Nurse shortage: outlook for 2023

Frontline nurses don’t need numbers to know that the nursing shortage is wreaking havoc of their workplaces. Nevertheless, the info convincingly shows that it’s time to get serious about making changes. In 2023, recruiting and retaining good nurses will be the most vital area in determining hospital success.

The numbers tell a terrible story

The financial costs of nursing shortages couldn’t be clearer. The 2022 Nurse Salary Survey Report Nurse.com found that of the two,516 nurses surveyed, 29% were considering leaving the occupation altogether.

If you are considering changing your work settings, you’ve gotten loads of company. For 28% of nurses who did so, the essential reasons were dissatisfaction with pay and management. The percentage of nurses considering changing employers was 17% (up from 11% in 2020). The average length of service was 22.5 (down from 26 years in 2020).

With unoccupied rates at record highs, hospitals have a robust incentive to scale back turnover. For each missing bedside nurse, hospitals incur costs of $46,100. Estimates show that for each 1% decline in turnover, the typical hospital saves $262,300 annually NSI’s 2022 National Health Care and RN Workforce Retention Report. In the bulk (61.2%) of hospitals, the unoccupied rate for nurses was above 15%.

New approaches needed

What do all these numbers mean to you? The nurses you’re employed with are more mobile, less satisfied with their work and fewer experienced. There are also fewer of them.

“The reality is that hospitals have chronically operated on the thinnest of margins in terms of nursing staffing. This undermines the safety of patient care and the trust that nurses have in their employer,” warned Jane Muir, Ph.D., FNP-BC, a postdoctoral fellow on the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Regular substantive raises, the chance to make use of the complete scope of nursing practice and managers are crucial aspects influencing job satisfaction in accordance with the Nurse.com report. To learn more about what’s needed in 2023, Nurse.com spoke with distinguished nursing leaders.

Preventing burnout is essential

A recent study found that roughly half of nurses report burnout and worker turnover rates range from 20% to 30%. test.

Nurses in hospitals participating in burnout reduction programs stayed at work 20% longer. Moreover, these hospitals spent 36% less on recruitment than hospitals without such programs. What aspects contributed most to burnout? The mostly reported include long working hours, lack of support, frequency of assaults and high-stress conditions.

On the positive side, hospitals with lower burnout and worker turnover (on account of a greater work environment) saw impressive savings. “The findings provide timely and focused evidence on both annual and multi-year costs per nurse to hospital administrators and decision-makers regarding financial investments in nursing resources,” says study writer Muir.

The staff is every little thing

In real estate, probably the most common trope is location, location, location. To combat the nursing shortage, we want to rent, hire, hire. “HR issues, period. If hospitals cannot staff safely, they should close elective procedure beds,” said Diana J. Mason, RN, PHD, FAAN, senior professor of policy on the George Washington University Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement.

Myopic hospitals view nursing as a part of budget cuts. “Nursing care is often viewed as a labor cost in terms of hospital funding – despite evidence showing the value that nurses bring to hospitals by improving patient outcomes,” Muir said.

“This is actually the main reason nurses are going on strike in hospitals across the country – most of them recently in Minnesota– is that nurses say they do not have safe working conditions for themselves and their patients,” Muir said.

The well-being of nurses is a priority

Hospitals cannot – and shouldn’t – choose strategies without input from frontline nurses. Many nurses report that mandatory extra time causes problems. “Nurses are forced to choose between family and work,” Mason said.

Robyn Begley, CEO of the American Organization of Nursing Leadership (AONL), sees burnt-out nurses leaving organizations because they need higher work-life balance. “This exacerbates staffing shortages, which are a leading cause of burnout,” Begley said. Staff emotional health and well-being and staff retention are crucial challenges facing nurse leaders, in accordance with the organization AONL Nursing Leadership Longitudinal Study, October 2022.

Begley proposed the next winning strategies: a protected work environment, competitive compensation, healthy work-life synergy, flexible schedules, skilled development and shared decision-making. Hospitals are using onboarding, surveys, town halls, roundups and team meetings to ask employees about their basic must combat nursing shortages. “A lack of feeling heard and supported in senior positions due to understaffing and insufficient pay are among the reasons nurses are leaving,” Begley said.

What is the very best nurse retention strategy? Lusine Poghosyan, MD, MPH, RN, FAAN and professor of nursing at Columbia University School of Nursing, found that creating work environments promotes well-being. Lack of support from administrative management increases job dissatisfaction and worker turnover. “It’s extremely expensive for hospitals,” Poghosyan said.

It’s a vicious circle: all of the turnover causes hospitals to be understaffed, which further increases the burnout of the remaining staff.

In 2023, hospitals pays more attention to the importance of maintaining a talented workforce, Poghosyan predicts: “Leaders are looking for solutions that will improve nurse well-being.”

Support latest nurses

Hospitals try to employ nurses. The problem is that the applicant pool is smaller than prior to now. “In 2023, we will need to find new and better ways to employ newly practicing emergency nurses,” said Jennifer Schmitz, president of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), MSN, EMT-P, CEN, CPEN, CNML, FNP-C , NE-BC .

New nurses want meaningful relationships with peers and support from leadership. The EAW Emergency Nurse Residency Program focuses on critical pondering, problem-solving, and communication skills that nurses must practice independently. “2023 will proceed to be a difficult 12 months. However, I imagine that we’ll make progress,” Schmitz predicted.

Maintenance is key

Recruitment is a challenge, but retention can be even more challenging. “If nurses can have the same terrible conditions, but after a few miles they get paid exponentially more, why wouldn’t they?” asked Lisa A.

Wolf, PhD, RN, CEN, FAEN, FAAN, Director of Emergency Nursing Research at ENA. Wolf found the following effective methods for retaining nurses:

• Strong orientation and residency programs
• Evidence-based leadership training
• Free time to continue learning
• Reduced mandatory overtime
• Reducing “motivational” remuneration.

This last point could appear counterintuitive to some, but when nurses are offered more money to do extra work once they are already exhausted, burnout occurs. “We only offer incentive pay when the unit is understaffed,” Wolf explained.

Insights into nursing shortages

To really move the needle, hospitals actually need to start out taking a long-term approach. “Hospitals need to stop taping bullet holes,” Wolf said. The nursing shortage is complex in some ways. However, at its core, the answer is surprisingly easy. “If you create an environment where nurses feel valued and supported, they will stay,” Wolf said.