Nursing's Staffing Mandate

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exhausted the nursing workforce, casting doubt that future supply will meet demand. To preserve their workforces, nursing leaders are offering emotional support to the frontline. Although these efforts are essential, leaders are overlooking an untapped opportunity to safeguard staffing levels: creating a more flexible nursing workforce. In this article, the authors discuss flexible nurse staffing and suggest 4 key opportunities for improvement.

A Focus Group Study of Retirement-Age Nurses: Balancing Tension and a Love of Nursing in a Changing Healthcare Environment

“…The study participants offered creative ideas and solutions to counter the physical effects of aging and work demands so they could continue to provide patient care. Some of the suggestions were operational adjustments in scheduling and alternative roles and all were patient centered and team focused, which is consistent with the need to create a more flexible workforce 23 . They suggested innovative ideas for roles to optimize mentoring novice nurses.…”

“…Some of the suggestions were operational adjustments in scheduling and alternative roles and all were patient centered and team focused, which is consistent with the need to create a more flexible workforce. 23 They suggested innovative ideas for roles to optimize mentoring novice nurses. There was a communicated sense of hope coaching and mentoring could favorably influence "what it means to be a nurse."…”

An Innovative Nurse Staffing Model

“…The H2H model for voluntary floating helped offset agency costs and emerged as a strategy to recruit and retain nurses. 12 Contextual drivers of successful implementation were CNO vision and advocacy, a welcoming culture for floating that includes audit and feedback, a centralized electronic scheduling process and program manager, and a flexible program design that can shift costs between staffing mechanisms to respond to the changing demands of healthcare.…”

“…Nurse leaders discussed the program regularly to explore solutions and appeal to more nurses. The H2H model for voluntary floating helped offset agency costs and emerged as a strategy to recruit and retain nurses 12 …”