Problem: there is a shortage of full time nurses in healthcare facilities.
- Why? When choosing between full-time and part time employment the latter is preferred.
- Why? Part-time nursing is preferable due to the ability to rest more between shifts.
- Why? Nursing shifts place excessive pressure on nurses who need time to decompress after work.
- Why? The amount of responsibilities placed on nurses is disproportionate to their compensation.
- Why? Current healthcare settings have multiple layers of bureaucracy preventing nurses from working in adequate conditions.
Most of the causes of the problem stem from personnel issues. The first category of causes is working conditions, which manifest in violence directed at nurses, overstressed environment, and the abundance of managers who add complexity to bureaucracy, but do not help actual patient care (Haddad et al., 2022). Nurse burnout constitutes the second category, which is expressed in heavier workload due to aging population, which also requires longer and more complex care, while the majority of nurses approach the retirement age themselves. The third category is represented by time constraints, which imply insufficient time for rest, family duties requiring more free time, and the growing number of patients caring for whom also takes longer than before. The fourth group of causes is insufficient compensation manifesting in low pay, undervalued work, and the lack of salary increase prospects (Saari et al., 2021). The final category is the benefits of part-time employment, which include less overall workload, more time to recuperate between shifts, and lower frequency of shifts.
The diagram shows that there are three primary causes of why full-time nursing is seen as a poor choice by many nurses: overstressed working conditions, inadequate compensation, and lack of time. This explanation does not consider issues related to the availability and quality of medical equipment, nurse training, and other factors that may prevent nurses from directly delivering patient care. However, it is essential to analyze why part-time nursing is preferred because it showcases aspects of nursing profession that have to be considered in developing an appropriate solution.
References
Saari, M., Kantola, J., & Koskinen Sandberg, P. (2021). Implementing equal pay policy: Clash between gender equality and corporatism. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, 28(2), 265-289.
Haddad, L. M., Annamaraju, P., & Toney-Butler, T. J. (2022). Nursing shortage. National Library of Medicine. Web.