Modern Trends and Issues in Nursing - Essay Example

Trends and Issues in Nursing Introduction There are various trends and issues in nursing. These trends and issues influence the current quality of nursing care delivered to the patients and the people in general. One of these issues in nursing includes the current nursing shortage. This nursing shortage is being felt by many countries all around the world with the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western nations being one of the top countries experiencing this shortage. This shortage has potentially dangerous repercussions to the quality of nursing care because a fewer number of nurses are being prompted to deal with a great number of patients. Some reports claim that this shortage will worsen over the next few years; other reports claim that this shortage is slowly starting to ease. This paper shall assess whether or not the nursing shortage is slowly and gradually tapering off or is worsening. Three reports from various sources and media shall be used in order to assess this issue. On a personal note, this student believes that the nursing shortage will continue to worsen in the next few years and will not ease unless more drastic and more goal-oriented solutions are established to address this issue. Summary of articles 1. News Article: Nursing shortage a global problem, convention told (CBC News, 2007) This article sets forth how the nursing shortage is not just a problem of one state, but of the whole world. The article points out how many people are avoiding this profession, preferring to work in other jobs, other than nursing. This is a common sentiment around the globe. The article also cites success stories in California where they were able to keep their nurses by reducing the workload (CBC News, 2007). In Canada, however, this is not likely to happen because the gaps in the shortage is too wide too breach. The workload of nurses cannot be reduced because work never seems to stop for these nurses. The phone never stops ringing and admissions are continuous. They work long hours, double shifts, and even consecutive shifts for 16 hours at a time (CBC News, 2007). Moreover, the Canadian Nurses Association claims that there are more graduates in nursing being produced than jobs being made available in Canada. Consequently, these graduates are being drawn in by United States hospitals which are capable of offering these graduates more than casual posts (CBC News, 2007). 2. The nursing shortage in the United States of America: an integrative review of the literature (Goodin, 2002). The article above provides a scholarly literature review of the nursing shortage in the United States of America. The article sought to assess the factors which contribute to the nursing shortage in the United States and possible solutions to this issue. The article pointed out that nursing has been fluctuating between surplus and shortage in the past, however, the current nursing shortage is unique; the solutions adopted before would not work in resolving the current shortage. In the author’s review of materials from 1999 to 2001, it was revealed that there are four main causes of shortage in the United States. These are: the ageing workforce, declining enrollment in nursing, changing work climate, and poor image of nursing (Goodin, 2002). The suggested solutions to this issue were as follows: improved recruitment and retainment efforts; improving the image of nursing, and improving legislation which address the nursing shortage problem. The study concluded that the United States is in a nursing shortage crisis and that there are various factors which contribute to this issue. In order to solve this issue, there is a need for nurses to become more aggressive and participative in helping to secure the future workforce. Partnerships within the profession and with other concerned parties and can help the nurse take a more active stance in solving the shortage problem (Goodin, 2007). 3. No Nursing Shortage Here (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d) The article above sets forth that at the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey, USA, there is no nursing shortage. In fact, there is a waiting list of nurses who wish to work in the hospital (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d). The executive vice president for patient care in the hospital suggested that one of the reasons which prevented a nursing shortage in HUMC was the fact that the hospital itself was very supportive of nurses. The administration never cut their nurses; and during the economic crisis, these nurses were considered as cost avoiders not avoidable costs. The hospital has had a vacancy rate of 0 to 3 percent because it has not hired foreign nurses and travel nurses. The satisfaction rate among the staff is high and critical nurses work at an 80:20 ratio in the hospital (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d). Nurses working in the hospital have adequate support, rewards, recognition, and career opportunities. Its dedication to its nurses made it a recipient of the Magnet Nursing Services Recognition in Nursing Services in 1995. Only about 50 health care institutions have received this award since its inception. When the nursing shortage was seen in the 1980s, the hospital held these nurses in high regard as professional players. In the process, they attracted and retained their staff (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d). It also helped that the hospital had the support of its top management in implementing the measures to avoid the nursing shortage and in managing its nursing staff. They have also established a strong education program which has helped in strengthening the nursing profession in their hospital (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d). Through its partnerships with local universities, it was able to provide adequate internship and training for students and thereby allow the early recruitment process to commence. The training process has also targeted areas which were hard to recruit in the nursing profession. In the process, the hospital has already anticipated its needs and its potential recruits (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d). The solutions have helped the hospital retain a high nursing employment rate and avoid the issue that is currently plaguing many hospitals in many states all over the globe. Comparison First and foremost as to the authors’ credibility, the article by CBC or by the Canadian Broadcasting Centre is a credible news source. It is credible as a news agency because it is currently Canada’s national public broadcaster bringing about diverse and cultural perspectives on the lives of Canadians. It considers itself accountable to all Canadians and it reports annually to the government (CBC, 2010). However, there are some issues on the credibility