Tailoring employment approaches to this group is significant to their continued retention. A lot of the literature suggests that older, more knowledgeable nurses are more likely to expand their work life when the following conditions are present:
Supportive and flexible work arrangements and practices like modified workloads, flexible scheduling options and a reduction in hours of work.
An organizational culture that encourages participation in decision-making and independence over practice.
Work recognition, support and positive feedback from management.
Ergonomically friendly, safe and useful work environments.
Access to professional development actions that target the needs of experienced nurses (An Ageing Nursing Workforce, 2007).
There have been some legislative efforts put into place to battle the current nursing shortage but they have not yet had a noteworthy impact across the nation. The federal Nurse Reinvestment Act contains promising measures, including inducements to augment the number of nursing faculty. A number of states have also...
California for example has taken the lead in putting into place obligatory nurse staffing ratios that appear to have had an optimistic impact on patient care and nurse satisfaction, despite ferocious and ongoing opposition from the hospital and insurance industries, who dispute that specific ratios are not practical and may force hospitals to close. States including Massachusetts and Florida are now considering legislation mandating specific ratios. Recently, bills have also been introduced in Congress to address nurse staffing, including bills to limit compulsory overtime. If the shortage persists as presently projected, it will have disastrous effects on the everyday health of the nation and may severely impede the nation's ability to react effectively to a mass casualty event (The truth about nursing, 2011).
References
An ageing nursing workforce. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.ichrn.com/publications/factsheets/Ageing_Workforce-English.pdf
The truth about nursing. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.truthaboutnursing.org/faq/nursing_shortage.html
