Multigenerational nurses in the workplace.
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Age Factors↗
Biomedical subjects
Leanne Cowin
Publications and source records attributed to Leanne Cowin.
The nursing shortage: part way down the slippery slope.
The shortage of nurses has reached a crisis point for health care services. A number of issues including the effects of economic rationalism, generational differences, working conditions and nurse education are revisited in a discussion that aims to refuel the debate on workplace reform for nurses. Economic rationalism has altered the healthcare service landscape. Attempts to balance service delivery with workforce resources have led to possibly unforeseen changes. Highly skilled nurses are required in acute services, however resource allocation may prevent this. The nursing workforce is aging although the current nursing workforce consists of three generations: baby boomers, generation X and generation Y. There are significant ideological and work organisational differences between these generations leading to possible conflict between nurses. The pool of available nurses to fill employment vacancies is finite. Attracting overseas nurses to fill nurse vacancies will leave vacancies elsewhere and is not a long-term solution to the nursing shortage. Moreover, if the workplace has not addressed the reasons why nurses have left the health care workplace then there is a real danger of losing those recently attracted back into the workplace. Working conditions are a critical element within the retention puzzle. Job satisfaction dimensions such as autonomy and professional relationships are key components for improving working conditions. The final issue explored is the question of whether the tertiary education system is the most appropriate place in which to develop and educate nurses. It is suggested that workplace reforms should be the target of retention strategies rather than changes in the educational process of nursing.
Adult↗
De-escalating aggression and violence in the mental health setting.
Aggressive and violent incidents in the health-care setting are increasing phenomena around the world. The evidence from current literature suggests that changes in health-care access, nursing staff shortages and patient acuity are some of the possible causes. De-escalation is a valuable intervention that can be used by nurses to help counter the growing problems of aggression and violence. The de-escalation project, discussed in the present paper, aimed to explore de-escalation as an important therapeutic process and is an event of considerable potential in the management of aggression and violence. While de-escalation is not a new tool, particularly in the mental health-care setting, an educative programme aimed at renewing nurses' knowledge and skills in de-escalation is a timely project. The final de-escalation kit included a large glossy poster, a nursing staff survey, an in-service education session and a literature-based discussion paper. The de-escalation kit can be of considerable benefit to those nurses who are transient within the workplace, such as casual and agency nurses.
Aggression↗
The effects of nurses' job satisfaction on retention: an Australian perspective.
OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of any strategy that aims to improve recruitment and retention in the nursing profession will depend in part upon understanding the factors and influences on nurses' job satisfaction. BACKGROUND: The nursing work force is aging. The question now commonly asked by the nursing profession worldwide is: Who will replace this work force? Although the number of employed nurses continues to decline, patient acuity and turnover in our healthcare system continues to increase. This increasing dilemma is further deepened by progressively falling annual recruitment of new nurses and has resulted in an alarming shortfall of nurses. METHODS: This study used a multigroup longitudinal design to elicit nurses' attitudes toward their job satisfaction and retention plans. RESULTS: The results revealed that professional status was found to be significant of retention. The results indicated that job satisfaction remained relatively stable with time for experienced nurses (N = 528/332). For new graduates (N = 506/110) the issue of pay became a significant area of dissatisfaction in the transition from student to registered nurse. CONCLUSION: The results from this study contribute to the expanding body of knowledge that indicates professional status, autonomy, and remuneration are career issues of great concern for nurses and is particularly relevant for the retention of the newly registered nurse.
Adult↗