We are currently at
the dawn of the information age (Dunham –Taylor, 2015). The nursing profession will require nurses to
perform in complex, chaotic and ever changing environments (Dunham
–Taylor, 2015). This will require that
nurses to be highly trained and receive advanced education (Dunham –Taylor,
2015). The money and time
invested by managers and organizations into nursing staff in this new era will require
commitment of leadership to retain the most qualified staff (Dunham –Taylor,
2015). One of the greatest costs to many nursing budgets is the training and
recruitment of new staff (Dunham –Taylor, 2015). For organizations that employee nurses, retaining staff is one
financially sound way to create financial stability within an organization (Dunham
–Taylor, 2015).
One area that is being significantly impacted
by the nursing shortage due to the aging demographic of nurses is the field of
nursing education (Bittner & O Connor, 2016). Without nursing educator to
train and prepare nurses for the new complexity of practice, the health care
industry will be in jeopardy. Obtaining educators to teach future professional
nurses should be concern not only academia, but health care organizations
(Bittner & O Connor, 2016).
One of the hallmark signs of an effective
manager is they leave a legacy that improves not only their organization but,
the profession of nursing (Dunham –Taylor, 2015). A descriptive quantitative
study done by Bitter and O’Connor identified barriers on retention of nursing
faculty that could be translated into any area the manger works within the
health care industry (Bittner & O Connor, 2016). The researchers began with
a review of literature that indentified why nursing educators leave
organizations (Bittner & O Connor, 2016). For the investigation the
researchers used a descriptive quantitative study using a survey design (Bittner
& O Connor, 2016). The researchers polled 297 participants (Bittner & O
Connor, 2016). The study concluded the top areas that affected nursing retention;
cost very little and all could be directly impacted by leadership (Bittner
& O Connor, 2016). The areas of that resulted in greater job satisfaction
included: sense of accomplishment, autonomy, personal growth, relationship with
colleagues, full use of abilities, and accurate assessment of performance, safe
work environment, work life balance and safety at work (Bittner & O Connor,
2016). This study demonstrates that nursing manager’s roles in staff retention
is significant (Bittner & O Connor, 2016).
Bittner,
Nancy Phoenix, and Margaret O'Connor. "Focus on retention: identifying
barriers to nurse faculty satisfaction." Nursing Education Perspectives
33.4 (2012): 251+. Academic OneFile. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
