Walden University Different Perspective on The Issue of Understaffing Response

Read and respond to two or more of your colleagues’ postings by sharing how you would change what you wrote based upon what you read in other posts. Also consider providing a supporting statement about each colleague’s vision for his/her personal nursing legacy based on at least one of this week’s Learning Resources. Ask a clarifying question about each colleague’s vision for his/her personal nursing legacy colleague’s posting: When thinking about nursing as a career, you think about it as being a caring, trustworthy, nurturing position. But, no one ever thinks about the challenges that may come with that. One of the most prominent challenges of nursing in 2020 is nursing shortages around the country. Since Covid-19 hit this year, there is an overabundance of critically ill patients and we’re supposed to be the strong ones to care for and be there for these patients. Along with the numbers of sick people rising, we are losing many of the “baby boomer”, highly experienced nurses. According to Hegge (2011) in her “The Empty Carriage: Lessons in Leadership from Florence Nightingale”, Florence knew the nurse’s work is never finished, people will always need care, and there is always a need for conditions to be improved. A solution that has become more prominent in recent years is residency programs that hospitals offer for newly graduated nurses. This has helped the nursing shortage because the hospitals offer specialized training and guidance for new nurses in return for a year or two committed to working for them. Most of these programs also offer some type of tuition reimbursement or incentivized program. I am currently in my residency program through my job and have learned so much through it. They had small courses for me to take that were focused on my area of work and have offered me loan forgiveness for committing to work for them. In my program, my coworkers and I were offered an abundance of support and help whenever it is needed. Sometimes the ones who are giving all of themselves to their job need some extra love and care. Walden University Different Perspective on The Issue of Understaffing Response

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Nursing burnout is another challenge that has been recognized in recent years. Along with the nursing shortages, this is becoming an even bigger challenge to overcome. Most of the time, nurses are working 12 or more hours in one day and working more than their 3 required shifts in a workweek. I know that at my hospital there is an incentivized program for major bonuses for overtime that is picked up right now. This has helped with our nursing shortage at the hospital but has not been friendly to the mental and physical well-being of the nurses. A solution that has helped in this is the proper training of nurse leaders to recognize the signs of nurse burnout so they can help them when needed. Another solution, one that is used in my hospital, is self-scheduling. Now, not everyone can get their perfect schedule every time but it is very helpful in getting a voice in your scheduling and having some type of flexibility. Another solution that is focused on goal orientation is the use of the clinical ladder. “The ladders are comprised of levels of activities selected by the institution as meriting recognition financially and by titling to represent career advancement.” (Hinds et al., 2015). The clinical ladder has been instituted in my workplace and is utilized by many nurses that have different pathways they want to advance their career, which aids in the decrease of nurse burnout. The clinical ladder as well as furthering my education opens many doors for me to build upon my nursing legacy and to help mold the future of nursing. One way that I am interested in building my nursing legacy is to one day become a Chief Nursing Officer. In doing so, I would love to implement new strategies for aiding our future nurses in their careers and advancements.

my posting: Nurses play a significant role in healthcare settings. Their responsibilities range from caring for the patients to assisting doctors in performing various medical procedures and updating patient data. They take pride in the services they provide daily within a healthcare facility. However, nurses face a significant number of challenges in the current complex healthcare setting. These challenges considerably reduce the efficacy of the nurses and threaten the well-being of the patients. Some of the challenges include a shortage of nurses and workplace exposure.

Inadequate staffing in healthcare environments is a major global concern. Nurse shortage is, therefore, a current issue in most healthcare settings that require to be addressed. Recruitment and retention of nurses over the years has not met the ever-growing demand for nurses (Paton, 2020). This can be attributed to the changing demographic of the population and economic issues in the healthcare industry. The increasing aging population has led to many patients with chronic illnesses that require specialized care (Paton, 2020). This has put more pressure on the already stressed nursing taskforce. Therefore, the nurses are required to work long hours, and the fatigue may reduce the nurses’ productivity and increase medical errors. Introducing hospital training schools for nurses in various healthcare facilities can help curb the issue of inadequate staffing (Paton, 2020). The nursing students can fill the staffing gaps, thus reduce the shortage of nurses.

Safety at the workplace is another challenge that nurses face in the current healthcare environment. The nurses use sharp tools that expose them to injuries and bloodborne pathogens, and other forms of disease-causing microorganisms (Gooch, 2018). Back injuries are other risks that nurses face during patient handling. However, workplace hazards can be minimized with adequate training of the nurses. The staff should be properly trained on the safety measures that should be practiced within the health facility to ensure their safety (Walden University, 2019). For instance, floors should be kept dry as wet floors may cause severe accidents in the hospital. Patient safety should also be enhanced.

Advanced training in nursing is essential to help nurses deal with the emerging challenges in the current healthcare setting. By furthering my education, I will gain the vital skills required to handle the healthcare challenges that emerge. For instance, I will efficiently use new technology in the healthcare industry to increase efficiency in performing my duties. This way, I will be able to build a nursing legacy as a competent nurse.