Nursing Retention in the Hospital Setting - Term Paper Example

Nursing Retention in the Hospital Setting Nursing Retention in the Hospital Setting Introduction Shortage of medical professionals within the healthcare system has become a fundamental challenge facing the provision of good services within the sector. This comes as result of losing employees through retirement and resignation in search for greener pastures. This has created a challenge for the organisations in seeking to ensure they are adequately staffed with nurses to take care of patients. The costs of losing nurses have continuously increased because of the training costs that must be incurred. Nursing retention has become a common workplace priority for many hospitals, which have been affected by this problem (Wieck, Dols, & Landrum, 2010). Many organisations in the healthcare sector have realised the significance of retaining nurses in enhancing the profitability of the organisation. This becomes possible following the elimination of the costs which are incurred in replacing the nurses. This research seeks to gains an insight into the prevalent problem of nursing retention. The results of the findings will be essential in assisting hospitals in understanding the various elements that result in loss of nurses within the healthcare industry. The objective of the paper will be to propose solutions to the prevalent problem of nursing retention within the healthcare sector. This understanding will be able to create solutions to the healthcare sector regarding how organisations can be able to retain the nurses within the sector. Retention issues in the hospital setting The problems facing the healthcare industry regarding retention of nurses have become fundamental and unprecedented because of numerous factors. The shortage of nurses within this industry has significant effects upon the healthcare profession. The quality of services that are offered could be adversely affected by the loss of nurses. The quality of healthcare services is compromised when nurses are lost. In seeking to enhance the quality of these services, the healthcare institutions need to adopt measures that will be aimed at curbing the loss of nurses. Many establishments will normally become involved in retention approaches to ensure they have the best trained employees within their establishments. Different approaches can be undertaken to be able to enhance the retention of nurses within the sector Job satisfaction Job satisfaction has been identified as one of the aspects that are critical in retaining employees. Within the working environment, the satisfaction of the job enables individuals to remain committed to their employment opportunities. The creation of job satisfaction within the nursing profession is a challenge to the professional practice. Some of the initiatives that are adopted in retention seek to increase employee retention while decreasing recruitment which is a more costly process. Within the nursing profession it is particularly critical to ensure retention because of the increased labour costs and shortages of employees. This results in a demand for employment opportunities increasing yet there is no supply that can meet the demand. The element of job dissatisfaction within the healthcare sector comes from the existing relationships between the nurses and physicians within the hospitals (Martin, 2008). Disruptive behaviour continues to cause major problems to the healthcare sector. These behaviours become predominant within the hospitals and they affect the level of satisfaction that the professional in the healthcare sector experience. Conflicts Conflicts are inevitable occurrences within any working environment. Their occurrence has a significant effect on the performance of employees and their comfort when within the working environment. When these conflicts occur it becomes the responsibility of the organisations to confront the issues that arise in seeking to provide lasting solutions and avoid loss of employees. Occurrence of employee conflicts is a fundamental reason that could cause employees to leave an organisation. Continued prevalence of such problems results in dissatisfaction among the employees. The element of leaving conflicts unresolved for long sometimes results in resentment among employees. Resentment among employees results in poor performance and high rates of turnover (Duffield et al, 2009). Organisations commonly adopt an approach of training of the employees to handle conflicts that they face. Advanced problems commonly impact the psychological well-being of the employee ultimately resulting in dissatisfaction. The leaders within these institutions must provide encouragement to employees undergoing conflicts in order to ensure the problem is contained in the early stages. Many nurse leaders commonly show courage through opposing working environments that expose patients to unwanted dangers. Nurse recognition programmes There has been a high level of laxity in rewarding nurses for exemplary performances within the healthcare sector. Recognition for exemplary performance can be an element that could be utilised to enhance retention of nurses within the healthcare sector. The element of recognition has been identified as having significant effect upon the individuals within the working environment (Young, 2009). Nursing leaders must be able to remain attentive of theirs followers in seeking to make them feel recognised. This ensures that the working environment becomes a motivating the encouraging one. Recognitions results