of nurses, poor remuneration and working conditions for the nurses, low turn-outs for students for the nursing courses, (Starnes-Ott and Kremer, 2007) among others.

Appropriate strategies would therefore, require the mitigation of causes associated with the shortage of nurses. Based on the above perspective, the alternatives towards the mitigation of nurses’ shortage in healthcare institutions include the establishment of better working conditions for nursing professionals, which includes the provision of better wages for the services that the nurses render (ESHC, 1992). In so doing, there would be limited instances of nurses leaving the profession in search of greener pastures in other activities, as is with the case of early retirements experienced with most nurses.

Such an aspect is indeed one of the greatest retention strategies currently employed by a majority of healthcare institutions in an urge to reduce the shortage of nurses in the sector (Starnes-Ott and Kremer, 2007). Other alternatives towards the reduction of nurses’ shortage in healthcare sectors include the creation of awareness among students towards changing the perception previously created that nursing was indeed one of the worst careers that any individual could study (Robinson, 2010) .

Such a perception has indeed contributed immensely towards the advancement of nurses’ shortages in the healthcare sector. With a limited number of individuals available for employment, together with the increased competition among the industry players, it is clear that shortage of nurses in the sector is inevitable. In spite of the available options towards the mitigation of nurses’ shortage in the healthcare sector, development of a universal healthcare system is indeed one of the best means of addressing the shortage of nurses’ challenge.

It is a plan that involves a number of participants in order to protect patients and the public towards the provision of quality healthcare services, which is indeed the greatest ethical dilemma caused by shortage of nurses (Coates, 2004). Universal healthcare system involves the provision of subsidies mostly by the government towards the citizens. With such subsidies, nurses are able to get better pay as healthcare institutions spend less towards the provision of services. Such an aspect will include the improvement of working conditions, which would significantly reduce the instances of early retirements; an aspect of retention (Coates, 2004).

Despite such observations, the participants who include the government, healthcare institutions and the citizens have to take active roles in their participation for the realization of success in mitigating the challenge of nurses’ shortage. ReferencesExperts Suggest Solutions to the Healthcare Crisis. (1992). Management Review, 81(7), 20 Coates Joseph F.. (2004). The radical solution to rising health-care costs. Employment Relations Today, 31(2), 1-11 Kristen Starnes-Ott and Michael J Kremer. (2007). Recruitment and Retention of Nurse Anesthesia Faculty: Issues and Strategies.

AANA Journal, 75(1), 13Robinson, F.. (2010). Tackling health inequalities. Practice Nurse, 39(5), 9-10. HealthReform.Gov. Retrieved 3/2/2013 from http://www.healthcare.gov/