Introduction
Nurses comprise the largest professional group within hospitals. Job burnout, lack of motivation, and dissatisfaction among nurses often contribute to costly labor disputes and turnover and increased risk to patients. Nursing research surveys found much higher job dissatisfaction and burnout among nurses who are engaged in direct patient care in hospitals and nursing homes when compared to those involved in other jobs or settings. Patients’ satisfaction levels tend to be lower in hospitals with more nurses who are dissatisfied or burnt out, a notable finding that signals serious concerns regarding the quality of nursing care. Consequently, improving nurses’ job satisfaction may improve patients’ satisfaction as well as the delivery
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In the assigned case study, the nurse director is confronted with a situation where Susan, once a highly motivated and productive member of the nursing staff, has regressed to a frustrated argumentative complainer with lackluster productivity. In order to explain Susan’s unexpected change in behavior, a thorough theory based analysis of her behavior and complaints must be conducted.
Abraham Maslow's theory on the hierarchy of needs states that individuals are motivated by five hierarchical needs. They must satisfy each need in a step-wise fashion as meeting one need propels the individual to seek the next higher need. Maslow’s first four needs, called deficiency needs (D-needs), comprise physiologic needs, the needs for safety and security, the need for love and belonging, and self-esteem. The top need in Maslow’s hierarchy, also called “being need” (B-need), is the intrinsic need for self-actualization. Looking at Susan’s behavior through the lens of Maslow’s theory, it becomes obvious that she has a major problem with at least the third
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Alderfer's ERG theory posits the existence of three basic needs an individual seeks to fulfill. As each need is satisfied, it serves as motivation to satisfy a different need. ERG stands for existence, relatedness and growth. Alderfer's ERG theory contends that several needs can be engaged and satisfied simultaneously rather than hierarchically. Using the ERG theory to analyze Susan’s case, one can easily see that the three levels of needs are involved at the same time. Susan has been complaining that she is not paid enough to do the job assigned. This invokes her needs at the existence level. Despite the 5% increase in her pay putting her among the highest paid nurses in the region, she perceives her income to be inadequate when taking into consideration the significant increase in her workload and the current work conditions. As to relatedness level, she is having a hard time dealing with the treating physicians and other nurses. Her relationship with the treating team is strained and characterized by non-productive arguments to the degree that no one wants to hear her opinion or listen to what she has to offer. This leads to the inability to be an effective contributor which adversely affects Alderfer’s growth level. According to ERG theory, managers must recognize their subordinates’ multiple simultaneous needs. Focusing exclusively on one need at a time, such as giving a 5% increase in salary in this case, may fail to be an effective
The nursing shortage and turnover are an issue that continually, constantly and bedevils the nursing leaders and managers. Without sufficient numbers in nursing, patient care and safety is considerably compromised, with lapses in service delivery, overworked and overwhelmed nurses more prone to making mistakes and across board dissatisfaction. Nursing shortage leads to nurse turnover because of the ones carrying our nursing duties are finding it hard to meet the demand, and they eventually burn out. This paper critically examines the issues of the nursing shortage and turnover and how the nurse leaders and managers can tackle the situation, easing the outcomes (The Truth About Nursing, 2012).
McGlynn, K., Griffin, M. Q., Donahue, M., & Fitzpatrick, J. J. (2012). Registered nurse job satisfaction and satisfaction with the professional practice model. Journal of Nursing Management, 20 (2), 260-265. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
In most aspects of life the saying “less is always more” may ring true; however when it comes to providing quality care to patients, less only creates problems which can lead to a decrease in patient’s quality of life as well as nurse’s satisfaction with their jobs. The massive shortage of nurses throughout the United States has gotten attention from some of the most prestigious schools, news media and political leaders. Nurses are being burnt out from their jobs, they are being overworked and overlooked. New nurses are not being properly trained, and old nurses are on their way to retirement. All the while the rate of patient admissions is on the rise. Nurses are reporting lower satisfaction in their job positions and hospital retention rates are at an all-time low, conversely this is affecting all patients’ quality of care. As stated in the article Addressing The Nurse Shortage To Improve The Quality Of Patient Care “According to an Institute of Medicine report, Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals providing direct patient care in hospitals, and the quality of care for hospital patients is strongly linked to the performance of nursing staff”.
Maslow believed that there was a hierarchy of five innate needs that influence people’s behaviors (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.246-247). In a pyramid fashion, at the base are physiological needs, followed by safety needs, then belonginess and love needs, succeeded by esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. Maslow claimed that lower order needs must be at least partially satisfied before higher level needs are addressed. Furthermore, behavior is dominated by solely one need
Psychologist Abraham Maslow created the hierarchy of needs, outlining and suggesting what a person need to reach self-actualization and reveal the true potential of themselves. In the model, Maslow propose that a person has to meet basic needs in order to reach the true potential of themselves. Biological/physiological needs, safety needs, love/belonging need, esteem needs according to Maslow is the fundamental frame for reaching the peak of self. The last need to be met on the scale
Burnout is a highly unusual type of stress disorder that is essentially characterized by emotional exhaustion, lack of empathy with patients, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishments. The nature of the work that healthcare practitioners perform predisposes them to emotional exhaustion. On the other hand, the lack of empathy towards patients is caused by the nurses feeling that they are underpaid and unappreciated. Numerous researches have associated burnout with the increasing rate of nurse turnover. This paper explores the causes of burnouts in nurses as well as what can be done to prevent the them.
