Performance Improvement Plan
The shortage of registered nurses in the United States is affecting the provision of health services as well as quality. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) argues that a shortage of nurses is likely to persist if the issue is not addressed immediately. The increased number of elderly population and health care reforms are the main factors that are causing the increased demand for health care to increase (Beitz, 2019). As such, there is a need to address this issue. This shortage in the number of nurses requires providing adequate and quality healthcare is likely to affect both the role of the nurse educator and the registered nurses. Therefore, several states are implementing initiatives that would help in addressing the shortage in nursing providers such as encouraging students to pursue nursing careers. The University of Wisconsin for instance is providing fellowships to nursing students. Such initiatives are helping in counteracting and addressing shortages in certain ways. As such, this paper argues for strategic partnership and funding as a performance initiative to help in addressing the shortage of nursing providers.
- Financial Implications
In an attempt to ensure that the nursing shortage is addressed and ensure that more qualified registered nurses are well prepared, student c capacity has to be expanded. To enhance this strategy, nursing schools should develop strategic partnerships that secure support and funding. This kind of strategic partnership and how it can work has been demonstrated through Minneapolis VA Health Care System and University of Minnesota partnership in which the university has made its focus to address the veteran care Beitz, 2019). This has been made successful through a donation of $5.3 million from the VA making the University expand the enrollment of nurses into the program. Given the fact that nursing faces shortage due to lack of educators, inequitable distribution of resources, and high turnover, strategic partnership and funding would bring more rationality in the sector.
Many hospitals have been paying billions of dollars to recruit and to retain the nurses. They are also spending a lot of funds to offer higher salaries and signing bonuses as well as paying student loans to ensure that the nurse shortage is counteracted. Through increased strategic partnership and funding, hospitals would be to reduce the cost burden of having to do so. As the shortage looms, burnout and exhaustion are leading to high turnover which is costing the healthcare industry more than $4.2 million per year. The federal government would be able to save on the amount incurred from the high turnover of the nurses. American Nurses Association has estimated that by 2026, about 73% of the older nurses will have retired leaving less experienced nurses and this will have a financial burden on the federal government which will need to train more nurses. However, with a strategic partnership with educational institutions, increased funding from government and collaboration with key institutions in the health sector would help to effectively address this problem.
- Information Management Systems
The information management system in healthcare would be of importance in this performance improvement plan in various ways. Information systems are becoming very advanced in the health care systems and their capabilities would lead to the effective management of the healthcare information including capturing quality, retention rates, and turnover rates in the healthcare industry (Snavely, 2016). The information system would be important in collecting, integrating, and managing the tremendous volume of financial, clinical, and operational information that is being generated daily. This would, therefore, enhance the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of healthcare information in the performance improvement plan process. The information system would also help keep up with explosive growth in health information and data.
- Organizational Processes
Benchmarking will be an important organizational process that will permit the continued viability of the performance improvement initiative in the healthcare industry concerning addressing the shortage of nurses in the health care industry. Benchmarking will involve implementing best practices at the best cost. Benchmarking consists of comparing the indicators. The key characteristics s of benchmarking are the integration within a participatory and comprehensive policy of continuous quality improvement (Snavely, 2016). For successful benchmarking conditions for benchmarking will include careful monitoring of the most important indicators, inter-organization evaluations, and staff involvement. Benchmarking will seek out and implement best practices in the best manner and at the best cost. This performance pursuit is founded on collaboration between certain organizations within the health industry.
- Interdepartmental communication
For an effective performance improvement plan to be secured and address the issue of nursing shortage in the United States, there will be a need for an effective flow of information between various departments. Such departments will include treasury, U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Veteran Association Department, American Nursing Association, Education department, and Labor Department (MacLean et al.,2014). These mentioned departments would be instrumental in ensuring that the problem of the nursing shortage is reduced in the country. The continued exchange of information and collaboration between these departments and units would guarantee effective management of shortage in health providers.
References
Beitz, J. M. (2019). Addressing the perioperative nursing shortage through education: a perioperative imperative. AORN Journal, 110(4), 403-414.
MacLean, L., Hassmiller, S., Shaffer, F., Rohrbaugh, K., Collier, T., & Fairman, J. (2014). Scale, causes, and implications of the primary care nursing shortage. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 443-457.
Snavely, T. M. (2016). A brief economic analysis of the looming nursing shortage in the United States. Nursing Economics, 34(2), 98-101.