3 Universal Factors Hospital Administrations Need to Keep Nurses Satisfied
Nursing from inception has always been a profession highly based on service to the people. The first nurses were from religious institutions. They offered their services to the sick as a service to God. Florence Nightingale revolutionized the entire profession during the Crimean war, by opening it to anyone with a heart to help. Despite its service-background, nursing is a source of living for many today. For that, nurses need several conditions made possible by doctors and hospital administrations, to offer their best to the patients.
Nurses do not want to be put on the same pedestal with physicians, what they do is different. They want their service to be recognized. Doctors treat patients and recommend medications. It is the responsibility of the nurses to ensure patients take their medication on time. They check on the patients time and again to make sure they are comfortable. The least doctors can do for the patients and humanity, is appreciate nurses. As much as nurses cannot treat patients, they have seen enough in their experience to understand a situation better.
Their need for appreciation is to help create a cohesive working environment in the hospital. Researcher K. Lynn Wieck, Ph.D., RN, discovered in a recent study that the number one need for nurses is a team that appreciates them. Her surprise was that the factor listed before other monetary benefits. To recognize nurses, administrations can begin by acknowledging good work and recognizing achievements.
2 – Employee Benefits
Another factor influencing the motivation of nurses is benefits. Working in an environment where all they do is give, it is important for them also to get in return. Hospitals should establish communication with nurses to identify what different nurses need regarding benefits packages. It is not just in hospitals, but most employers tend just to assume what the employees should get as benefits. Nurses should not have to pick from one set of benefits. They should have an array to choose what suits them best.
There are several insurances very relevant to a medical practitioner. In addition to the general insurance, most nurses also prefer to have dental insurance. According to ShapiroNegotiations.com, “In order to get what you want, help them get what they want.” If you want nurses to offer the best to patients, ensure they are also getting the best. In this case, the best can only be benefits they need. A younger nurse wants benefits that here young family can benefit. On the other hand, older nurses no longer have children to look after. They, therefore, need a good retirement package. Assuming one interest can work for both is short sighted.
3 – Good Working Conditions
There is nothing as frustrating for a nurse as being unable to help out a patient. So many factors can contribute to such a situation. A short-staffed hospital means one nurse is left with so many patients to care for, such that others get left out. Lack of proper equipment and enough medication can also be a problem for nurses. It feels wrong for them to keep referring patients to other places for help.
The administration should ensure all requirements in a hospital are readily available. They should also establish a system to solve particular problems. A lot of things stop working when there is a problem and no one to provide a solution. They can come up with problem-solving teams made up of both nurses and doctors. That will ensure a thoroughly thought out solution as fast as possible.
Every hospital administration should always aim to maintain its nurses. There is a shortage of nurses, and losing one will take more resources to get another.
