Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management (Benchmark Assessment)
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Nurses comprise of the greatest single component of hospital staff in the United States. In 2004, for example, of the existing 3 million nurses in the country, 83% were employed in the nursing field with 58% being employed on a full-time basis. However, currently, there is a severe nationwide shortage of nurses that are jeopardizing the safe, effective healthcare for all Americans (Siela, Twibell, & Keller, 2009). Moreover, the concurrent nursing faculty shortage significantly impacts the potential or admitting and graduating adequate number of students in nursing to address the shortage of prepared nurses. Therefore, nurses are more that ever needed in the United States to support the healthcare needs of each and every American citizen. A demographic examination of the 3 million nurses provides a context where an in-depth discussion can be based on regarding the strategies critical care nurses can employ to help the nursing shortage (Siela, Twibell, & Keller, 2009).
It was discovered that in 2004, despite an increase of 185,000 hospital Registered Nurses (RNs) from 2001, there was still a significant shortage in most of the hospitals. A survey conducted in March of 2005 revealed that the turnover rate among RNs was13.9% and the rate of vacancy 16.1% (Siela, Twibell, & Keller, 2009).
Several factors can be linked to the current shortage and include: slow growth rate in nursing school enrollment to meet the projected growth in demand for nurses. For example, in 2004, there was a 14.1% increase in BSN programs enrolment, however, over 40% increase is required if future demand is to be met. In addition, the RNs population is growing at the slowest rate in over 20 years; the demographic changes among Americans indicate then need for more nurses to take care of the needs of an increasingly aging population (Siela, Twibell, & Keller, 2009). Nurses are leaving the profession due to work related burnouts and dissatisfaction and finally, the high turnover and vacancy rate is negatively affecting access to healthcare. These factors are an illustration of the need for more nurses than the country can currently educate and even after education an employment, retaining them has become problematic (Siela, Twibell, & Keller, 2009).
In regards to nurse turnover, two methods are applicable in determining the causes of nursing turnover. First is the identification of why nurses choose to work in certain environments and determining whether these needs are being met (Hunt, 2009). Second is the identification of things that occur after nurses are hired that push them to quit their jobs even though their jobs met their initial work expectations. That is what factors or events that push nurses to a conclusion that their current job does no longer meet their career target or job needs (Hunt, 2009). From such an analysis, the followi...