RunningHead:SHORTAGEOFNURSES

PartB:ShortageofNurses
ShanteBrown
823282009
WendyChow
NursingLeadership
NURS250
February6,2016

Running head: SHORTAGE OF NURSES

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Beinganursecomeswithalotofresponsibilities,andstandardsthatshouldbe
accommodated.AccordingtoTheClientNurseTherapeuticRelationshippractice
guidelines,nursesarerequiredtobuildarelationshipwiththeirpatientsinorderfortrust,
andhonestytobeformed.Unfortunately,Nursessufferfrommultipleofsituations
resultingtoearlyretirements,problemswithrecruitment,retentionwithnewnurses,and
concernsofpatientsafetywiththeseriousissueofnursingshortagesasthenursing
professionconsistofheavyworkloads,workplaceinjuries,highturnoverrates,
absenteeism,andburnout.
Amajorissuethatisshownwithnurseshortagesisthatnursesareunabletoprovide
propercarefortheirpatients.Accordingtothepracticeguidelines,nursesarerequiredto
provide,facilitate,advocateandpromotethebestpossiblecareforallpatients(CNO,
2006).GrahamScott,theauthorofthearticle,Nursesvoicesamplifyrealityofstaff
shortagesstatethat,staffnursesdonothaveenoughtimewithpatients,becauseofthe
nursingshortage.Becauseofthenurseshortages,patientsarenotgettingtheirundivided
attentionandcaresincethenursetopatientratioislowwhichprovidesnurseswithlittle
timetoprovidethecarethattheirpatientsneed.KatKeogh,authorofNursessay
patientsstillneglectedbecauseofinadequatestafflevelsreinforcesScottsargumentin
herarticlebytestifyingthatnursesarereceivinghighwagesduetotheamountof
pressurefromthenursetopatientratio.Patientsarenotgettingthepropercarethatthey
requireorthesupporttheyneed,asnursesarenotabletocareforthemultipleofpatients.
Additionally,regardlessofthepatientscondition,allpatientshavetherighttoundivided

Running head: SHORTAGE OF NURSES

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attentionandpropercarefromnurses.Everyoneisequalandthus,wealldeservetobe
facilitated,advocatedforanddeservethebestcaretoensurebetterhealth.
Furthermore,inthearticle,NeverenoughstafftocarebyAngew,statesthatthe
governmentneedstosupportthedevelopmentofstaffingratiosfornursinghomes,and
increasethefundinginthesectortomaketheseratiosaffordable.Outof2,031,nursing
homesthatwereinspectedintheyearof2011and2012,fourhundredandsixtyseven,
(23%of2,031)(Angew,2013)didnotmeetthestandardofhavingasufficientamountof
stafftomeettheneedofpatients.Recallingthat,therearetoomanypatientsforonenurse
tocarefor.Thisactionasstatedpreviouslyisunsafeforthenursessincepatientcare
cannotbeasefficientwithoutthetimeandeffortfromthenurse,whodoesnothave
enoughtimetocareforeveryone.Duetotheunfairnessoflackoftimeandcare
provided,patientsareunabletobuildthepatientnurserelationshipthatisnecessary.
Withtheaverageof23patientspernurse,nurseswillhavenotimetofollowthepractice
guidelineinbondingwiththepatient,gainingtrustandhonesty.
NursesshortageisatremendousissueworldwideaccordingtowhatS.JRoss
declaresinthenursingshortageandinternationalnursemigratingnursesthatare
unabletofindemploymentwithinthenursingfieldfleetoothercountriesthatmayhave
employmentforthem.Migrationofnursesmaybeagoodideaasithelpsotherpatients
thatareinneedajob.Inmyopinionwithnursesmigratingout,countrieslikeAmerica
andCanadathathavealargepopulationwilllosenurses,andwillhaveapoornurse
patientratio.

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AnalternativethatIwouldliketoaddresswiththisissueofshortageofstaffisthe
useoftemporarystafftofillshiftsthatarenotfilledwithstaffvacationsormedical
leaves(May,2016).Byapplyingtemporarystaffingfortheorganization,nurseswillnot
gounderunsustainablepressure,creatingfalls,pressureulcers,andrepeatadmissionof
patients(Keogh,2014).Sincenurseswillhavelessworkload,havethetimetoattendto
eachpatientandadvocateforthembecausethenursepatientratiowillbereasonable.
Keoghalsoclaimsthatnursesshowuptoworkill,toassisttheirfellowcoworkersby
preventingnursesfromcaringforahighnumberofpatients.Inmyopinion,placingeight
patientsforonenurse,especiallyiftheyareill,isnotcredibleasitplacesthenurseand
thepatientatrisk.Sadly,notonlywillthenursesufferfromtirednessfromapplying
multiplecaresforherpatientsbutalsothenursecanpassonpathogensandinfectionsto
thepatientcreatingtheirhospitalstayslongerandincreasingthedurationofasickness
thatisalreadypresent.Furthermore,byhavingtemporarynursestoreplacesthesenurses
thataresickandplansongoingonvacationwillbenefitthehealthcareofthehospital
becauseitwillhelpwiththepatientnurseratio.Itwillhelpwitheachpatientreceiving
propercareaswellaspreventingaburnoutamongstnurses,whichwillresultinfewer
errorsthatmayoccur.Asstatedasbefore,abeneficialwaytohelpwiththeshortageof
staffwillhavetobefindingotherstaffmembersthatarecapableofperformingthetask
todotheresponsibilitiesofthenursesthatareonleaveofabsences.PersonalSupport
Workers(PSWs)haveanewscopeofpracticethatdoesnotonlyconsistoffeeding,
transferring,toileting,andhousekeeping,buttheyarealsoabletoassistwith
administeringoralmedications.PSWscanassistwithpatientsdailylivingactivitiesand

