6 Nurse Strategies Tactics to Tackle the Nursing Shortage

Nursing executives use six proven strategies to combat the practical nursing crisis. By 2030, the nursing shortage will likely increase. Over the next decade, an expected average of 54,400 LPN nursing home job new positions for licensed practical or vocational nurses, who have successfully passed the NCLEX-PN exam should open up.

A variety of reasons contribute to the nursing shortage.

• Last year, 80,000 nursing students were rejected by colleges due to a lack of nurse educators in healthcare settings.
• More spots are needed at community colleges.
• The great resignation – Healthcare professionals are quitting the profession by the droves, either due to retirement (or choosing another career) in the nursing field.

Six Innovative Ways Top Nursing Executives are Surviving the Nursing Shortage (Nursing Shortage Solutions)

Six proven strategies can increase nurse retention. The strategies include:

1. You are listening to the nurses’ concerns.
2. Prioritizing workplace cultures
3. They are adapting protocols to nurses’ needs.
4. It is increasing diversity in the professional nursing profession.
5. Need for more current nurse educators.
6. Supporting experienced nurses leading Healthcare innovation.

Related:- Aspects & Some Impact of Short-Staffed Shifts

1. Listening to Nurse’s Concerns

Listening to nurses’ concerns is the first step towards increasing nurse retention.

Love says that nurses want to know their loyalty is valued and don’t want to feel like it is being used against them.

2. Prioritizing Workplace Culture Increases Retention

Healthcare facilities have taken their employees for granted for far too long. This can create a bad company culture that can destroy morale. The nurses with interpersonal skills don’t like to be treated as though they are easily replaceable. They want to be supported, appreciated, and cared for. Facilities must start by focusing on their employees.

3 .Prioritizing Nurse Retention Levels

Nurse executives need to make retention their top priority. It is suitable for patient safety and morale. Chris Caulfield is the chief nursing officer and cofounder at Intely Quality Care. He says that decreasing overtime and shift length has increased nurse retention rates.

Some other strategies include:

• Expanding referral bonuses
• Increasing internal nurse float pools to reduce reliance on travel nurse programs.
• Investing in clinical leadership

4. Increasing Diversity in the Nursing Student Body

Another way to combat the primary nursing shortage is by increasing diversity among prospective students. Representation is vital in nursing because it improves nursing retention in clinical settings.

Love suggests that nurse executives can:

• Support LPN programs (nursing programs) in community colleges.
• Advocate for the expansion and improvement of licensed vocational/vocational nurses (LPN/LVN) and diplomas in nursing.

Imagine that nurse executives favor expanding entry-level licensed practical nurse programs (LPN/LVN) with clinical courses or prerequisite courses and that clinical sites continue to offer competitive tuition reimbursement. We will see an increase in health care teams seeking higher degrees in this case. It will increase retention and produce a highly skilled and qualified nursing workforce.

5. Addressing the Need for More Nurse Educators

It is vital to have more nurse educators to navigate the nursing shortage. The nursing educator shortage after the pandemic is a serious concern. Some argue that there isn’t a shortage of nurse educators, but instead, nurse educators aren’t paid enough.

The cost of nurse educators for universities is another barrier to a current nursing shortage.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), nurse residency programs are proven to:

• Empowering healthcare teams
• Increase nursing retention
• Improve patient satisfaction

6. Using Innovation to Address the Nursing Shortage

Innovation is the key to solving the nursing shortage. Technology is the solution to a healthcare system that needs a major revamp. Caulfield says that CNOs who adopt a trial-and-error approach to new technologies and practices that promote a “flexible workforce” will be able to address the nursing shortage best and reduce retention rates.

Nurse Leaders Can Find Ways to Survive the Nursing Shortage

Some nurse leaders may find it challenging to cope with the nursing shortage. It can be not easy to navigate and execute strategies. Nurse leaders should not feel discouraged but somewhat hopeful about the outlook of the nursing workforce.

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Some other strategies for increasing retention include:

• Asking for employee feedback and ideas is an excellent way to poll them frequently in long-term care facilities.
• You can ask nurses to rate the shifts they have worked in health care settings.
• Creating shared-governance decision-making models.