The Kaiser Network wrote about a Washington Post story on how hospitals are dealing with nursing shortages.
While nurses can command top salaries because of shortages, some providers are luring them by streamlining paperwork, implementing technology, and giving nurses more authority. Hospitals have figured out that financial incentives and perks have unintended consequences. Some nurses work long enough to collect the money and perks, then leave. An excerpt:
Inova Fairfax recently introduced a state-of-the-art data system — consisting of video monitors and other equipment that track the vital signs of intensive care patients — to reduce the amount of time nurses spend filling out paperwork. It also has established a concierge that offers such services as dry cleaning, movie tickets and car detailing for busy nurses trying to juggle their professional and personal lives.
Inova is part of a nationwide movement. These days, nurses at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo., for instance, set their own schedule and have a say in what type of equipment should be purchased and whether patient-staff ratios need to be adjusted.
Baby boomer nurses are set to retire, and things could get crucial by 2025 when open nursing jobs may reach a million. Ironically, more baby boomers will need nursing services by then.
