Contemporary Issues For Nurses - Essay Example

Contemporary issues in Nursing Nurse executives are the pillars in the healthcare industry and they help in coordinating between the doctors and patients. (1) Nursing is defined as ‘the use of clinical judgment to improve, maintain the health and to achieve the best quality of life’ . The demand for nurse executives has increased tremendously in the past and there has also been a significant decline in the programs in the field of nurse administrations. There has been a sudden shortage for nursing faculty in the recent past owing to the change in careers and retirement. Research studies states that hospital staffs are not up to the standards and are less professionally competent and committed to their work. Hospital staff nurses try to improve their work efficiency by improving and increasing the quality of work and at the same time keeping up with the changes in new technology. (1) Competent nursing professionals are very essential for delivering high quality and effective care. (2) There are number of activities that the hospital nurses are required to perform in their day to day work which are – Provide quality patient care and also maintain human caring component in patient care Adapting to new technology in information technology and maintaining records of patient history Counseling done to the patients family Mediate and interface between the physicians and patients and work together with other health care providers Taking part and contributing towards clinical research Effective discharge planning and patient health education There are many challenges that the nurse staff faces which includes pay package, remuneration and incentives, working hours, education and lack of professional competency. (1) (2) The critical and major challenges that the nursing staff face in today’s world are 1. Remuneration and incentives 2. Working hours 3. Professional competency and skill requirement 4. Nursing leadership 5. Modernization of nursing careers Remuneration: Compensation in the form of bonus and incentives is fundamental to any professional viability. Compensation although not the only factor for satisfaction can also be a potential dissatisfier. A non monetary benefit includes insurance for the staffs, incentives and other factors. Health care hospitals need to sponsor for the education or provide pre loans so that the nurses are more professionally qualified and competent Creation and development of compensation plans need to be maintained (2) Flexible benefit plans need to be rolled out by the HR team More non monetary benefits need to be provided to the staff. The nurses also need to take some initiatives to understand the value and the benefit of the compensation plans provided. They should also look beyond salaries and be very efficient in employment negotiations. Based on the role played in a particular health care organization, the nurse needs to reach an agreement with the compensation. (2) (2) With the increase in vacancy rate, the hospitals are hiring less experienced staff which has a direct impact on the quality of the patient care and there is also a compromise in the patient safety. In a survey conducted in 2001, only 18% of the staff leaving had considered compensation and pay package as the reason. The shortage of the practicing nurses in the healthcare industry is going to drastically reduce because of the following reasons- Retirement of the nursing workforce in the next 10 years Fewer nursing courses and programs available for the students to choose nursing as a career. Experienced nursing staff leaving work for better options available Benefits in the form of flexi timings, pensions and healthcare insurance have a direct impact on employee retention. Optional benefits assists in retention as it provides the staff to have a work life balance. Wellness programs such as gyms and other health clubs can also reduce absenteeism and increase efficiency of the employee. Educational assistance provided by the employer in the form of scholarships, sponsorships or educational reimbursements of fees can also help in reducing the retention. For many women employees, child and women care is very critical and hospitals can have health care insurance provided to them. (2) The hospitals provide very low compensations because of the frequent job changes, part time work, seasonal nurse staffs who are not taking nursing as a serious profession. Another major factor for low compensation is due to the cost to the organization.(2) In order to achieve desired results for both the healthcare organization and the nurse staff, the commission needs to ensure the following compensation guidelines are followed- Review salary and compensation every 6 months Flexible and optional benefits structure to be implemented Individual annual benefit statements Individual can opt for flexi benefits to suit their requirement Organizations to have pay option to encourage the staffs to take more professional courses which will help in their nursing careers. Working hours Around 20% of American nursing staff works on irregular timings and working overtime. Nurse’s overtime has been mandatory as a result of critical shortage of nurses in the industry. (4)This usually results in number of issues such as- The quality of the patient care will be reduced and this affects the efficiency and productivity. This reduces the alertness to patient medical condition. The increase in employee turnover and research