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Analyzing a Significant Healthcare Problem: The Great Resignation
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that nearly 50 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs in 2021 during the ongoing Great Resignation phenomenon (Fuller & Kerr, 2022). While the primary exodus of workers is partly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts argue that the Great Resignation began even before the outbreak in 2019, with monthly resignations increasing by 0.10% each year from 2009 to 2019 (Fuller & Kerr, 2022). In healthcare, having an engaged, skilled, diverse, and talented workforce is crucial for the proper functioning of America’s healthcare system. However, there are critical shortages of staff that threaten communities’ access to care (American Hospital Association, 2022). Vacancies for various nursing positions have increased by 30% between 2019 and 2030, and this shortage is expected to persist (American Hospital Association, 2022).
NRNP-6665 Comprehensive Integrated Psychiatric Assessment Discussion Example
Nurses were on the frontlines during the pandemic, and many experienced burnout, trauma, stress, and increased behavioral health issues that led them to resign (Fuller & Kerr, 2022). However, as mentioned earlier, the major challenge of retaining talented healthcare professionals existed before the COVID-19 outbreak. It is predicted that the U.S. will face a shortage of over 125,000 clinicians by 2023, and more than 200,000 RNs are needed annually to replace retiring nurses and meet the demand for nursing care (Jiskrova, 2022). In our hospital, the Great Resignation worsened an already dire situation. Five experienced nurse-midwives and six RNs aged over 50 decided to quit instead of continuing to work at the end of their careers. The severe shortage of nurses jeopardized patient safety, resulting in increased patient mortality attributed to COVID-19 and other treatable illnesses, as more nurses missed work due to pandemic-related stress and burnout (Buchan et al., 2022).
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Summary of Two Articles on the National Stressor
I chose a relevant article published by McKinsey that outlines strategies for developing the future U.S. public-health workforce (Kumar et al., 2022). The authors acknowledge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting workforce exodus on healthcare delivery across the country. The article proposes six interventions for developing and retaining a healthy workforce (Kumar et al., 2022). The first strategy involves reevaluating the capabilities and roles of public-health staff by investing in systematic interventions to identify the necessary competencies for the future and creating tailored workforce expansion plans. The second strategy is to leverage the collaborations formed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The third strategy focuses on investing in employees by offering clear paths for professional growth (Kumar et al., 2022). The fourth strategy involves innovative recruitment processes to expand talent pipelines and counter the effects of the Great Resignation. The fifth proposal is to prioritize health equity, ensuring that the healthcare workforce reflects the community they serve through updated job classifications and diversity, equity, and inclusion training (Kumar et al., 2022). Lastly, the authors suggest the need for strong leadership in public health, achieved through external recruitment and upskilling.
The second article I selected also highlights the unprecedented staffing challenges faced by nurse leaders in the past two years. The authors attribute these challenges to the surge in COVID-19-positive patients, which overwhelmed the country’s healthcare system (Molle & Allegra, 2021). They examined nurses’ perceptions of the buddy-staffing model and found that it has the potential to improve nurse retention and reduce the mass exodus of RNs by promoting teamwork, efficiency, patient safety, and staff empowerment (Molle & Allegra, 2021). All of these benefits positively impact organizational culture and help alleviate stress and burnout, factors contributing to nurses leaving the profession or specific healthcare organizations.
Strategies to Alleviate Nursing Shortages
Based on the articles I reviewed, it’s evident that the nursing shortage is a major challenge for the U.S. healthcare industry. In our hospital, we addressed the nursing shortage by collaborating with international nursing recruitment agencies to hire foreign-trained RNs, primarily from the Caribbean, Asia, and African countries (Buchan et al., 2022). We also implemented stress management and coping interventions to empower our healthcare staff to build resilience against burnout. Additionally, based on the findings of the two scholarly articles, our hospital can invest in upskilling the direct care workforce, ensuring that RNs are well-equipped to manage patient care effectively and reduce the strain on our healthcare facility (Kumar et al., 2022). Furthermore, we should emphasize health equity to ensure that our workforce mirrors the community we serve, achieved through updated job classifications and training focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (Kumar et al., 2022).
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