GCU Discussion-Nursing Shortage

please respond to the following as a peer commenting.

According to the Texas Department of Health and the Texas Center for nursing workforce studies, a hospital nurse staffing survey was conducted during the summer of 2019. Like many other states, Texas is facing a large vacancy of nursing and nursing turnover. Of the 106,915 RN, full-time positions reported statewide there is over 6734 were vacant. The survey in 2019 of 170 hospitals that responded $46 million was spent on interim staffing methods to fill 13 million hours of staffing needs. (Texas Department of State Health Services, Nursing Workforce Data Section, n.d.). Although Texas is projected to face a shortage of nurses from 2015 through 2030, this demand will grow by over 53%. When reflecting on the hospital that I currently work at, there are many nursing vacancies, and they have been filled by contract labor. The high demand for nursing jobs in these extreme work conditions has led to turnover rates when addressing the overall stress. In addition, burnout and being overly worked during the stressful times of the pandemic have made for complicated emotional and physical distress on employees. Burnout is causing nurses of all specialties to accept better-paying jobs in this increasingly competitive market. (Harper, 2021).

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The steps that need to be taken to counteract this type of nursing shortage or any healthcare professional shortage are retention strategies. For example, we can look at education forgiveness programs and sign-on bonuses, and better benefits packages. In addition, to retain nurses, you can make more flexible working schedules and make sure that there is a home life work-life balance for the employees. Finally, make sure that nurses know that there is an opportunity for advancement within the company. (Suarez, 2017). Texas is no different from any other state; they face the same shortages within healthcare and need to make changes to address these issues to ensure the quality of care given to their patients.

References:

Harper, K. B. (2021, August 5). Texas hospitals hit by staffing crisis as burnout depletes workforce and COVID-19 surges. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/05/texas-hosp…

Suarez, L. (2017, May 5). How to Recruit and Retain Nurses Who Love Their Job | HealthcareSource. HealthcareSource Blog. http://education.healthcaresource.com/recruit-reta…

Texas Department of State Health Services, Nursing Workforce Data Section. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://dshs.texas.gov/nursingworkforce/