Nursing's Staffing Mandate: Build a More Flexible Workforce

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Studies
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the nursing workforce, leading to burnout and concerns about future nurse supply.
• Current retention strategies primarily focus on emotional support, which, while important, may not be sufficient to address staffing challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical need for flexible nurse staffing models.
• To identify key opportunities for implementing flexible nursing workforce strategies to improve retention and meet demand.

Main Methods:

• This article presents a discussion of flexible nurse staffing.
• It outlines four key areas for improvement in creating a more adaptable nursing workforce.

Main Results:

• Emotional support is insufficient alone for retaining nurses.
• Flexible nurse staffing presents an overlooked opportunity to safeguard nursing levels.

Conclusions:

• Flexible nurse staffing is essential for preserving the nursing workforce.
• Implementing flexible strategies can help meet future healthcare demands and prevent critical shortages.