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evenprovidingbloodsugarsifthepatientsconditionisstableandthePSWiscompetent.
IfaPSWgetsapatientthathasaroutinemedicationlikeanenemaoraninjection,
inhalationnursesareabletoteachthemtheseproceduresandthisisonlyallowedtobe
doneifitisroutinebutdoesnotrequiredelegation.Concludingthat,PSWsinnursing
homescanhelpnurseswithroutinemedicationforpatientsthattheyseedailytohelp
withthenurseshortage.Asrecalled,patientswillagaingetthecarethattheyneed,and
lessstresswillbeplacedonthenurses.
Mysecondalternativeregardingtheshortageofnursingstaffistoinclude
systematicissuesineducation,healthdeliverysystemsandtheworkenvironment.
Further,theimpactofreimbursement,legislation,regulationandtechnologicaladvances
mustalsobeconsidered.Failuretoconsidertherelationshipamongtheseaspectslimits
thefullappreciationofthenursingworkforceshortagecomplexity.(2016).Bycreating
abettereducationcurriculumthatfitsthehealthcareexpectationsforthefacultysneeds,
andcollaboratingwithotherschoolsandworkplacesforabetterunderstandingofservice
inthehospitalswillhelpgreatlywiththenursingshortage.Thiswillallownursestofeel
moresatisfiedastheywillhaveenoughinformationabouttheissueandstillbewillingto
staywiththeirorganization.
ThealternativeofplacingpatientswithtemporaryworkersorPSWcanbe
implementedbyreassuringthatthehospitalhasenoughhealthcareprovidersforthe
amountofpatientstheyhave.Thiscanincludehavingagenciestoworkforthehospitals,
orteachingtheirPSWroleswithintheirscopeofpractice.Thehospitalthenhasto
reassurethatallnurses,agenciesnursesandPSWgetpatientsthataresuitablefortheir

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practicebasedontheircomplexity,age,andfutureoutcomes.Chargenursesshouldat
thistimemonitorallherstaffandassurethatallhernursesandpatientsareingood
condition,andreceivethequalitycarethattheyaresupposedtoreceive.Whenthenurses
shiftsaredone,thechargenurseshouldalsoholdshortmeetingswithheremployeesand
seehowtheyfeelandwhattheycandobetternexttimetokeeptheircompanygrowing
andhaveabetterunderstandingofthenurseshortages.
Secondly,educationofnursescanbeimplementedbyhostingseminarsthat
nursesmustcompleteeitherinthehospitalsettingorduringtheirdaysofftoallownurses
tohavemoreinformationabouttheissueandbemoreawareofit.Theseincludenursing
studentsandnursesrightnowbecausehealthcareisalwayschangingandanewtopicis
alwaysbroughtupontheworldwhetherit'sanewdisease,newvaccinationoranewway
tolive.Nursesneedtobeawareoftheirsurroundingssotheywillbeabletounderstand
andbeassistpatientsandthecompany.

Inconclusion,howthesestrategiescanbeevaluatedisthatanursepatientratio

pilotprojectisconductedtotesttouseofmandatorynursepatientratiosasastaffing
modelforregionsacrossCanada(2006,June17).Aswell,nursescanaskpatientshow
tosatisfytheywerewiththeirservice,gathercomplaintsanduseitasaguidelinefor
nursestoimproveon.Aswellastestingthenursestoseeiftheyhaveanunderstandingof
thenewinformationtheylearned.

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Reference
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CNO (2006, June). Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship, Revised 2006. Retrieved from
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DA, N. (2013, April 25). Result Filters. Retrieved February 05, 2016, from
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Keogh, K. (2014). Nurses say patients still neglected because of inadequate staff
levels. Nursing Standard, 28(33), 7-7 1p.
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May, J. H., Bazzoli, G. J., & Gerland, A. M. (2006). Hospitals'
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from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/tri-council-shortage

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