Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management (Benchmark Assessment)

Nursing Shortage and Nurse Turn-over
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Introduction
In the present age, nursing leaders as well as managers are utilizing and applying various approaches in dealing with issues affecting a healthcare institution. It is important that these leaders master and apply their skills and qualities in conjunction with the leadership principles and theories, so as to effectively handle their management staff. These leadership styles can differ from one individual to the other, depending on the experience and conditions that one has.
In virtually all the healthcare setups, the issue of nurse shortage and nurse turnover is one that has always stood out as a bottleneck that hinders the effective operations in the hospital. These two issues are usually artificial in most cases, since they are simply a creation of the overall system. Managers in a healthcare setup are under immense responsibility to adequately balance between these aspects, so as try and avert the adverse impacts of the two. Nurse shortage and nurse turnover have been ongoing debates in the American system, with calls for the government to look into it. Issues in organizations like nurse shortage and nurse turn-over, can be addressed through use of theories, principles, skills and roles of the leader and the manager (Juraschek, et.al 2012)
Nursing shortage in particular has overarching impacts on the general operations in the hospital, with much of it being negative. They include decreased patient satisfaction due to inadequate medical attention and access to care, and increase in nurse turnover due to the workload. Although managers and leaders work hard towards ensuring that they control the behavior of their staff, the manner in which each of them achieves the end goal might be very different. These differences come out mainly when dealing with the resources within the health institution, and how to exploit them. Therefore, in dealing with the aforementioned issues of nurse turnover and shortage, they are bound to embrace different approaches in resolving them.
Under the current professional environment and conditions, this paper will delve into the best possible approach that they might use in dealing with nurse turnover and nurse shortage in a hospital environment. Additionally, it will compare and contrast the different ways in which the nurse leaders and managers are to approach these two issues, by addressing their roles, and applying theories and principles towards this end. The debate on nurse shortage has emanated from the inability of states to pass laws on the minimum staff required by healthcare institutions, which is only currently satisfied by California (Schultz, 2013).
The steep rise in the rates of nurse turnover and the resulting shortage is fast becoming a global phenomenon. It has brought about concerns about the future of the healthcare sector. One major characteristic of nurse shortage and nurse turnover is one that has, and is still affecting all the different positions occupied by nurses in their professional capacities. According to the American Nurses Association (2016), there are three main factors that contribute to the increase in the nursing shortage in healthcare institutions. First is the increase in the m...