Comparison And Contrast Of Nursing Leaders Versus Managers (Essay Sample)

Nursing Shortage and Nurse Turnover
Name:
Institution:
Introduction
Nursing shortage refers to a situation where demand for nursing professionals, such as registered nurses(RN), exceeds the supply either locally, nationally, or globally CITATION Tim14 \l 2057 (O'Grady, 2014). This could be as a result of when the nurse-to-patient ratio, the nurse to population ratio, or the number of job openings necessitates a higher number of nurses working in a health center than currently available. Nurse turnover is defined as a job move, leaving the organization or leaving the nursing professional entirely (O’Brian-Pallas et al., 2006).
The nursing shortage main contribution has been the increased number of retiring registered nurses that are higher than individuals joining the nursing profession from colleges. The rising population of aging people in need of nursing care among other medical services also contributes to the nursing shortage. Nurses below thirty years of age are few as shown by Huber (2010). According to him, between 1980 and 2004, the percentage of registered nurses below the age of 30 drastically dropped from 25% to 8%.
The major issue affecting the nurses in their duty of providing care to patients is nursing turnover and shortage. The shortage of nurses results in decreased access to care decreased job satisfaction and increased rate of turnover. This paper shows what managers and nursing leaders are expected to do to deal with this problem. The rationales of these expectations are derived from the principles, theories roles, and skills of leaders’ versus managers.
Comparison and contrast of nursing leaders versus managers
Roles of nurse leaders
Nurse leaders’ main role is to provide a positive environment and the existence of a desirable workplace CITATION Har131 \l 2057 (Feldman, 2013). This ensures that nursing practice is provided in an efficient, effective and safe manner. They are also responsible for taking care of the human capital or the employees. This has a major impact on nurse job retention and satisfaction.
The task of fostering the culture of commitment in the organization to increase the retention of licensed nurses also rests on the hands of leaders. Leaders have to focus on strategies that address factors under the control of the employer that impact on nurse retention and those that focus on the nurse-shortage. This entails activities like ensuring adequate resources and staffing. The leaders must empower nurses through orientation, collaborative governance opportunities, mentorship and staff development.
The way leaders behave towards staff as well as the way they value the input of the staff members have a direct impact on staff retention. The relationship between the staff and their leaders is a vital aspect that determines whether they can remain to be part of the health organization or not. Nurse leaders have an impact on staff turnover since they are the ones who provide support and direction. Recognition, communication, and autonomy are essential interventions that leaders can implement to retain nurses.
Roles of nurse managers
Nurse managers, on the other hand, have a role in retaining employees. This can be achieved by offering meaningful feedback, recognition and a chance to feel that their work is valuable and valued. Managers are required to build the intrinsic motivation of nurses. It is also the responsibility of the managers to communicate the organizational culture of respecting and valuing the nursing caregivers.
It is essential for nurse managers to provide relocation coverage and bonuses to the staffs willing to relocate in order to deal with the high rate of shortage among nurses. More than a third of staffs in nursing professionals are more than fifty years of age. This relates to the average age expected of a nurse to work the full-time job of 49 years. Nurse managers have the challenges to restrict their models of patient care services by ensuring that they provide the necessary support for older nursing staff in their practice since nursing is a physically demanding job.
They also need to develop new technologies that translate into effective practice within the nursing profession. Managers can help elderly nurses by providing them with the flexibility of their schedules, sabbaticals time off duty. Managers should ensure high and positive performance and be responsible in formulating human resource policies that touch on benefits and wages and issues on flexibility and soft skills. The policies have to focus on aspects like career ladders and training, realistic job reviews and scheduling among others. Motivational care practices and work organization also need to be provided to staffs.
The nurse managers also have to be responsible for the daily operations of organizations. This is perceived as the glue that holds the hospital together. They are held accountable for all the management aspects of a health care facility. The behaviors of managers promote a positive attitude and perception towards the organization thereby enhancing their commitments, satisfaction and intent to stay.
Nurse Managers p...