Introduction
The field of healthcare is complex and involves many issues that affect all stakeholders, ranging from employees to patients. For example, one acute problem in the field is nurse turnover, resulting in pooper quality of delivered care and patient outcomes. This matter affects the majority of the nursing workforce and puts the health of patients at risk, which is why this topic is worthy of discussion. It is crucial to delve deeper into the drivers of nurses’ low motivation and decision to resign. With the nurse turnover rate growing significantly nationwide, it is essential to consider the improvements made in the context of the workplace, rewards, as well as changes in leadership style.
The Impact of Nurse Turnover on Care Quality and Patient Safety
The mentioned issue continues to grow and affects stakeholders at all levels. Recently, licensed nurse practitioners had an annual turnover rate that varied from 12 to 25% (Bae, 2023). Turnover was significantly impacted by health conditions, including sleep patterns and healthy lifestyle choices (Bae, 2023). Increased staffing shortages brought on by excessive nurse turnover rates might result in subpar patient outcomes and exorbitant medical expenses (An et al., 2022). Nurse turnover boosts 30-day rates of hospitalization, healthcare errors, and the likelihood of being issued infection control penalties (An et al., 2022). It also weakens daily living activities, exacerbates pre-existing pressure ulcers, or results in the formation of new wounds (An et al., 2022).
Furthermore, high rates of nurse turnover result in significant cost increases. Over $40,000 is the median cost of a licensed nurse’s turnover in the United States, translating into an annual average hospital expenditure of over $5 million (An et al., 2022). There needs to be a decrease in new nurse turnover given the high rates, which have a detrimental impact on patient experiences and health care expenses.
Demonstrating Professional Standards of Practice
In order to address the problem of nurse turnover and uphold professional behavior, it is necessary to exhibit professional standards of practice. Workload, style of leadership, independence and empowerment, advancement chances, and scheduling flexibility all have an impact on nurse turnover (Mabona et al., 2022). As a result, by knowing such factors, it is possible to create a supportive work environment. Nursing requires a great level of attention to their work, but not getting enough constructive criticism leads to health issues, family strife, job stress, physical and emotional exhaustion, and professional fatigue (Chung et al., 2020).
Additionally, the provision of resources is crucial to promoting nurse engagement and motivation. Despite the low desire of nurse practitioners to leave high-resource environments, factors such as insufficient participation by registered nurses in hospital affairs, a lack of support from leadership, and limitations on material and human resources at work have been found to be predictive of their intention to leave (Poku et al., 2022). Once more, the impression of job involvement and emotional tiredness among nurses are important predictors of nurses’ intentions to leave an organization.
The Differing Roles of Nursing Leaders and Nursing Managers
When focusing on the chosen issue, it is vital to consider the roles of nursing leaders and managers. Shared decision-making procedures are used by effective leaders to enable stakeholders’ active and full engagement, as well as ongoing staff coaching and mentoring (Brunt & Bodgan, 2023). Apart from being exemplary individuals, leaders inspire and enable others by providing them with the necessary tools and resources to accomplish their tasks and then stepping aside to let nurses complete them (Brunt & Bodgan, 2023). Leaders must, therefore, take advantage of every chance to inspire nurses by valuing their efforts, worth, and services.
Moving further, the nurse in charge of managing a ward or unit is known as the nursing manager (Morrison & Jensen, 2022). This person is in charge of upholding strict professional and medical standards and providing patients with top-notch care within a specified spending limit (Morrison & Jensen, 2022). In addition, they oversee the employment of new nurses, scheduling, employee education, the workplace environment, student instruction, and any ongoing research or development initiatives (Morrison & Jensen, 2022). Overall, while one superior can ensure clear expectations and favorable workplace conditions, another can inspire and motivate.
Ensuring Professionalism Throughout the Diverse Healthcare Settings
In order to minimize nurse turnover and maintain professionalism in a variety of healthcare settings, managers and leaders must take numerous proactive measures. Promoting a respectful and cooperative culture is part of the first element (Nouri et al., 2019). Managers in the nursing department can have a significant impact on the development of a respectful work environment by fostering a welcoming and encouraging environment as well as a respected, dignified, trustworthy, and effective communication-filled work environment (Nouri et al., 2019).
Furthermore, the practice of recognizing and rewarding excellence in nursing practice must be taken into account. Among the key elements affecting nurses’ job happiness are their interactions with supervisors and coworkers, as well as their recognition at work (Alahiane et al., 2023). Furthermore, addressing inclusion and diversity in the healthcare profession is essential to fostering a culture where all nurses are supported and feel appreciated (Alahiane et al., 2023). Thus, the creation of an environment where all employees are respected and rewarded is crucial.
Leadership Style to Address the Issue
Finally, a leadership style that is the most optimal for such an issue is transformational leadership. Healthcare systems are supposed to accomplish the frequently conflicting goals of enhancing public health while also preventing rises in health costs in an ever-tougher environment (Specchia et al., 2021). Leadership is often understood to be the skill of motivating others to reach their full potential in order to complete any work, goal, or project (Specchia et al., 2021).
Through common objectives, leaders are able to inspire loyalty in their followers, which boosts output, boosts morale and improves job satisfaction (Specchia et al., 2021). They inspire others to go beyond their initial goals and frequently beyond what they previously believed was possible (Specchia et al., 2021). Therefore, the goal of transformational leadership is to motivate followers to put the needs of the team and the company ahead of their personal self-interest, which is why such a style can help meet the needs of the nursing workforce to reduce attrition.
Conclusion
In summary, given the alarming national increase in nurse turnover, it is critical to take into account advancements in the workplace, incentives, and leadership styles. The aforementioned problem is still becoming worse and has an impact on all parties involved. Professional standards of practice must be followed in order to solve the issue of nurse turnover and maintain professional behavior. A nurse leader can encourage and motivate staff members, while a nursing manager can make sure that there are clear expectations and positive working circumstances.
Furthermore, it is imperative to establish a work climate that values and rewards each and every employee. Lastly, transformational leadership is a kind of leadership that would be most effective in addressing the problem of nurse turnover. Transformational leadership aims to inspire members to prioritize the interests of the staff and the organization over their own. As a result, this style of leadership can assist in meeting the demands of the nursing workforce and lowering turnover.
References
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