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I was at work the other morning, once again wondering
how in the world the nursing shortage is going to be
solved. I am a nursing supervisor and this subject comes
up often, especially after making multiple phone calls
to staff nurses and registries to find help.
Many contributing factors affect the nursing shortage:
declining enrollment in nursing schools, shortage of
nursing school faculty, increasing average age of RNs,
aging baby boomers, job burnout, and high turnover and
vacancy rates. Education and advertisement campaigns,
coalitions, committees and state, federal and local
legislation all speak to the urgency of solving this
crisis.
One significant strategy to improve the nursing shortage
is to take personal responsibility for improving the
quality of the work environment. It is easy to see how
different personalities combined with a stressful work
environment can result in tense andtimes-explosive situations.
In a hospital setting, these situations are not abnormal.
It is the way we sometimes handle these situations
with each other that destroy trust and respect and-occasionally-discredit
the profession. Some have even considered quitting nursing
or steering others away from it-not the best outlook
for a profession with a projected need of 400,000 RNs
nationwide by 2020, according to a study by Peter Buerhaus,
Ph.D., RN, FAAN, and colleagues published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association (June 14, 2000).
How can each of us contribute to solving the nursing
shortage? I propose we use a modified version of the
ACLS acronym:
A Assertive communication
C Compassion and caring
L Life modeling
S Support
When trying to recruit new graduates, we often say
"we eat our young" as one of the reasons why
new nurses are discouraged or leave our hospital. This
cliché needs to be eradicated. New nurses have
different learning curves and understanding this will
help decrease frustration when someone "just doesn't
get it."
Furthermore, we need to stop being tattletales, especially
against new graduates by gossiping about their mistakes.
This type of environment simply drives nurses away.
Seasoned nurses (including new hires and registry nurses)
need care and compassion, too. A simple "Do you
need help with anything?" or words of encouragement
at just the right time can communicate powerfully that
you value your co-workers and are concerned for their
welfare.
Life modeling refers to modeling behaviors that serve
to create a positive work environment. This requires
honest and sometimes difficult introspection to root
out any negative behaviors.
Life modeling also entails being a positive ambassador
for nursing. We do an excellent job of telling people
how miserable our profession can be, but we need to
focus on communicating the victories. Exciting people
with positive and powerful nursing stories can revitalize
our co-workers while helping to recruit a new workforce.
Bearing each other's burdens can be difficult when
you already feel stretched thin meeting your patients'
needs. However, when staff engages in collaborative
support, our jobs become easier, we become connected
emotionally and, ultimately, we create a positive work
environment that people want to be a part of.
"ACLS" is by no means the only way to create
and maintain a positive work environment, but it is
a good start for a profession gasping for help. I suspect
that many of us in health care today have lost touch
with what makes us excited about nursing.
Let's try to create an atmosphere in which people experience
the joy of caring for another human being as only a
nurse can.
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