Importance Of Nurse Leaders And Nurse Managers When Dealing With The Problem Of Nursing Shortages (Essay Sample)

Importance of nurse leaders and nurse managers when dealing with the problem of
Nursing shortages
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According to Duffield (2015) nursing shortages refers to a situation whereby there is a global scarcity of expert nurses who are required to care for patients and the population as a whole. The world has an estimated 12 million nurses whose role is not entirely understood even by the educated individuals in society. The following essay seeks to compare and contrast the roles performed by nursing leaders and managers in dealing with the issue of shortage of nurses.
Leadership in nursing entails the understanding of the different roles performed by nurse leaders in tackling the issue of shortage of nurses. According to Taylor (2008) nursing leaders have the obligation of attracting new individuals into the field of nursing in an attempt to reduce the nursing deficit in major research and health institutions.Feldman & Greenberg (2011) explain that there are three nurse leadership theories which include: Transformational leadership, quantum leadership and the dynamic leader follower association model.
Jones (2007) explains that quantum leadership theory entails embracing the new leadership roles which involvethe collective relationships between nurses and the continual movement and change in an attempt to improve the working conditions. In the traditional nursing leadership styles, management was all about control but the quantum leadership style advocates for the use of technology and hence new nursing professionals have to be educated in the new skills and expertise needed to handle such technology. Quantum nursing leadership therefore attracts new nurses into the profession by offering new technological positions to new graduates and the same time helps them understand how to utilize their educational expertise in the actual working environment.
Transformational leadership theory in nursing mainly involves empowering new nurses by offering them a platform where they can engage their leadership skills and expertise (Clark, 2009). Transformational leadership essentially focuses on promoting change in the new health care system by training and mentoring future nursing leaders. This in the long run creates confidence and builds a stable team of future nursing leaders. New nurses in this form of leadership have the ability to evaluate both the new and old procedures used in the past and hence by comparing the two they are able to come up with lasting solutions to the problem of shortage of nurses. New nurses in this case utilize the opportunity to institute pertinent suggestions that may be useful in promoting client outcomes and at the same time attract new graduates to the profession. Hence, transformational leadership avails leadership opportunities to new nurses through actively engaging them in policy decision making.
Finally, the dynamic leader follower association model explains that nurse leaders should have the sole obligation of implementing the health policies which empower bothnursing students and nursing recruits hence creating a sense of leader follower relationship (Marriner-Tomey, 2008). This type of association between a nurse leader and a new recruit is important in motivating and establishing a base of commitment to the policies of the health institution. Emphasizing on the relationship between the two also helps nursing recruits in finding the niche to work hard so that they can also reach the level of expertise attained by their nursing leaders. In the long run nurses feel motivated to work towards accomplishment of organizational and personal objectives thus reducing turnover in health institutions.
In contrast to the roles of nurse leaders when dealing with the issues of nurse shortages, nurse managers also have a responsibility of making sure that a health institution is able to maintain a satisfactory number on health workers. In order to effectively address the issue, nurse managers perform the following roles: nurse managers avail bonuses and relocation coverage to nurses,nurse managers also have the responsibility of retaining nurses, nurse managers also have the responsibility of handling the daily operations of the organizations which are viewed as the holding unit of a hospital, nurse managers also have the responsibility of making sure that the hospital has a good working condition.
According to Swansburg (2006), bonuses and relocation coverage offers the older nursing staff to work in different conditions that are not too physically demanding. A majority of the nursing professionals are above fifty years old which translates to the normal age anticipated for a health worker to work on a full time basis. Nurse Managers are endowed with the task of making sure that their representations of patient upkeep offer the required sustenance for the more mature nursing employees. Moreover, nursing is a bodily demanding occupation hence administrators have to cater for the needs of the aged nurses. This reduces the likelihood of a healthcare institution facing future issues of early retirement by aged nurses which further worsens the current problem of nursing shortages.
Spradley&Allender (2013) explain that retention of nurses can be done through contributing significance, response and acknowledgement and an opportunity for health workers to get the impression that their efforts are valued. Nurse Managers hence are required to ensure that nurses are motivated. Managers are also responsible for communicating an organization’s culture of valuing and respecting nurses. Nurse Managers are also involved in implementing Human Resource policies responsible for making sure that nurses are adequately remunerated in terms of benefits and wages. The policies also have to incorporate aspects of realistic job previews and training. Nurse Managers have to be innovative in formulation of motivational strategies aimed at retaining nurses hence alleviating the problem of nursing shortages.
Nurse Managers are held accountable for making sure that the daily operations in an organization endorse anoptimistic attitude and awarenessconcerning the organization (Smolowitz& Wood, 2015). Managers in this case have to show nurses that they are satisfied with how the organization functions on a daily ba...