Although the ongoing national nursing shortage remains a major challenge for hospitals and health care systems, a related issue also requires the attention of leaders: approx. Complicated way of care.
The industry is in the midst of a significant shift in the nursing workforce as Baby Boomers retire and younger generations graduate and begin their careers. A 2020 survey found that the average age of RNs is 52, and more than a fifth of those surveyed plan to retire or take nursing leave within the next five years. In a typical year, the national average is estimated to lose nearly 2 million hours of nursing experience through retirement, leaving gaps in everything from clinical expertise to institutional knowledge.
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At the same time, we are witnessing a major shift in healthcare needs. By 2030, it is estimated that 21% of the US population will be over the age of 65. As individuals age, they are more likely to live with chronic disease or comorbidities (such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, or cancer) and experience functional limitations. We have seen many patients deal with multiple medical conditions or require specialist treatment earlier in their care journey. According to the American Hospital Association, overall patient severity has increased by nearly 10% between 2019 and 2021.
Looking at these two trends, it is clear that we are facing a growing imbalance between the need for complex care and the supply of experienced nurses needed to provide that service.
Nurses now need to have a stronger understanding of the pathophysiology and know how to exercise more treatment options. That means healthcare systems need to provide hands-on training for new nurses that go beyond the basics.
To do so, health system leaders should consider establishing residency-style programs. These are more intensive experiences (usually lasting six to 12 months) and extend the previous baseline referral to allow for specialist development, such as emergency services, intensive care and behavioral health.
Training also shouldn’t be one size fits all. Over the past few years, HCA Healthcare has implemented an updated knowledge and competency assessment at the start of the nurse residency program. The results are used to create an individually tailored educational plan that closes any knowledge gaps for a particular nurse.
We continue to modify the program to meet the latest needs of nurses. Just this year, we incorporated an advisor component to further support them.
Providing hands-on learning outside the hospital is also important. With increased patient acumen, we will see fewer “easier patients” for new nurses to build skills and confidence, so health systems need to they experience during training as close to real life as possible. Advanced simulation centers are a key component in preparing nurses to handle the increasing complexity of care.
At HCA Healthcare, we have built the most state-of-the-art Clinical Development Centers in the nation that model the floors of a hospital, including patient rooms, medicine and supply rooms, and nurse stations. These facilities are equipped with highly accurate models that provide practical training functions, including providing physiological responses to a procedure, receiving intravenous catheters and even tissue simulate childbirth. The centers allow us to reduce the distance between the classroom and the hospital bed and ensure continuity in all processes, from training to actual patient care.
While advanced simulation centers require significant investment, their role in enhancing nurse competency, confidence levels, staff retention and better patient outcomes is well worth it. worth.
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As experienced nurses retire, it is important to ensure new hires and others early in their careers still receive ongoing instruction beyond skills training. We’ve introduced a new role to our care teams over the past few years: clinical support nurse. They dedicatedly oversee the transition to practice of new nurses and provide one-on-one coaching in skill development, stress management, and time management. It’s a relatively new role in the industry, but one that we find crucial to supporting our care teams.
The complexity gap in care is expected to only grow over the next decade. Effective solutions take resources and time to develop, deploy, and scale, so leaders need to start now. The good news is that the benefits are clear: These initiatives will help develop a nursing workforce that is experienced, well-trained, empowered and equipped to do their jobs for years to come. , so that we can all provide the best possible care to our patients.
