We read and hear a great deal about nurse burnout. In a recent survey conducted by NBC News, they reported that evidence suggested that two-thirds of nurses are considering leaving their jobs or the profession because of the pandemic. Put on top of this an already current and projected shortage of nurses.
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2019-2029, Registered Nursing (RN) is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2029. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 3 million in 2019 to 3.3 million in 2029, an increase of 221,900 or 7%. The Bureau also projects 175,900 openings for RNs each year through 2029 when nurse retirements and workforce exits are factored into the number of nurses needed in the U.S.
We also know that the unknown, unclear, and uninformed nurse is an unhappy employee and results in decreased confidence in the organization. There is nothing more important in the workforce than a sense of being need to be appreciated and informed. Basic principles of management such as participation, collaboration, job growth/improvement, and communication do not disappear in a crisis quite the opposite the need for them becomes more acute. The recent study and survey by the AONL (American Organization for Nursing Leadership) in my opinion reinforces my conclusions:
The Impact of COVID-19 on Nursing
This study revealed that despite the incredible challenges posed by COVID-19, the crisis has resulted in some progress within the profession, accelerating changes in attitudes and expectations regarding nurses.
According to the survey, 64% of nurses who spent more than half their time with COVID-19 patients are satisfied with opportunities to work on collaborative interprofessional teams, compared with 57% of nurses who spent less than half their time with COVID-19 patients.
Among that same set of nurses working with COVID-19 patients:
- 50% are satisfied with opportunities for professional advancement (compared to 43%)
- 48% are satisfied with opportunities to lead programs or initiatives (compared to 40%)
- 44% are satisfied with opportunities to influence decisions about workplace organization (compared to 39%)
There is nothing we can do for nursing that will have a greater positive impact on staff satisfaction than nursing informatics. Quantaira’s, Patient C.A.R.E. (Comprehensive Access for Remote Evaluation) allows nursing to more effectively communicate and collaborate with their colleagues, support clinical decision making and create a more efficient healthcare process. It has the potential to incorporate information output from pieces of equipment that currently do not interface with the electronic record into the record automatically thus relieving the nurse of secretarial duties, a significant job dissatisfier. It has the potential to reduce trips into the patient room thus reducing the use of PPE and allowing the nurse to continue to monitor multiple patients concurrently. It gives the nurse access to a much-improved process of looking at current and historic clinical information and consequently better and more timely clinical decisions. A huge job satisfier.