Introduction
Nursing shortage is a problem that is encountered by most of the healthcare providing institutions in many nations. It refers to a state where nursing professionals’ demand is higher than the number that is supplied to an institution. The role of nurses in health institutions is vital and cannot be assumed. This is because of crucial services they offer to patients.
It is through nurses that clients gain or lose trust of health services provided by any health institution. This means that the services of nurses is so crucial that anything that may hinder or make them compromise safety of patients should be eradicated. However, it is equally important to ensure that nurses’ workload is not too much for them to bear.
This is to mean that for delivery of effective health care to patients, the right number of nurses should always be maintained in an organization. Just like in many countries, in United States, only the registered and licensed nurses can offer health care services in healthcare institutions. Currently the State is facing a problem of nursing shortage.
There is a rising demand for nurses in many health institutions in United State, an issue that require to be addressed. Failure to address this issue in time may make nurses to compromise health status of patients in many hospitals. Several factors have led to shortage of nurses across nations. These factors include education systems that do not favor enrollment of nursing as a career and governmental or organization’s policy among others.
Method of Obtaining Necessary Approval
The organization’ leadership
To win approval of organization’s leadership in addressing the issue require presentation of health facts related to nursing shortage in the institution. The statistics of health status and provision and its relationship of nursing shortage in the organization can provide a valid basis for the management to raise concern and approve the proposal.
These statistics will provide the recommended workforce for each nurse. It will equally show the effects of shortage of nurses in this organization in relation to the workload of each nurse. This information will convince the organization’s leadership as to why they need to approve the proposal.
Fellow staff members
One of the best ways to get support and approval from fellow staff member is by unveiling the truth of the matter in this organization. This can be done by asking them some relevant questions concerning their workload in general and the effectiveness of the services they render to patients. By doing so, the staff will be a position to get the facts.
The organization may for example reflect on the ratio of patients that die to the ratio of those that survive in every 500 patients. In 2005, out of every 500 patients, only five would die and 495 patients would survive in this firm. Since the shortage of nurses’ problem arose, the healthcare is deteriorating each year. In the year 2010, out of every 500 patients, statistics show that 10 patients died and 490 survived.
It also shows that the workload for each nurse has tremendously increased with the increase of overtime working hours and the quality of services provided has generally decreased to a point of making many clients to lose trust with the services rendered by this firm. This is a clear indicator of how nursing shortage problem has affected the institution and why there is a need of fellow staff members to approve and provide necessary support towards the proposal.
Description of Current Problem, Issue, or Deficit Requiring a Change
The policy of every health care organization should be drawn with a lot of consideration on issues that arise on daily basis and several other possible factors should as well be keenly considered. According to the policy of this organization, it is stated that a specific number of new nurses should be employed every financial year.
However, this policy did not consider cases that arise and cause shortage of nurses in the institution, hence, affects the quality of health provision in this institution. Some of these cases include death of some of the nurses, transfers, firing and aging cases of others.
All these cases constantly occur in this institution with no replacement of such nurses until another financial year. This leads to continuous shortage of nurses in this organization, a deficit that is not covered even by the subsequent employment of nurses, as the number employed does not include those fired, dead, transferred, or aged.
Detailed Explanation of Proposed Solution
To solve the problem of shortage of nurses in this institution, there is a need for leadership management to revise the policy and make any necessary adjustments. In this policy, the recommended workload for each nurse should be clearly defined and followed strictly.
The issue of employing nurses at the end of every financial year also requires some adjustments. It should allow a room for frequent replacement of the nurses that die, those transferred, aging and those that are fired within the course of the year. This way, the organization will be in a position to solve the problem of shortage of nurses and avoid overworking them for provision of quality healthcare services to its clients.
Having enough nurses will also help the management monitor carefully the work of every nurse. This is because the management can be able to assign nurses to various and specific wards or other areas for easy monitoring.
Rationale for Selecting Proposed Solution
Selecting the proposed solution was because it is the only way to provide a lasting solution to nursing shortage, improve the deteriorating healthcare in this institution, and hence restore the lost trust of clients with the organization. It will also reduce relieve nurses from being overworked to enable them deliver efficient and effective healthcare services to the patients.
By so doing, health safety of patients will not be compromised. Mortality rate will reduce greatly as nurses will be enough to attend to every patient at a convenient time and in an effective manner. The module clearly describes the problem of nursing shortage. It states how this problem affects the general population in United States.
It explains some of the factors that lead to nursing shortage that needs to be addressed to solve this problem. In addition to enhancing favorable education system to nursing, the module states what nursing administration and policy makers have to do in addressing the issue of nursing shortage in United States.
The article explains that that the aging nurses reduces the total workforce each year. This means that there is need for an organization to replace constantly the aging nurses to avoid insufficiency of nurses in a medical institution.
Description of Implementation Logistics
The implementation of the change and its integration to the organizational structure should be implemented as soon as the report is approved. The integration can be done by making necessary amendments to the organizational structure and hiring the needed number of nurses to meet the demanded number. Both the top management and the middle level management will spearhead the whole implementation process.
They are in the best position of initiating change in this organization, train the incoming and the continuing nursing staff and to ensure that the implementation process is has taken place successfully and suits well in the culture and workflow of the organization. It is also important for the management of this organization to collaborate with policy makers and other health providers in amendment of any unfavorable nursing policies.
Resources Required for Implementation
The main resources in the implementation of this proposal are finances and the human resource. Funds will aid in publishing the materials for advertisement on recruitment of nurses. These materials may include posters, pamphlets among others. Finances will also help the organization to use like television media for wide spread of the information on the same in order to have many nurses getting the information for application.
Human resource is needed in the form of the interviewing panel to choose the most qualified and competent team for nursing positions. In carrying out the interview, funds will be required in providing the necessary materials for the same. Funds will also be needed to print and make copies to enhance the training sessions for the successfully recruited nurses and for other necessities in incorporation of the change in the work structure of this organization.