states that nursing staff is the 2nd highest in turn over ratio (3) Overtime reduces nursing ability and individual patient care (4) Nurses can make clinical misjudgments because of long working hours and there can be cases of medication errors. Long working hours has a negative impact in the employees physical health The main reasons for nursing staff working long hours are because of the following reasons- Strong commitment from the individuals towards their work and patient care poor working staffs and cost reduction in many hospitals (4) To handle this issue, many countries have implemented various strategies to increase the recruitment such as developing benefits plans, flexi timing, with improved child care centers and cash bonuses. (5) Professional Competency Nursing professional development helps the nurses to recognize and develop their knowledge and skill in the healthcare system. Number of accreditation, meeting professional standards, increase in responsibility and accountability require the need for better nurse managers and administrators. In today’s healthcare management, the need for efficient, quality and effective nurses are in demand. (6) The government needs to ensure that the education, practice and management are developed together so that it helps in providing competent nursing management which will improve the quality of services. (8) Recommendations: The health care hospitals need to provide allowance for the nurse overtime for patient care documentation as one third of the time is being spent on documenting. There is a significant room for improvement in the patient documentation process which takes extensive time of nurses. Relevant, electronic streamlined and time saving documentation approaches are required. This would also help in increasing the efficiency and satisfying work environment. Substantial effort in improving the documentation process also reduces the healthcare costs. Encouraging the nurses involvement in the administration, management and documentation policies help in identifying the issues and improve the design and the structure. The general public should be made aware of the long working hours which would help in understanding the real situation will help in bring some changes in the hospital industry. The national associate for nurses should also provide guidance and proper ethical framework for nurses on overtime CONCLUSION The problems faced in the nursing industry and by nurses are universal in nature. Availability of very few resources and poor career development and structure are the main causes for the diminishing trend in the nursing industry. The nursing industry had developed rapidly during the 19th century. Although many developments and modernization have taken place there are many issues faced in this industry. The future issues in this industry include higher education programs, expanding research and technological advancement (9) Very few nurses employed in hospitals and very few students enrolled in nursing schools shows that there is dissatisfaction element in the nursing profession. Lack of satisfaction also result in employee turnover, early retirement or change in profession. To overcome this challenge, many hospitals are recruiting nurses from other foreign countries and also a significant component is outsourced. The changing pattern of healthcare has also increased the complexity in the nursing industry. Nursing also requires professional commitment and also creative thinking which will help in nursing practice. Shortage of nursing require strategic plan which help both the hospitals as well as the professional nurses in providing better outcomes. The need for nurses are increasing everyday and as nurses are the main human resource in the hospitals, the need for well trained and efficient nurses are very essential. Despite these many challenges, the nurses continue to serve their patients with utmost care have always taken responsibility for other areas because of the depth of knowledge, experience and talent. Work Cited 1. Cowen, Perle Slavik & Sue Moorhead, Current issues in Nursing,7th Edition, St Louis, Missouri, Mosby Elsevier, 2006 2. Compensation as a Function of Retention of Nurses, Maryland State wide Commission on the Crisis in Nursing. 3rd March 2010 http://www.mbon.org/commission/compensation_paper.pdf 3. Extended hours issues in Nursing: exploring the problems, finding the solutions, Medsurg Nursing, Findarticles.com 4th March 2010, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSS/is_4_14/ai_n17210414/ 4. Dallaire, Clemence, Centre Ferasi, Ferasi centre’s committee of Strategic Development ,3rd March 2010, http://www.ferasi.umontreal.ca/fra/07_info/Rapport%20traduction%20ENG%20mars%2006.pdf 5. Swihart, Diana, Nursing Professional Development: Roles and Accountabilities, 2009, 3rd March 2010, http://www.ferasi.umontreal.ca/fra/07_info/Rapport%20traduction%20ENG%20mars%2006.pdf 6. Holleran, Constance, Challenges to nursing from the World Health Organization and the International Council of Nurses, Nursing administration Quarterly, 1992, 16 (2) 1-3 7. Smith R, Derek, Sa Tang, Nursing in China: Historical Development, current issues and future challenges, 2004, 5(2) 16-29 8. Gungerty, Brian et al, Challenges and Opportunities in Documentation of the Nursing Care of Patients, report of the Maryland Nursing Documentation Work Group, 2007, 3rd March 2010 http://www.ferasi.umontreal.ca/fra/07_info/Rapport%20traduction%20ENG%20mars%2006.pdf Read More