Nurse managers are instrumental in achievement of organizational and unit performance goals. Greater spans of control for managers are associated with decreased satisfaction and performance. An interprofessional team measured one organization's nurse manager span of control, providing administrative assistant support and transformational leadership development to nurse managers with the largest spans of control. Nurse manager satisfaction and transformational leadership competency significantly improved following the implementation of large span of control mitigation strategies.

Providing adequate staff during a pandemic requires the creative use of all human resources from within the organization and from outside agencies offering assistance. With the use of all possible resources, clinical RNs are better supported at the bedside as they provide safe patient care. Defined processes provide clear information to staff regarding available human resources and their appropriate use.