Developing a Shared Vision
In the contemporary medical world, various issues affect nursing practice of individuals on a daily basis. Befitting examples of such issues include but not limited nursing staff shortage, staff turnover due to poor job satisfaction rates, reduced Medicare reimbursement secondary to poor performance outcomes and layoffs. Given the inevitability of thesechallenges and their impact on organization, managers must play a significant role of informing their subordinates about the same.In essence, this paper focuses on the same since it seeks to develop a proposal that will inform the staff about the healthcare issues affecting their department and their impact. The proposal will also highlight how improved communication, collaboration, and teamwork can improve theconditions within the department. Finally, it will identify evidence-based techniques that can foster inclusion and better communication and collaboration. By so doing, a new understanding of these issues is inevitable.
Healthcare Issues and Their Impacts on Healthcare Department
Of particular interestamongthe several issues affecting the healthcare department are nursing staff shortage, and turnover due to poor job satisfaction rates, which one must inform the staff about them. Primarily, the two healthcare issues are nothing new given that they have been and will continue crippling the activities of healthcare facilities across the globe. Worsening the situation even further is thecurrent projection of nursing shortage in the USA. According to this projection, the total number of registered nurses in USA will reduce greatly in the period between 2009 and 2030 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2014). Given this projection, there is need for assessing the impact that staffing shortage and turnover bear on the healthcare.
Precisely, both staffing shortage and turnover affect the department in a variety of ways that are worth noting. For instance, staff shortage and turnover in the department have resulted in delayed decision-making, overdependence on physicians and poor healthcare outcomes. Delayed decision-making is inevitable occurrencegiven that the reduced numbers of specialist nursesthat speed up decision-making in organizations that they are existent (Bell, 2014). On the other hand, overdependence on medical doctors is common due to lack of specialized nurses for consultation, which forces individuals to depend on physicians who often have busy schedules. Poor healthcare outcomeis another concern that the department is not immune to upon exposure to the challenges of staff shortage and turnover. That is for sure because the reduced number of nurses lowers their efficacy of attending to all the patient’s needs thereby resulting in poor healthcare outcomes (Bell, 2014). With such illustrations, it is beyond doubt that the staff shortage and turnover negatively influences the department operations.
Impact ofImproved Communication, Collaboration, and Teamwork
Without a doubt, improved communication, collaboration and teamwork are central to the betterment of the current condition in the department in various ways that are worth mention. A case in point, O’Daniel, and Rosenstein,(2008) is of the opinion that improved communication enables individuals to institutionalize patient safety, which is not possible in an environment that fails to support good communication. Such is the case given that lack of communication results in instances of medical errors, which have the potential to cause injury or death. As such, improved communication among the staff members is of the essence if medical errors, indicator of poor healthcare outcome, are to become non-existent.
On the contrary, collaboration with other stakeholders is another element that will greatly improve the current situation in the department. That is for sure since multidisciplinary collaboration increases one’s awareness of other members’ capability and thereby leading to continued decision-making improvement (O’Daniel, & Rosenstein, 2008). As such, collaboration significantly improves the decision-making, which is a delayed process in staff shortage and turnover.
Notwithstanding, improved teamwork also matters when addressing the staffing shortage and turnover and related issues in the department. Primarily, teamwork will ensure the creation of an environment that values and respect the contribution of each staff. With such an environment, the satisfaction of staff members is inevitable. High job satisfaction levels translate to higher staff retention, which is necessary for prevention of staff shortage and turnover (O’Daniel, & Rosenstein, 2008). Based on such an illustration, it is beyond doubt that improved teamwork will improve the current condition in the department.
Fostering Inclusion and Better Communication and Collaboration
Of significance to fostering inclusion, better communication and collaboration are several strategies that are worth highlighting. A befitting example of such strategies is a mandatory multidisciplinary bedside round, which is inclusive of all stakeholders including patients and their families. During these rounds, nurses,physicians and patients work together and receive the same information, which they utilize to complete their tasks and meet patient care goals (Flicek, 2012). With such an illustration, it is clear that the mandatory multidisciplinary bedside rounds are important tools for fostering inclusion, better communication and collaboration in the department.
Another strategy that would promote inclusion, improved communication and collaboration in the department is the formal orientation of a new resident to the patient care unit. Such a measure pairs a new resident with a nurse for a specified time so that he/she can appreciate the unique nurse contribution to healthcare and need for collaboration as well as communication (Flicek, 2012). By so doing, inclusion, improved communication and collaboration are inevitable.
Conclusion
Concisely, this paper aimed at presenting a proposal that intends to address staff shortage and turnover challenges in a nursing department. Indeed, from the discussion, it is clear that these issues have continuously affected the healthcare operations and therefore necessitate quick address. Central to the strategies for addressing the issues are three elements one must consider. They include improved communication, collaboration and teamwork. In the absence of these components, the challenges of staff shortage and turnover will persist to the unforeseeable future.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing.(2014). American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Nursing Shortage. Aacn.nche.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2016, from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage
Bell, J. (2014). More nurses and better education needed to cope with UAE shortage. The National UAE.
Flicek, C. (2012). Communication: A Dynamic Between Nurses and Physicians. Medsurg Nursing, 21(6), 385-387.
O’Daniel, M., & Rosenstein, A. H. (2008). Professional communication and team collaboration.