in employee satisfaction with the job environment. Micromanagement This involves enhancing eh element of closely monitoring the activities that people undertake. It becomes essential when one is seeking to recognise good performances and present awards. The micromanagement element has some negative effects as individuals might feel they are not trusted, thus their self-confidence begins to diminish. Diminishing self-confidence becomes an aspect that could result in poor performance by the employees. This form of management creates an environment in which there is mistrust and tenured employees could resign out of dissatisfaction (Jones & Gates, 2007). Micromanagement results in employees presuming the leaders as failing to appreciate the role they play in the undertaking of different organisational activities. This creates persistent problems of conflict between the leader and other employees. A feeling of dissatisfaction sets in resulting in employees becoming demotivated and ultimately resigning. Culture of trust Trust refers to the confidence that an individuals has on the capability and intentions of another person. Building trust among employees empowers them to become actively involved in many activities of the organisation. Good working relationships are established through trust. The element of trust is established through effective communication channels that encourage sharing among the employees. High trust cultures must be established through interactions between employees and managers. The element of trust is essential in ensuring that the culture of trust is developed within the working environment. Servant leadership Servant leadership has been described as one of the most effective approaches that can be utilised within the nursing profession to enhance performance of employees. A servant leader ensures that the subordinates are motivated in order to enhance their performance. This involves identifying the needs of followers and then helping them through participation to meet those needs. Leadership through example is critical to the motivation of the employees as they perceive the leader to be inclusive of the crew that is performing an activity. This results in commitment by both the nurses and their leaders towards achievement of common goals. The unity and effective working relationships established are critical in providing support for each other within the working environment. Application to practice In seeking to curb the imminent problem of retention of nurses within the hospital it becomes essential to adopt different approaches that eliminate the factors causing the employee turnover. This problem within the healthcare sector has resulted in another fundamental problem to the healthcare sector for retention of employees. The element of retention is essential in the management of hospitals when the costs of recruitment and training are factored. Retention is also important as it ensures the continuity of the technical skills held by the people. In a practical situation, healthcare institutions would make a cost effective analysis in making decisions aimed at adopting retention policies. The quality of healthcare services provided is dependent on the employees; hence there is an increased need to ensure employees are not lost. Understanding the elements and factors which necessitate nursing retention could be essential in ensuring that the adopted policies are effective and have the capacity to ensure retention of nurses in hospitals. This will ultimately result in consistency and improvement of the quality of services provide within the healthcare sector Recommendation The fundamental problems facing the nursing profession is finding qualified individuals to perform the desired functions. This is as a result of individuals who have left their jobs for the various reason which have been described above. These range from satisfaction of the individuals with the job to other social constraints which make working environment become stressing for the nurses. The replacement of retired nurses has become increasingly difficult because of the low levels of individuals who are being trained to become nurses. Within the nursing schools there is also a shortage of trainers and this has also contributed to the low numbers professional searching for employment. The demand for the nursing services has surpassed the labour force which is available in the market. This difference in the demand and supply has been the fundamental source of the need for retention within the sector. The organisations operating within the health sector have adopted different strategies aimed at eliminating the various factors that result in nurses leaving their employment opportunities. References Duffield, C., Roche, M., O’Brien-Pallas, L., Catling-Paull, C., & King, M. (2009). Staff satisfaction and retention and the role of the nursing unit manager. Collegian, 16(1), 11–17. Jones, C., & Gates, M. (2007). The costs and benefits of nurse turnover: A business case for nurse retention. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12(3). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Volume122007/No3Sept07/NurseRetention.aspx Martin, W. F. (2008). Is your hospital safe? Disruptive behavior and workplace bullying. Hospital Topics, 86(3), 21–28. Wieck, K. L., Dols, J., & Landrum, P. (2010). Retention priorities for the intergenerational nurse workforce. Nursing Forum, 45(1), 7–17. Young, L. E. (2009). Mentoring new nurses in stressful times. Canadian Operating Room Nursing Journal, 27(2), 6–7.  Read More