IO002 Professionalism

Grace J.
November 27, 2025January 9, 2026
MSN, NURS6053, Walden University

Student Name

Walden University

NURS 6053 – Interprofessional Organizational and Systems Leadership

Prof. Name

Date

Organizational Policies Report

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare systems worldwide have faced a critical shortage of nurses, particularly those with extensive experience. This shortage has intensified challenges in healthcare settings, leading to reduced bed availability and compromising the quality of care, especially for patients with complex or unfamiliar medical needs (Jacobs, 2021). This report examines the competing demands that exacerbate the nursing shortage, analyzes the policies influencing this issue, and suggests recommendations to address the problem effectively.

What Are the Competing Needs Contributing to the Nursing Shortage?

The nursing shortage arises from a combination of workforce trends and personal challenges faced by nurses. Key factors include:

Aging Workforce and Retirement: The nursing workforce is rapidly aging, with projections estimating a loss of over 2 million years of nursing experience annually between 2020 and 2030. This results in fewer experienced nurses available to provide care (Buerhaus, 2021).
Career Advancement and Role Transitions: Many nurses pursue higher education or shift to managerial or non-clinical roles, reducing the number of nurses available for direct patient care (Buerhaus, 2021).
Workload and Job Satisfaction: Unsafe work conditions, heavy workloads, burnout, and limited autonomy contribute to dissatisfaction and high turnover rates among nurses (Saikia, 2018).
Work-Life Balance Challenges: Nurses, particularly those of childbearing age, face difficulties balancing family responsibilities such as maternity leave and caregiving with demanding work schedules (Marć et al., 2018).
Increasing Patient Complexity: An aging population with multiple chronic conditions increases the demand for nursing care, adding pressure to already stretched resources.

How Do These Needs Intersect?

Competing Need	Impact on Nursing Shortage	Explanation
Aging Workforce	Loss of experienced nurses	Experienced nurses retire faster than new nurses enter, causing a knowledge and skill gap.
Career Changes	Decreased clinical staff	Nurses transitioning to advanced degrees or administrative roles reduce bedside caregivers.
Workload and Burnout	Increased turnover	High stress and heavy workloads lead to burnout and early exit from the profession.
Work-Life Balance	Reduced availability	Family care responsibilities force nurses to reduce hours or temporarily leave work.
Patient Complexity	Increased care demands	Complex patient needs require more nursing time and expertise, straining resources.

What Policies or Practices Impact the Nursing Shortage?

Healthcare organizations have introduced staffing policies to manage shortages. For example, Prairie Ridge Health enforces specific nurse-to-patient ratios—one nurse in obstetrics and two nurses in the medical-surgical unit at all times, regardless of patient census (Jacobs, 2021). While seasoned nurses often adapt to such policies, less experienced nurses sometimes feel unsupported or unsafe, revealing tension between policy requirements and staff perceptions.

What Ethical Considerations Arise from These Policies?

Nurses are committed to patient-centered care, but healthcare policies often emphasize cost control and operational efficiency, which may conflict with providing safe, high-quality care. New nurses may especially struggle with this balance, as policies aimed at financial responsibility can clash with ethical nursing practice (Kelly & Porr, 2018). Building ethical awareness among nurses is vital to empower them to advocate for adequate staffing and patient safety (Milliken, 2018).

What Are the Recommended Policies to Address the Nursing Shortage?

To tackle the nursing shortage while supporting nurses’ diverse needs, the following recommendations are proposed:

Empower Nurses: Promote nurse involvement in decision-making processes, offer clear career advancement pathways, and foster safe working environments.
Implement Minimum Staffing Ratios: Establish minimum staffing levels—ideally at least two nurses per unit—to enhance patient safety and reduce nurse burnout.
Promote Work-Life Balance: Introduce flexible scheduling, paid family leave, and support systems for caregiving responsibilities to help nurses manage personal and professional demands.
Invest in Retention Programs: Develop mentorship and residency initiatives targeting new graduates to reduce turnover and support professional development.

Research indicates that adequate nurse staffing correlates with improved patient outcomes and reduced hospital stays, which also leads to cost savings for healthcare organizations (Phillips et al., 2021).

Conclusion

Addressing the nursing shortage demands strategic policies that balance the needs of nurses, healthcare organizations, and patients. Creating safe work environments, ensuring reasonable workloads, and implementing supportive staffing policies are crucial to reducing turnover, especially among new nurses, and maintaining high standards of patient care (Pickens & Palokas, 2023).

References

Buerhaus, P. I. (2021). Current nursing shortages could have long-lasting consequences: Time to change our present course. Nursing Economics, 39(5), 247–250.

Jacobs, A. (2021). ‘Nursing is in crisis’: Staff shortages put patients at risk. New York Times.

Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practice. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6.

Marć, M., Bartosiewicz, A., Burzyńska, J., Chmiel, Z., & Januszewicz, P. (2018). A nursing shortage – a prospect of global and local policies. International Nursing Review, 66(1), 9–16.