Nursing practice issues in Jordan: student-suggested causes and solutions

The causes of the worldwide shortage of registered nurses are complex and require a multifaceted approach to the solution. It is imperative that issues of the practice environment are addressed because creating quality practice environments is essential to provide high-quality care and to persuade nurses to remain in practice.

The aims of this paper are to describe an international collaborative relationship, and to identify, describe and suggest solutions to three nursing practice issues relevant to Jordanian nursing.

Two faculty members, one from Jordan and one from Canada, collaborated via e-mail to develop a fourth-year course on nursing leadership and management, which was then jointly taught by them. A student assignment required students, working in groups, to identify a nursing practice issue in Jordan and suggest contributing causes and solutions.

The issues identified by the students were: unclear role expectations, burnout and turnover, all of which were viewed as contributing to problematic practice settings. The students suggested possible solutions to the practice environment issues.