Abstract
RN recruitment and retention, in a sense, is a vicious circle in the healthcare system, provoking several negative consequences for both the state and the individual. Sometimes, entering the profession can be a severe mistake for several specialists. Desperate, they quit medical practice and dissuade colleagues, acquaintances, and friends from providing services to patients. The primary purpose of this work is to determine the essence and characteristics of this problem, solve it, and give relevant questions for reflection. The paper includes an introduction, an analysis of the situation, a plan for solving obstacles, final aspects, and two questions. In the course of this research, the following result was achieved. It was found out that RN recruitment and retention is a serious threat that requires special attention from the public. The options for action, in this case, relate to social and community elements. In particular, unstable working conditions, low wages, poor attitude towards employees, and strict conditions for college admission significantly reduce the chances of success.
Introduction
The profession of a nurse is significantly in demand and necessary, and the role of such an employee, in most cases, has a special reverence and respect in society. However, according to analysts’ forecasts, every year, the demand for nurses only increases; more jobs appear, but they are filled with variable success. Therefore, registered nurses’ (RN) recruitment and retention are among the most popular and particularly acute problems in the healthcare system. This issue has no unique continental boundaries because almost every hospital and polyclinic face a similar situation. Hence, it is necessary to focus possible efforts on the strategic aspects of recruitment and retention of medical staff. The primary purpose of this paper is to explain and discuss the critical elements of the problem, give a proposed plan for solving this issue, and identify two questions for further discussion.
Analysis
Clear Definition of the Issue
RN recruitment and retention is a particular and continuous cycle, often manifested precisely in medical practice due to several various factors. The primary reasons that directly affect the choice or rejection from the profession are the salary level, schedule and working conditions, management, staff attitude, and location (Fields et al., 2018). Such a significant problem in this area concerns both rural areas and low-income medical institutions that need special funding and support from the leadership, the government, and the state (Fields et al., 2018). Given these circumstances, medical institutions and healthcare organizations should focus today on the practice of recruiting qualified nurses and retaining current medical personnel.
Benefits or Challenges Related to the Issue
Unfortunately, it is hard to find any special benefit to this problem, but there are, certainly, many disadvantages and challenges. For example, according to Read and Fenge (2019), such an issue causes a lot of unforeseen expenses of time, effort, and resources, which could be applied in another field. Most nurses complain about the lack of control over several situations and incorrect conditions for performing duties, which leads to inefficient and unproductive staff work (Picone & Lumby, 2020). Furthermore, the shortage of personnel adversely affects the quality of services provided and treatment of citizens, negatively affects the organization’s reputation, and leads to unfriendly consequences for the state. Hence, recruitment is becoming a challenge for employers; some organizations are in desperate need of employees, and nurses are reluctant to go to a new position.
Ethical Considerations of the Issue
The ethical content of this situation has very complex and meaningful aspects. For instance, it is incredibly noteworthy that a number of medical institutions are experiencing all the hardships of this crisis, conducting incorrect and unethical strategies for hiring and retaining nurses. Most hospitals at the regional or state level are forced to compete with each other and try to lure employees to their sides with the help of some fierce methods to meet their own needs.
Discussion of How the Issue Affects Advanced Nursing Practice Role
Indeed, the problem entails several adverse outcomes on the advanced practice of medical personnel. The vicious circle of RN recruitment and retention mainly affects the lack of experienced and advanced nurses. Scientists have noted that the level of turnover of nurses is significantly often observed among professionals in the medical field (Wan et al., 2018). Moreover, some APN specialists, even while studying at college or school, refuse to take on all the profession’s difficulties to develop and improve themselves in the field.
Relevance of Issue to Selected Rural and/or Urban Populations
It is worth noting that the relevance of this issue is often traced in rural areas. Such an “unpleasant” picture is often observed in such regions, manifested in geographical isolation, insufficient allocated resources, and financial support (Calleja et al., 2019). These circumstances “leave a significant imprint” both on providing medical care to patients and on the support system for young specialists (Calleja et al., 2019). However, even in more developed territories, there is an extremely negative attitude towards work on the part of nurses (Fields et al., 2018). Consequently, such substantial troubles remain relevant in any place and do not depend on the category of the type of terrain.
Suggested Plan
Overcoming the Challenges
Today, the problem of recruiting and retaining nurses is exceptionally acute, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Dawkins (2021), it is necessary to prevent social and community conditions. In particular, these conditions include discrimination, limited access to education, poverty, and lack of economic stability. Secondly, it is recommended to make decisions that improve the working environment and atmosphere. In this situation, a competently developed mentoring system, friendly relations on the part of managers and colleagues, financial capacity building, and college admission criteria can help with possible problems (Dawkins, 2021). It is imperative today to make attempts in these areas to benefit a better future.
Advancing Health or Health Care Delivery
In order to improve the quality of nursing services provided, a number of aspects should be improved. Therefore, such elements include inequality in medical care, poor access and quality of service, differentiated treatment. It is especially crucial that, in this vein, justice, honesty, and equality in relationships, such as between a supervisor and an employee or between a nurse and a patient, be established and preserved. The barriers should be eliminated, and treatment should be provided for each person in terms of effectiveness and quality.
Discussion of the Role of APN in Relation to the Proposed Resolution
Advanced technologies and competent, qualified personnel can significantly smooth out the current situation and eliminate its causes and consequences even today. Hence, some of the issues will be solved either entirely or partially, and some of them can be carefully analyzed to deploy a unique strategy. In general, professionals will be able to see the picture of the situation from different angles and sides, draw certain conclusions and make independent decisions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, RN recruitment and retention is one of the most common modern problems in medicine and healthcare, which requires special, respectful attention from the leadership of medical institutions and the state’s government. Moreover, negligent and neglectful attitude to this “concern” entails several unfavorable results for the country’s citizens at once. It is required to take a thorough, objective, and prompt measures to minimize and eliminate these contradictions at the public, community, and social levels. Therefore, creating favorable working conditions and eliminating factors provoking professional burnout are recommended.
References
Calleja, P., Adonteng-Kissi, B., & Romero, B. (2019). Transition support for new graduate nurses to rural and remote practice: A scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 76, pp. 8-20. Web.
Dawkins, D. (2021). Recruitment and retention of minority high school students to increase diversity in the nursing profession. Nursing Clinics, 56(3), pp. 427-439. Web.
Fields, B. E., Bell, J. F., Bigbee, J. L., Thurston, H., & Spetz, J. (2018). Registered nurses’ preferences for rural and urban jobs: A discrete choice experiment. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 86, pp. 11-19. Web.
Picone, D., & Lumby, J. (2020). Clinical challenges: Focus on nursing. Taylor & Francis.
Read, R., & Fenge, L. A. (2019). What does Brexit mean for the UK social care workforce? Perspectives from the recruitment and retention frontline. Health & Social Care in the Community, 27(3), pp. 676-682. Web.
Wan, Q., Li, Z., Zhou, W., & Shang, S. (2018). Effects of work environment and job characteristics on the turnover intention of experienced nurses: The mediating role of work engagement. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(6), pp. 1332-1341. Web.