If you turn on the evening news, read newspaper headlines, or browse TikTok on your phone, you know that nursing crises are everywhere. It’s easy to think that all hope is lost, but it’s actually one of the best times to be a nurse.
Despite the current stress on our nation’s healthcare system and the enormous pressure on high-sensitivity patients amid growing labor shortages, people are still listening.
Today, most people recognize that the pandemic has exacerbated long-standing problems in the nursing profession, and The report now shows We will need as many as 13 million new registered nurses (RNs) by 2030 to address the current global shortage. As baby boomers retired early, other generations followed suit, with many leaving the nursing workforce or bedside work altogether due to burnout and a feeling of being undervalued.
Also, and perhaps most tragically, nursing is not always a safe profession. In addition to the lack of personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic, it is not uncommon for the patients we are trying to protect to be violently attacked against us. There is little protection or opportunity to react.
A recent survey of nursing leaders identified the top priorities for driving change in the nursing industry, namely ensuring adequate and competent staffing at the bedside, strengthening the talent pipeline and developing nursing staff resilience. In today’s spotlight, we have an opportunity to address these fundamental issues, as well as those caused or exacerbated by the pandemic, so nurses can feel supported, validated, and — most importantly — safe.
Ensure adequate staffing at the bedside
When discussing nurse staffing, the focus is usually on the ratio of nurses to patients.While this is important, greater attention must be paid to providing adequate quantities of competent Nurses provide care at the bedside and must take into account the patient’s condition and the severity of the condition. The solution includes hands-on training and clinical experience and knowledge of how to tailor care to each individual based on individual circumstances and needs. If nurses do not trust the people working next to them to provide safe and consistent patient care, they will continue to resign for fear of being accused of being wrong or worse, losing their license.
Proper staffing also means more efficient use of resources. If we want nurses to be better equipped to provide the best care, we need to provide them with more resources. Simple but powerful changes, such as supporting nurses to work within their licensure and practice, and expressing their preferences for working hours and hours, would go a long way. As it stands, nurse staffing can be very inflexible, and it can be easy to push people into different ways of working with a simple resignation.
Expand the care pipeline
We need to act now to ensure there are enough nurses to fill the increasing number of vacancies expected to emerge in the coming years. Partnerships between healthcare organizations and nursing schools are critical in preparing nursing students for clinical practice after graduation. This includes modifying nursing school curricula to reflect the realities of today’s practice, developing a nurse practicum program, where graduate nurses receive more supervised and educational opportunities to improve their skills and clinical judgment than typical orientation programs. The more future nurses learn about the realities of their clinical roles during their education, the better prepared they are to enter the workforce—the more likely these new nurses will remain in the field for the long term.
Telehealth care also creates opportunities for inclusivity and flexibility. People who need special accommodations or have disabilities can join the profession and work in the environment without the need for physical labor in a direct patient care setting. It also invites retirees to return to work, adding flexibility to schedules and locations. Also, telemedicine can be a platform for virtual coaching between experienced tutors and less experienced nurses.
Those who are considering a second career also represent recruitment opportunities for paramedics. For those with a bachelor’s degree, entering the nursing profession can take as little as 18 months of additional education and training – meaning we can get more nurses to the bedside more effectively.
Foster respect and resilience in today’s workforce
One of the reasons we’re experiencing such a severe care shortage is the unprecedented level of disruption across the industry. Even nurses who choose to remain on-site are moving away from bedside positions. Nurses can’t do more. Instead, leadership must make changes that allow them to work more effectively. This should include redesigning nursing models and equipping nurses with the right resources, technologies, data and partnerships. Just as importantly, gratitude goes a long way.
When thinking about expressing our gratitude to the nurses who have supported our country over the past two years or so, there is so much more to show them our concern during Nurses Month with a pizza party. These efforts must be rooted in genuine respect for their role at the bedside and a deep understanding of their needs to help them feel safe, heard and valued in all aspects of their life-long work journey.
To protect their nurses, hospitals are beginning to implement new guidelines on patient behavior to clarify what is expected and what is not tolerated. They also invest in mental health and wellness resources to provide nurses with support and critical time recharging. They are actively listening to nurses speaking up and making changes in unsafe situations. For the nursing profession to thrive, it takes hard work from medical institutions, academia, and individual nurses.
Our profession was built by nurses willing to take risks, challenge the status quo, and advance clinical practice to improve patients. Going forward, nurses and their leaders must continue to be brave.
Nurses now have more visibility and a bigger voice to influence and drive transformation. Meeting future challenges requires courage and innovation, but the reward is a more satisfied, appreciated and resilient workforce, ready and willing to support patients when they need it most.
Photo: asiseei, Getty Images,
