Developing a Shared Vision

Developing a Shared Vision

Grand Canyon University: AMP-450V

Developing a Shared Vision

After meeting with the directors of the hospital, it has been brought to my attention of two challenges that we are currently facing. As your manager, it is my duty to be forthcoming about our challenges and it is my goal to obtain input from all of you so we can make changes. The two main challenges we are facing are staffing shortages and poor job satisfaction which results in high turnover rates. The goal of this proposal is to address the issues presented today and come up with a possible solution.

Our Current Issues

The need for healthcare staff is increasing. The constant expanding of healthcare as well as longer life expectancy have contributed to this need. The issue we are facing is the inability to staff units adequately due to the nursing shortage. According to the United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast, there will be a national shortage of 300,000 to 1 million RN jobs in 2020. The expectation is for the nursing shortage to increase as more baby boomers retire. One of our priorities should be getting ahead of the issue so we can be prepared. Nurses are having to work longer hours and more days with unfortunately higher patient to nurse ratios. As nurses are faced with the above challenges, it leads to higher turnover rates due to burnout. We are asking for input from all staff members so we can implement new policies. We will also have monthly job fairs and offer on the spot offers. This will provide managers the ability to onboard staff that are fitting for the department and eliminate the delay of the traditional hiring process. I am asking for cooperation and collaboration so this could be a smooth transition. I would rather onboard staff that want to stay with us rather than bringing on contract nurses that will eventually leave when their contract is up. To address poor job satisfaction, we will be completing anonymous surveys in which you all will be able to comment on the changes you would like to see, relate to us what you think we are doing well as an organization, and help us implement measures that will retain our current staff.

Impact on Unit

Staffing shortages and poor job satisfaction have been negatively impacting our unit. We can see this by reviewing our patient satisfaction scores. During the quarters in which our staffing has been adequate our scores are higher. When we do not have adequate staffing, our scores have been lower. According to Nursing: A Key to Patient Satisfaction, improving nurses’ work environments, including nurse staffing, may improve the patient experience and quality of care (Kutney-Lee et al., 2009). Not only does this affect our patients but it is leading to poor job satisfaction. Many nurses do not want to work extra shifts or commit to any extra time at all to help alleviate the unit needs. Our staff morale is being impacted as well. It is disappointing to begin your shift knowing that there are not enough nurses on staff and that there will be a heavier patient load due to the lack of staff. If we work together, we can change that.

The Impact of Effective Communication, Collaboration, and Teamwork

The only way we can truly make a change is by collaborating and communication as a team. I am starting the process by discussing our issues and asking for help. There is no I in team. This unit does not run solely based off of on person, it runs with each and every one of us. Night shift is just as important as day shift and vice versa. “In delivering health care, an effective teamwork can immediately and positively affect patient safety and outcome” (Babiker et al., 2014). When team-based health care is incorporated greater results are achieved. When everyone knows clearly what the goal or mission is of the unit, we can achieve it much easier. “Lack of purposeful team care can also lead to unnecessary waste” (Babiker et al., 2014). “Fundamental to the success of any model for team-based care is the skill and reliability with which team members work together” (Mitchell et al., 2012). By ensuring that we are communicating and working as a team we can improve job satisfaction and help address staffing shortages.

Conclusion

Thank you all for your time. I truly mean what I say when I want all of us to work as a team. This unit can not run without the efforts of everyone. I do not want it to just run but want it to be successful and I want everyone here to enjoy being at work. Help us retain newly hired staff by helping them with any questions and making them feel welcomed. I will be reviewing the surveys and making changes based off the input I receive. Together we can!

References

Babiker, A., El Husseini, M., Al Nemri, A., Al Frayh, A., Al Juryyan, N., O Faki, M., & Al Zamil, F. (2014). Health care professional development: Working as a team to improve patient care. Sudanese Journal of Pediatrics, 14(2), 9-16. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4949805/

Juraschek, S. P., Zhang, X., Ranganathan, V., & Lin, V. W. (2011). United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card and Shortage Forecast. American Journal of Medical Quality, 27(3), 241-249. doi:10.1177/1062860611416634

Kutney-Lee, A., McHugh, M., Sloane, D., Cimiotti, J., Flynn, L., Felber Neff, D., & Aiken, L. (2009). Nursing: A Key To Patient Satisfaction. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 28(4), 669-677. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.28.4.w669

Mitchell, P. H., Wynia, M., Golden, R., McNellis, B., Okun, S., Webb, C., … Von Kohorn, I. (2012). Core Principles & Values of Effective Team-Based Health Care. National Academy of Medicine, 2(10). doi:10.31478/201210c