Question

What steps can Congress and state legislatures take to alleviate a serious national shortage of skilled providers? Research suggests medical errors have been linked to inadequate staffing (i.e., quantity and quality of skilled personnel). What steps would you take to mitigate shortages?

Answer 1

Steps to overcome inadequate staffing:

1. GROUP COHESION - encouraging a good relationship between current nurses an new nurses wil provide an environment at ease and promote employee retention.

2. NURSE AUTONOMY: when a nurse feels they have a community to support themselves, she reports a higher level of job satisfaction.

3. INCENTIVES: can be provided for nurses for desired behaviours such as picking up bad shifts, taking extra shifts and learning a new skill.

Avoid unhealthy incentives like attendance incentive since the nurse may report to duty even if she is sick resulting in poor quality patient care.

4. CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION (CNE): lifelong learning and developing professional skills through continuing nursing education provides a good quality patient care.

5. NURSING RECRUITERS can be selected from the current nurses encouraging a better understanding of problems faced by new nurses and help them to overcome it.

6. COMPENSATION FOR REFERRALS can be provided so that it encourages addition of new nurses into the group and developing peer groups among nurses.

7. FLEXIBILITY IN WORKING TIMINGS-it is the most important thing a nurse expects to maintain a good balance between professional and personal needs. For example, 'mom shifts' (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) can be provided for new mums among nurses so that they happily spend time with a children, providing a chance to choose their work shifts either part time or 8 hour or 12 hours shifts. This is to accommodate the personal needs of the nurses so that they work happily and satisfied.

8. REDUCING THE EDUCATIONAL COST will attract more students in Healthcare profession.

9. SOCIAL STIGMA matters a lot in attracting more individuals in Healthcare profession. So we should remove the Taboo of 'less prestigious' route and the community should realise they are the vital part in delivering health care.

The above said solutions can contribute in increasing the number of Healthcare professionals and also a quality patient care.