Strategic Workforce Planning for Health Human Resources: A Nursing Case Analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Nursing Workforce Management
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Healthcare organizations face complex environments demanding effective health human resources initiatives for safe patient care.
• Stabilizing the nursing workforce is crucial for maintaining consistent, high-quality healthcare delivery.
• Strategic human resources planning is essential for the sustainability of healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a specific employment policy on nursing workforce stability in a Canadian specialty hospital.
• To assess changes in full-time employment status and retention rates of new nurses over a six-year period.
• To compare professionalism and workplace environmental factors among nurses in the study hospital versus other healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• An observational, cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Administrative data were analyzed to compare new nurse full-time status and retention rates before and during the policy implementation.
• The Professionalism and Environmental Factors in the Workplace Questionnaire® was administered to assess nurse perceptions.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in full-time nursing employment and a decrease in part-time positions were observed.
• Nurse turnover within the first year of employment dropped from 26% pre-policy to 5% during policy implementation.
• Nurses at the study hospital reported significantly higher professionalism scores on 5 of 13 subscales compared to nurses in other settings.

Conclusions:

• Implementing targeted employment policies can effectively stabilize the nursing workforce and improve retention.
• The findings support the development of comprehensive health human resources guidelines for strategic workforce planning.
• Strengthening the healthcare system relies on effective mechanisms to support and sustain its workforce.