OCR Text |
Show New Alternatives Help Keep Nurses In Nursing - . - n u , ,, yy V With the demand for nurses growing and their numbers shrinking, many health care providers are developing innovative programs pro-grams to attract and retain nursing personnel. The American Hospital Association (AHA) reported recently that there are 100,000 unfilled nursingjobs at its member institutions. The AHA expects this number num-ber of unfilled nursing positions posi-tions to swell to 300,000 by 1985. A variety of reasons have been cited for the current shortage of working nurses. Chief ampng them are lack of control over their own jobs, stress, long hours and low pay which cause some nurses to quit their jobs. Forward-looking hospitals, hospi-tals, however, are taking steps to improve conditions. Employers are establishing work councils, implementing implement-ing four-day work weeks and reorganizing activities so more nurses are involved in more hands-on patient care. Even paid "get-away weekends" have been offered of-fered to nurses by some hospitals to soften the toll of the severe stress and strain they experience on the job. Job opportunities outside out-side the formal hospital setting also have helped dissatisfied people remain in or return to nursing, according accord-ing to Paula Wehrman, R.N., director of recruiting for Upjohn HealthCare Services. The company employs 60,000 nurses, nurse assistants, assis-tants, home health aides and other health care oer- sonnel who work part-time or full-time through a network net-work of 270 offices across the country. These nurses provide home health care and fill supplemental staffing staf-fing assignments in hospitals or other institutions. Both settings offer some unique benefits, she said. "The nurse working in the home care setting is able to provide one-on-one patient care, has more direct responsibility for the patient and thus a greater challenge," Ms. Wehrman says. "These nurses also can choose the time of day they want to work and the number of work hours per week according to their availability. They still have time for family, educational or other responsibilities. "Working as supplemental supplement-al staff in hospitals or other institutions keeps nurses who cannot or will not work on a full-time basis working in the institution. This can be good for both the nurse and the employer. Home care and temporary assignments in hospitals also allow many to return to nursing at their own pace. Some nurses gradually work their way back up to a full schedule and then decide to return to the institutional setting," Ms. Wehrman explains. A 1980 nationwide survey of nearly 900 nurses involved in-volved in supplemental nursing nurs-ing confirms this. More than 14 percent of the nurses polled had been inactive as nurses prior to joining a temporary nursing nurs-ing service. |