Proof Positive that administrators already KNOW how to fix the problem of the bedside nurse shortage. They just won't spend the money ......YET.
"Better with Age -
Lorraine Steefel, RN, MSN
Masthead Date June 04, 2001
Like a fine wine, nurses and their skills improve with time.
SHE’S NEEDED. She’s wanted. There may have been times during her 30-something-year nursing career that Nell Cantin* doubted it. Recent changes in hospital policy and practice are positive proof of her “valuable” employee status. First came patient-nurse ratio mandates of no greater than 5:1. Then patient beds that turn into chairs were purchased.
Then....
Better working conditions, shift flexibility, no mandatory overtime, and higher salaries all made this older RN happy to remain in her chosen profession.
If you’re wondering where Cantin works, it’s the “hospital of the future.”.........
...When older RNs leave the workforce, they’ll take with them a great deal of the collective clinical experience and knowledge base of the profession. Even getting a small percentage to work a few more years will have a relatively large impact. The following issues are important enough to make older staff nurses consider extending their work life:
TOP TEN REASONS WHY Older Staff RNs Would Extend Their Work Life:
10.Supportive workplaces with free expression of ideas, friendship, and encouragement
9.Social interaction with peers, patients, and other disciplines
8.More control over their work setting
7.Participation in decision making
6.Work recognition, encouragement, and positive feedback from supervisors
5.Less-strenuous jobs that use their experience
4.Ergonomically friendly, safe and effective workplaces
3.Economic incentives (includes salary, compensation, health benefits, etc)
2.Favorable work schedules
1.Retirement programs that make working longer attractive
“The question is a matter of preparation,” says Mary Foley, RN, MS, president of the American Nurses Association. “Are our institutions prepared to accommodate the older nurse? Are our working institutions ready to accommodate a knowledgeable worker who cannot contribute the hours, but is still valuable? On the other hand, despite the difficulties of aging, can older nurses rise to another challenge — that of helping reform a workplace that can benefit from their strong work ethic?” Because older RNs are less likely to tolerate a workplace where they experience lack of respect by physicians and administrators, among others, or unreasonable restrictions on their autonomy and control over nursing practice, hospitals should examine the culture of their organizations and remove such practices and behaviors............"
(managements free news magazine to nurses - free because all the recruitment ads from scab agencies & healthcare facility HR depts pay for its publication.)