of this article. First and foremost, the article was credited to the CBC in general so there is no way to assess the individual credibility of the authors or the reporters/researchers of this article. There is also no way to assess the individual expertise and knowledge of the author on the actual issue being discussed by the paper. A discerning and critical mind with the necessary expertise is needed in order to ensure that the facts being suggested in this article are adequately evaluated. The documentation provided by this paper is adequate for a news article; most of the documentation consists of direct quotes from interviewees and stakeholders in this issue. There are however no specific statistical figures cited and researched by this article in order to support its suggestions on the nursing shortage. Therefore, based on the article alone, there is limited support which can be used in order to strengthen its claims. The reader is left to make his or her extrapolations based on other claims and on personal observations on the nursing shortage. The second article is credible because its author Heather Goodin has the necessary training and skills in the field of nursing and of research. She is a registered nurse in the United States and a Professor in the School of Nursing of Capital University. She also has published several articles in nursing and in relation to the current topic at hand. The documentation that Goodin has offered is credible and is well presented. Studies she included in her literature review are adequately summarized, highlighting the crucial problems causing the nursing shortage and the possible solutions thereto. She has offered adequate support for her claims by citing different studies from different authors on the subject matter. The materials gathered were well-analyzed and are very much adequate for this research. Statistical figures based on logical and academic processes were used in order to support the results as used by this author and this article. The third article is based on a report by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement which is an independent and a non-profit organization with affiliates worldwide. It is credible as a healthcare foundation and as a research company. It is not bound by ties in private and government institutions. This makes it a highly credible source of information. Its documentation is also credible because it is basically a report on one hospital: Hackensack University Medical Center. The report was focused on the hospital and has used first hand information through verified interviews and reports of stakeholders in the hospital. It has however cited specific figures and facts which only pertain to the hospital and not to any other healthcare institution in the United States. Hence, its claims of ‘no shortage’ are only applicable within the hospital. It is important to note that the article still very much acknowledges the existence of the nursing shortage; but it sets forth how it does not have this problem at all. It makes a legitimate claim as far as its institution is concerned; beyond that, it still espouses the same claims of the two previous articles. Agreements/Disagreements between authors The first two authors or articles basically agree with each other – that nursing shortage is currently a major issue in nursing. The agreements made by the authors are also well supported by other reports from other authors and by other news reports. The first article is not specific enough about the causes of the nursing shortage; however, it can easily and noticeably be implied from its content that a major cause is on retaining the nursing workforce. This cause too is mentioned by Goodin in her scholarly article. This is a crucial agreement between these two articles because we can easily evaluate from the current nursing shortage that it is now difficult to make nurses stay in the profession. Being overworked and underpaid as a nurse is the primary reason for nurses leaving the profession and for other people avoiding it as a career altogether. These are logical conclusions drawn from these two articles. They are also appropriately and adequately supported by evidence and facts cited within their text. The third article negates the existence of a shortage, however, as was previously mentioned, this only applies to one hospital. The disagreement with the two previous authors is not a disagreement so much as it negates the existence of a nursing shortage; but it is a disagreement in that it sets forth how the hospital was able to avoid the current nursing shortage because of sound management practices. My own position about this issue is that there is indeed a nursing shortage, not just in the United States or Canada, but globally as well. In hospitals, nurses are indeed prompted to work long and difficult hours. They are stressed from having to cope with an increasing number of patients which they can hardly keep up with because the hospital cannot add on new staff. The economic crisis has driven many hospitals to major budget cuts, and the nurses have been affected by these budget cuts. With these deplorable working conditions, many prospective nurses have been turned away from this profession. There are limited enrollees; and even fewer available nursing teachers. With fewer teachers, the schools can only allow the enrollment of a limited number of students. This has now created a vicious cycle is seen in the nursing profession. The situation and solutions which were however cited by the third article are firm and engaging proof that there may be a way out of this shortage. By applying good management principles which involves the professional participation of nurses in general, it is possible to solve this issue. My personal and professional values influence my views on this issue in the sense that I am able to make a specific assessment of the topic and of the facts set forth by the three articles. I am able to discern which ideas are questionable and illogical and which are very much applicable to the nursing profession. My personal and professional values allow me to be an objective observer and active problem-solver who is very much engaged in this issue. Works Cited Goodin, H. (17 January 2002) The nursing shortage in the United States of America: an integrative review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, volume 43, number 4, pp. 335-350 No Nursing Shortage Here (n.d) Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Retrieved 08 January 2010 from http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/Improvement/ImprovementMethods/ImprovementStories/No+Nursing+Shortage+Here.htm Nursing shortage a global problem, convention told (6 June 2007) Canadian Broadcasting Centre News. Retrieved 08 January 2010 from http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/06/06/nursing-shortages.html Read More