Nurse turnover
Nurse turnover is a problem that the nursing representatives and administrators have continually and consistently covered up. Despite sufficient numbers in nursing, patient care safety is significantly affected, with lapses in service delivery, overworked and frustrated nurses more likely to make mistakes, and generally dissatisfied. Nurse turnover, therefore, refers to a healthcare issue that is characterized by several instances in which any nurse leaves a particular organization (Tappen, Davis & Tradewell, 1995). Nurse turnover may either be voluntary or involuntary leaving, and as a result, new employees are considered to take up the left job. Several challenges may come along with the nurse turnover, and such may include:
Reduction in effectiveness and productivity - nurse turnover in health facilities may result in a decrease in effectiveness and productivity in delivering care, due to the introduction of new employees in the organization (Tappen, Davis & Tradewell, 1995). The reason being, when nurses are assigned to the same patients over time, personal bonds can be created, and this may lead to better health care outcomes, unlike when new employees (nurses) are introduced to the same system. Thereby resulting in poor hospital quality.
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Increased operation costs - nurse turnover may also increase operation costs, since new employees are costly, as they need to be trained to become familiar with the operations of a firm. With an increase in operation costs, patient healthcare is equally at risk, since healthcare organizations will tend to spend much money on hiring new employees other than spending such amounts of money in improving patient quality health care (Snow, 2001). For this reason, there will be poor hospital quality within the healthcare setting.
Professional standards
The scope and standards of practice of the nursing professional development that should be demonstrated to help maintain professional conduct and rectify the issues brought about by nurse turnover may include:
Professional practice evaluation – this standard requires inter-professional reviews, not just that of the nursing colleagues. This would enable the nurses to know much of the great course they are undertaking in ensuring patients' safety and healthcare quality as well. By maintaining this standard, the nurses would ensure the maintenance of professional conduct.
Resource utilization – this standard ensures efficient resource allocation within a healthcare setting, thereby enhancing the quality and safety of patient health care. Resource allocation also improves effectiveness and reduction in cost regarding professional development activities and expected outcomes (Sullivan & Decker, 1998). In so doing, challenges that may come with nurse turnover may be curved hence ensuring efficient and effective flow in a healthcare setting and maintaining professional conduct. For this reason, hospital quality will be achieved.
Change management – this standard is based on the role of change agent established in the field of professional development in nursing. It ensures healthcare conducts within every healthcare setting is maintained. It advocates for improvement in patient healthcare quality.
Leadership – this a critical standard that emphasizes on effective leadership and management role in a healthcare setting. With effective leadership in a healthcare setting, healthcare conducts are maintained.
Ethics – this helps in maintaining competencies in a healthcare setting and ensures the code of ethics in carrying out activities and rendering services in every healthcare setting, therefore helps in managing healthcare conducts.
Differing roles of nursing leaders and nursing managers
The profession of a registered nurse is a leadership position in and of itself. Regardless of the particular title, nurses are regarded as figures of authority in the healthcare field. Even though all nurses are leaders in their ways, some search for specific management roles to further demonstrate their leadership skills.
Nurse Managers ensure proper and continuous functioning of their section, unit, and service line (Sullivan & Decker, 1998). The nurse managers participate in a broad range of daily chores that include but are not limited to, setting goals, budgeting, preparing for patient care, and improving quality. They likewise have to supervise: Educational and career opportunities for staff, staff assignments, and professional growth of staff and team schedules. Nurse Managers are also viewed as a reference point of their employees. Nurse Managers should be honest and open-source of advice, encouragement, and support to their workers in the role during their tenure.
In comparison, nurse leaders are not as mission-oriented as nurse administrators but concentrate on setting and maintain expectations (Tappen, Davis & Tradewell, 1995). Their job is to fulfill the mission, vision, and long-term strategy of the organization. Most of their efforts are directed at policy making, tracking quality controls, spearheading change, fiscal obligations, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
Approaches
Nurse turnover is a problem that the nursing representatives and administrators have continually and consistently covered up (Snow, 2001). Despite sufficient numbers in nursing, patient care safety is significantly affected, with lapses in service delivery, overworked and frustrated nurses more likely to make mistakes, and generally dissatisfied.
Some of the ways the nurse leaders and managers address this is by giving nurses sign-in and retention incentives, as well as transfer compensation. That may inspire people to pursue nursing very well (Sullivan & Decker, 1998). Elderly nurses have come up with their challenges, insisting that patient care be realigned to work at its best. There are many physical needs in nursing, requirements that may not be met by older nurses, thus requiring the need for nursing technologies.
Additional aspects of ensuring professionalism
Becoming a full partner surpasses all elements of the nursing profession, which needs leadership skills and expertise to be demonstrated both within the field and in partnership with other health professionals (Snow, 2001). To be a full partner in care environments involves taking responsibility for identifying problems and areas of duplication, creating and executing a strategy for change, tracking progress over time, and making adjustments necessary to achieve the goals set. Serving as excellent advocates for patients, nurses need to take part in making decisions on how to improve care quality.
Being a full partner extends more deeply into the health policy field. To be effective in reconceptualized roles and also to be seen and be acknowledged as leaders, nurses need to know the policy as something that they can shape and create instead of something that occurs to them, either at the local or national level.
Nurses are required to speak the language of policy and participate actively in the political process and operate as a career in a cohesive manner. Nurses should, therefore, have a voice in decision-making on health policy, and should also be involved in attempts to enact health care reform (Tappen, Davis & Tradewell, 1995). Nurses should also regularly participate in consultative panels, commissions, and boards where strategic decisions are taken to promote health systems and improve patient care.
Leadership style
The transformational leadership style in nursing would be the best style of leadership for this kind of setting. The reason being that it is focussed on inspiring workers to do their best at work, and on empowering them to be positive when performing different tasks rather than contrary (Tappen, Davis & Tradewell, 1995). Yet, all this is achieved through a shared vision and mission. Highlights of the transition style into committed, successful teams.
There is a need for an empowering and knowledgeable nurse leader in making their leadership work benefits the organization (Snow, 2001). This style can fail in a despicable way if the one who manages it lacks any essential characteristics needed to make transformational leadership effective in any health care environment.
In conclusion, to improve patient safety and healthcare quality outcomes, we need to focus on patient satisfaction and issues at risk, an effect on morale and reduced productivity in organizations that have no capacity for it. To realize an effective change in healthcare, the management needs to adopt the transformational style of leadership. Patient healthcare is very much essential and should be served along with decent quality.
References
Snow, J. L. (2001). Looking beyond nursing for clues to effective leadership. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration , 31 (9), 440-443.
Sullivan, E. J., & Decker, P. J. (1998). Effective leadership and management in nursing. AJN The American Journal of Nursing , 98 (6), 16L.
Tappen, R. M., Davis, F. A., & Tradewell, G. T. (1995). Nursing leadership and management: Concepts and practice. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development , 11 (5), 280.
