Proposal for Managing Change in Nursing Shortages
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Introduction
Nurses play an essential role in the medical facilities by providing maintenance services to the patients and executing leadership functions in healthcare organizations. Although the nursing profession has positive impacts on an individual’s lives as it deals with human life, some challenges need a nurse to be committed and dedicated to their provision of care in hospitals. Nurses require to concentrate on the needs of the management objectives and patients. Hence, they require to be equipped with technical skills and managerial techniques to help them cope with every situational change. The outcomes that are successful for patients in most healthcare firms result from professional techniques and training skills of nurses. Despite developments in technology and infrastructure in hospitals, there are problems from the working environment that affect nurses either indirectly or semi-direct, resulting in poor quality care services and poor patient outcomes. This paper examines shortages of nursing professional, nursing change theory, the plan for implementing the change, criteria to evaluate the effective of the plan, and reflection on how the change affects nursing professions.
The shortage of nursing experts has significant negative consequences on the quality of services of medical organization and recovery of patients. There is low representation of ethnic minorities in every health professions. With the increasing population, the need for health professionals is becoming the main problem facing the medical firms. The growing number of aging individuals in the society who require more medical attention leads to patients increase in hospitals. The rising demand of healthcare increases forcing one nurse to serve many patients hence affecting performance of nurses, state of mind, quality, and self organization. Patients are likely not to receive the needed healthcare service when they get the care from a nurse servicing many patients compared to nurse who have fewer clients to attend to (Chhugani & James, 2017) . Nursing leaders are the people needed in leading the required changes in medical facilities of nursing shortages.
The force field model by Kurt Lewin is the recommendad theory in managing the problem of nursing shortages. The Lewin theory is in three steps; unfreezing, change, and refreezing. The theory of lewin was extended by Lippitt, Watson, and Wesley to seven steps that concentrates on the functions and responsibility of agent`s change (Spear, 2016). The theory of Lippitt`s application is worldwide as healthcare organizations use in the planning, implementing, and sustaining change. The model is is divided into four connected element processes of nursing that is assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluation. The benefit of the Lippitts theory is that each communication phase remain important.
The first process assessing the willingness of actions and ability for the change. The contributing factors must be more than the restraining forces to facilitate the implementation and sustaining of the change (Willcox et al 2018). There is need to involve the individuals and management to be affected by the change planned through efficient communication for the identification of their problems, giving them response, and provision of the change justification. The framework of force field evaluation use in the planning of the change and solving problems. The strategies of force-field analysis assists in reducing resistance by to change by communicating effectively explaining why increase in the staff of nursing will promote satisfaction of job and fatigue reduction.
The second factor to include in my change plan is the assessing motivation and resources of change agent. This stage evaluates the motivation of change agent, the attribution of staff, and cost. Group discussion and repeated meetings among professional members assists in evaluation of any challenge they are facing and how it can be addressed. There is need for financial commitment in promoting the facilitation of change in medical organization. The cost estimation for planned change is done by nurse leader who forward it to management of the healthcare facility. The final stage in planning is selection of change objectives that are progressive by the Lippt`s theory of change. The final draft development to clearly define the change process by considering evaluation of motivation and ability of change and the assessment of
motivation and resource of change agent.
The effectiveness of the proposal can be evaluated through the selection of appropriate function for the agent of change. Nurse leaders plays a fundamental role in managing and supporting change. Role definition assists in ensuring involvement of everyone in the process of change hence avoiding conflict of interest. The use of efficient communication and interpersonal techniques assists achieve the maintaining of the proposed change until it becomes organizational culture. The evaluation of the change will be based on the ratio of nurse to patient, more nursing staff, increase of training centers for nursing, and reduction of nurse vacancy. Patients feedback also is applied in evaluation. Change Evaluation and Stick Team ensures that sufficient staff members of nursing task is permanently is a philosophy in medical healthcare facilities. the implementation of the planned change will assist in dealing with many challenges connected to shortage of nurses in medical centers.
Conclusion
In summary, shortage of nursing staff is a current indirect nursing situation that requires change in healthcare facilities. There is application Lippitt`s theory of change in facilitating the change of nursing shortages in medical facilities. Lippitt`s model provides guidelines in planning for the planned change to assist in its implementation. there are criteria that are used in evaluation of effectiveness of the plan such as patient`s feedback, as shown above.