One of the burdens of the nursing profession is the need to work long hours, some of which sometimes take up half of the entire day. Long working hours create a heavy workload for nurses, and this is a professional challenge that many cannot overcome and leave the medical field. My method of retaining them that I would apply is obvious, logical, and simple; it is a reduction of their working hours. Sociological connoisseurs and experts say that “working fewer hours leads to happier, healthier, more engaged workforces” (Lufkin & Mudditt, 2021, para. 12). In addition, they also claim that “working fewer weekly hours … makes people better workers” (Lufkin & Mudditt, 2021, para. 5). As one can see, this managerial tactic provides more than simple retention of nursing professionals declining nationally.
Recruiting Approach of Workweek Reduction
In developing a practitioner recruitment approach, I would follow the same tactics as those for nurses’ leaving prevention described above. I would offer potential applicants and prospective candidates a workweek one day less than the one they worked in their previous work setting. According to Fox (2022), this method of managing employees’ work schedules multiplies the number of job applications many times. It also has a drawback in the form of a more difficult team-building process for the manager.
Nursing Craft in 50 Years
The current times are perhaps the last decade of the old ways of nursing in America and the world. One of the sure things is the increased demand from the health care industry for new nursing staff as the older generations of these health services providers leave the field permanently (The future of nursing, 2020). It means that average and median salaries in the industry will increase along with employers’ professional standards for nursing newcomers. Geriatric care will become a focus area for the American health system (The future of nursing, 2020). The further digitalization of many nursing services and functions is another thing one should look forward to in the next 50 years.
References
Fox, M. (2022). A four-day workweek doesn’t mean less work. Here’s how to do it. CNBC.
Lufkin, B., & Mudditt, J. (2021). The case for a shorter workweek. BBC.
The future of nursing. (2020). GlobalHealth Education.