middle of paper ... ... qualified nurses diminishes. Based on this study, administrators should recruit nurses who understand that health care is at its best when health care professionals work collaboratively as members of a team, committed to providing the best possible patient care. References Aiken, L.H., Clarke, S.P, Sloane, D.M., Sochalski, J., & Silber, J.H. (2000). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a theory in psychology that was first presented by Abraham Maslow in a paper entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation” in 1943. The theory includes five hierarchy levels of needs and is usually displayed as a pyramid. The bottom level is “Physiological”, the next level is “Safety”, the level above that is “Social”, the next level is “Esteem” and the highest level is “Self-actualization”. As told by McLeod (2007) an individual must fulfill lower level needs before advancing upwards towards the next level of needs. The bottom level, “Physiological” needs are basic physical requirements such as; food, water sleep and warmth, the next level up is “Security” and it refers to
The level of job satisfaction for a nurse is a vital factor in creating positive outcomes for their patients. California RNs report having much more time to spend with patients. The hospitals are far more likely to have enough RNs on staff to provide quality patient care. In California, where hospitals have better compliance with the staffing limits, RNs report fewer complaints from patients and families and the nurses have more confidence that patients can manage their care upon discharge. California RNs are substantially more likely to stay in their jobs because of the staffing limits, and less likely to report burnout than nurses in any other state. Two years after implementation of the California staffing law which mandates minimum staffing levels by hospital unit, nurse workloads in California were significantly lower than that of any other state. The legislation of the mandated nurse patient ratio has achieved its goals of reducing nurse workloads, improving recruitment and retention of nurses, and having a favorable outcomes on patient
One of the most serious issues in nursing, that can affect a nurses career is nursing burn- out. According to the article “Where have all the nurses gone”, current nurses that are practicing, report high rates of job dissatisfaction (which is part of burn out) and 1 of 5 nurses may quit nursing in the next 5 years (Dworkin, 2002). Burnout is associated with nurses not coming in to work, not feeling satisfied when doing their job, high turnover rates and a lack of commitment to the work (Katisfaraki, 2013). If a nurse becomes burned- out, they may not take care of their patients as well and could make mistakes with medication administration. A study performed in the United States by Dr. Jeannie Cimiottti, shows that hospitals with high burn-out rates among nurses have higher levels UTI’s, and surgical infections (World, 2012). Nursing burnout not only affects the nurse, but it also affects the patient, the nurses’ colleagues, and the nurses’ family; nursing burn out often leads to emotional exhaustion and depression, that can effect relations and communication between the nurse effected and the person they are communicating with. This paper will cover what burn-out is, who is susceptible to burn out, and treatment and prevent nursing burn out.
The nursing profession is one of the most physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing career fields. Working long shifts, placing other’s needs before your own, dealing with sickness and death on a regular basis, and working in a high stress environment are all precursors to developing occupational burnout in the nursing profession. Burnout refers to physical, emotional and mental exhaustion, which can lead to an emotionally detached nurse, who feels hopeless, apathetic, and unmotivated. Burnout extends beyond the affected nurse and begins to affect the care patients receive. Researchers have found that hospitals with high burnout rates have lower patient satisfaction scores (Aiken et al 2013). There are various measures that nurses can take
While proficiency and confidence in knowledge and skills are important elements of licensure; great bedside manner, compassion, and nurturing behaviors are what patients are expecting from their nurse. “Because the majority of the physical and emotional care is delivered by nurses, it seems reasonable to conclude that nursing significantly influences patient satisfaction… Because patient satisfaction is used as a gauge of the quality of nursing care, nurses have strived to improve the delivery of care so as to maximize patient satisfaction.” (ED compare, 2014)The challenges with expectations are that they vary between the patients receiving care, and the nurses providing it. A study published by the Journal of Emergency Nursing compared the expectations of the nurse versus those of the patient, regarding the care received within the ED. The goal was to assess the performance of the nurses and the correlating patient satisfaction to help identify areas needing improvement. The original hypothesis was that the nurses would rate themselves higher overall than what the patients rated them in that attribute. The results actually showed the complete opposite. The patients scored their nursing experience higher, while the nurse felt that they did not provide satisfactory levels of care. Generally, the nurses were harder on themselves than the patients were when it came to the
Recent literature reports that there is a nursing shortage and it is continually increasing. Data released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2011) projects that the shortage, would increase to 260,000 by the year 2025. AACN (2011) also reported that 13% of newly registered nurses changed jobs and 37% were ready to change within a year. A study conducted reports that there is a correlation between higher nursing workloads and nurse burnout, retention rates, job dissatisfaction and adverse patient outcomes (Vahey & Aiken, 2004). Among the nurses surveyed in the study, over 40% stated that they were suffering from burnout while 1 in 5 nurses intended
Unlike many of his colleagues at the time who were focusing on psychopathology, or what is wrong with individuals, he focused on how individuals are motivated to fulfill their potential and what needs govern their respective behaviors (McLeod)). Maslow developed the hierarchy over time, adjusting from a rigid structure where needs must be met before being able to achieve a higher level, to where the individuals can experience and behave in ways across the hierarchy multiple times daily depending on their needs. The hierarchy is comprised of 5 levels; Physiological, Safety and Security, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. The bottom two levels are considered basic needs, or deficiency needs because once the needs are met they cease to be a driving factor, unlike psychological needs. Loving and Belonging and Esteem needs are considered psychological needs, and are different from basic needs because they don’t stem from a lack of something, but rather the desire to grow. Maslow theorizes that individual’s decisions and behavior are determined based on their current level of needs, and the ideal level to achieve full potential culminates in self-actualization; however, operating on this level cannot be achieved until the preceding levels of needs have been
In the practice of nursing, needs are an everyday phenomenon and are a common theme among many nursing theories accessible today. These nursing theories help implement care planning of the patient needs for the best possible outcome. Some examples of need theories include Virginia Henderson’s Nursing Needs Theory and Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (McEwen & Wills, 2011).