Applying Lewin's change model to nursing workforce reduction

Economically, this government initiative will reduce the demand for nurses, as many aides will be hired to perform the tasks formerly relegated to nurses. Socially, given that there is already confusion about the professional status of nurses and healthcare aides in the eyes of the lay public, the status of nurses will decline. Politically, funding may be reduced for increased nursing education.

Lewin's model of change: Strategic plan

Unfreezing

Nurses must become aware of the impact of this measure upon the profession, and strive to make the healthcare community, including patients, more aware of the potentially negative impact upon patient health. Local nurses' associations must urge their members to lobby their elected representatives against this measure. News advertisements should be run, citing statistics that support the need for nurses and their specific training and knowledge. The impact upon patient safety and human health should be stressed.

Re-freezing

Lewin's model refers to 're-freezing' as the normalization of the change process, although a recent reconfiguration of Lewin change model is that rather than totally returning to stasis after change, organizations must remain flexible enough to be more responsive to changes in the future (Connelly 2010). Even if the nurses' organization successfully fights this change, the systemic pressures that gave rise to the attempt to threaten the profession have not gone away. Nurses must remain organized and mobilized to protect their professional integrity.

Q2. Retraining nurses that have been 'let go' due to budgetary cutbacks should focus upon using the nurses' current skill sets in new ways. For example, nurses with leadership and managerial experience could find work in hospital administrative roles, or in working in other business-related aspects of the health profession, such as for health insurance companies. Pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies often seek salespersons or employees with prior medical knowledge. Speaking to representatives of such companies with a presence at the hospital, and putting the nurse in contact with employment agencies specifically focusing on medical jobs could open up vocational possibilities for the downsized nurses.

Education is also another valuable venue to explore. Despite the cutbacks at this specific hospital, there is a shortage of nursing educators in many sections of the country, and teaching at a college level is possible for nurses with master's degrees, depending upon the requirements of the school. Some states allow individuals without educational degrees to teach in the public school system, if they pass required exams and go through a mentorship program. Some nurses might want to explore the possibility of teaching science or math. Nurses desiring to explore this path should be put in contact with the state's department of education.

Nurses themselves might also wish to go back to school, to add to their credentials and qualifications to improve their job prospects. Nurses who wish to enter fields such as gerontology or nutrition often seek additional education (ANCC Certifications available to nurses, 2011, Go Nursing Schools). These nurses should be put in contact with colleges offering such programs, and directed to the appropriate government websites that provide information about scholarships, grants, and other ways of affording continuing education programs.

Change, on a personal level is always difficult, although in the case of layoffs, the 'unfreezing' and forcing of change is inevitable -- the employee cannot engage in 'change resistance' because he or she must find a new job. The immediacy of the need for change often prompts action, and makes the employee a willing partner in exploring new options. But resistance might come from individuals who refuse to explore new career paths or education who are still in denial about the fact that they have been rejected by their former employer. These individuals might be overly fixated upon finding the same type of job, and flexibility is demanded in every job search.