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Introduction
Nursing managers and leaders are often faced with the challenge of retaining and recruiting nurses in the center of the over increasing job vacancies. The upcoming job vacancies are also attributed to the rise in turnover rate among the nurse staff members (Kleinman, 2004). With this in mind, the rationale identified in this paper will be supported through the use of theories, skills, principles and the overall role of leaders versus managers. It is based upon this factor that the purpose of both leadership and management will be identified especially in the lowering of turnovers and the shortage of nurses in healthcare institutions.
Studies have provided continued support and focused on the relationship between job satisfaction, leadership styles, organizational productivity, and retention. It is argued that despite unclear data relating to how to prepare effective managerial leaders best. Studies indicated that leadership behavior that shows the willingness to share leadership responsibilities displays high levels of visibility, supports and considers staff members in the decision-making process, tends to influence staff nurse retention. It is by focusing on leadership training that it becomes possible to assimilate dynamic leadership behavior among leaders in healthcare institutions where there is a significant need for having high levels of staff nurse retention. In a nutshell, leaders should be able to understand the importance of staff empowerment, acknowledgment, communication and visibility when it comes to addressing issues related to nursing shortage or nurse turnover (Kleinman, 2004).
There is a significant need to address nurse shortage and nurse turnover. Nurse turnover tends to be costly to both the patients and hospitals for substantial reasons. It is argued that suboptimal staffing tends to have a negative effect on healthcare outcomes. This is primarily because suboptimal staffing tends to reduce the number of services offered in healthcare institutions, increases the time patients wait to receive service and affects the quality of patient care. Creating a conducive working environment for nurses is one of the strategic measures that nursing managers and leaders can implement to facilitate nurses retention and as a result, reduce turnover or shortage of nurse in healthcare institutions. Despite this factor, the role of leaders in healthcare institutions has always been successful in lowering nurse turn over in healthcare institutions or hospitals. It is argued that leaders who support the contributions of their employees, demonstrate competency of their role and also those that show qualities of trustworthiness tend to facilitate high retention levels (Kleinman, 2004).
In a close analysis of the application of leadership theories in reducing nurse turnover and nurse shortage in healthcare institutions; it is realized that there is a significant relationship between the type of leadership style applied and nursing staff retention. Studies indicate that participatory management style is always associated nurse with less anticipation for turn over. In consideration of this factor, one tends to realize that the management style adopted in a healthcare institution or hospital plays a vital role in predicting the overall anticipation for turn over among nurses (Kleinman, 2004).
Transformational leadership style is known to be the type of leadership style where the leader articulates the shared vision of the organization to his subordinates. It is through transformational leadership that creativity and problem-solving skills are encouraged among the employees. Transformational leadership style tends to promote and support employees (the nurses in hospitals or healthcare institutions). In this case, studies have indicated that transformational leadership (transformational behavior among leader) facilitates job satisfaction and low staff nurse turn over. Nurses who are motivated and feel appreciated in their job, therefore, tend to deliver quality services to their patients and thus resulting in the delivery of quality healthcare (Page, 2004).
In consideration of the concepts brought forth in this context, it is realized that in management, managers ought to consider an appropriate leadership style for them to be able to counter staff nurse shortage and turn over. With this in mind, managers should be able to adopt a leadership style where the staff nurses feel motivated, appreciated and fulfilled. Hospital or healthcare center managers should be able to adapt to the transformational leadership style. Using the transformational leadership style is known to facilitate creativity and problem solving among staff nurse; which in turn makes them feel motivated. Nurses who are motivated are known to deliver quality health care services hence resulting in the improvement of healthcare outcome of the patients. Hospital leaders and managers should, therefore, identify some of the issues that are causing staff nurse, turn over and nurse shortages. In a nutshell, there ought to be sufficient funding when it comes to conducting research that helps identify issues causing nurse turn over and shortage.
To have managerial leaders learn how to create a favorable or comfortable working environment for staff nurse, they ought to be taken through training processes that equip them with the knowledge and skills to motivate staff nurse and also apply effective leadership style. Trained hospital managerial leaders tend to be in a position to identify whether to use participatory management style, transformational leadership, or democratic leadership style.
The federal and state government should be able to actively participate in the lowering of the rate of staff nurse shortage and turn over. Staff nurse shortage should be address through the training of adequate staff nurse who meets the demand of staff nurse in the labor market. It is also argued that staff nurses often leave their jobs (turn over) because of low wages or salaries. The federal and state government should be able to implement policies and provide funding that not only makes the staff nurses working environment comfortable but also makes them feel self-fulfilled in terms of the wages or salaries that they receive (Spetz, & Given, 2003).
Conclusion
Health care institution’s or hospital leaders and managers face increasing turnover among staff nurses or shortages because of issues related to job satisfaction and the type of leadership style applied. Transformational leadership style and participatory management styles can be simultaneously be used by leaders or managers in healthcare centers. There is a significant need for hospital or clinic managers to understand that it is vital to create favorable operational surroundings for their nurse staff. Creating a pleasant working environment for staff nurse can reduce the shortage and turnover among staff nurse. Staff nurses ought to be comfortable with their working environment for them to provide quality healthcare services. With this in mind, it is quite evident that leaders and managers in healthcare institutions play an essential role in not only ensuring that nurses staff are satisfied with their working environment but are also ensuring that patients achieve the best healthcare outcome from the services that they receive.
References
Kleinman, C. (2004). Leadership: A Key Strategy in Staff Nurse Retention. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9684/1025dda99dceaa4fff777af6a0bc96570430.pdf
Page, A. (2004). Keeping patients safe. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
Spetz, J., & Given, R. (2003). The Future Of The Nurse Shortage: Will Wage Increases Close The Gap?. Health Affairs, 22(6), 199-206. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.22.6.199
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