The emergency department (ED) is a critical healthcare unit as it is a hospital’s first contact point, where patients’ dire ailments are scrutinized for urgent treatment. Consequently, ED practitioners, including nurses and physicians, should be knowledgeable and proficient with different healthcare conditions to ensure evidence-based practice (EBP). However, practical ED leadership is central to enhanced employee morale and engagement, which steer care quality and safety. Proper coordination between hospital management and ED leadership is vital to facilitate seamless recruitment and budgeting for critical resources. The hospital in this scenario is experiencing low morale and engagement due to constant managerial changes that have caused a high nurse turnover, budget cuts, and the enrollment of inexperienced licensed practical nurses (LPNs). Therefore, the problem can be solved by ensuring the new ED leader adopts an appropriately crafted action plan that addresses all the challenges within a specified timeframe.
Action Plan
Ensure Open Communication Channels
Understanding the ED staff’s challenges requires the establishment of open communication channels to promote feedback, transparency, and cohesion. Communication promotes people-centered care in nursing, allowing nurses to share critical information with their colleagues and convey significant workplace occurrences and challenges to management for change (Sibiya 24). As a result, open communication channels should be established in the first week. They may involve the ED leader being approachable and positive and using a WhatsApp group to engage all unit staff, irrespective of their working schedules. Hence, the process would address the communication problem established by previous leadership and bolster morale.
Performing Departmental Needs Assessment
As the new ED leader, needs assessment would be the first action to determine the magnitude and cause of low morale and engagement among nurse practitioners. Further, it would also help establish the extent of communication lapse and dysfunctionality facilitated by the several leadership changes in the preceding years to formulate practical remedial measures. The needs assessment process would be conducted in the first fortnight, with the report shared with hospital management in the following two weeks. The procedure is essential to provide a first-hand account of the issues ailing the ED.
Engage Hospital Management in Problem-Resolution
The hospital management is responsible for the ongoing challenges in the ED, making its involvement in the problem-solving process necessary. As a result, the needs assessment report would provide insight into the budgetary requirements in the ED to recruit qualified nurses to work alongside the LPNs. According to Curtis et al., nurses have the professional know-how and expertise to apply EBP in the ED to assess critically ill patients, identify red flags that jeopardize population health, and adopt effective communication frameworks to facilitate coordinated care. The recruitment process and purchase of vital emergency room equipment, impacted by previous budget cuts, would be initiated within the second and third months as the nurses adopt the new leader’s philosophy. For instance, adequate staffing would address the scheduling challenge and increase the nurse-patient ratio in the ED to reduce burnout and increase engagement. Further, acquiring vital resources such as point-of-care tools would promote EBP and help nurses complete their tasks seamlessly. Thus, engaging the management would provide a long-lasting solution.
Establish a Training and Talent Development Initiative
Facilitating professional growth would boost ED staff motivation and engagement. The process would be accomplished in the third month after assuming office as the new unit leader. It would involve partnering with accreditation organizations to train nurses on emergent nursing issues to increase their proficiency and productivity. Afterward, competent and efficient ED staff would be acknowledged and rewarded through promotions, paid holidays, and salary increments. Talent development would also enhance the LPNs’ competence and save the hospital further nurse recruitment costs. Therefore, helping nurses grow professionally would boost motivation and reduce turnover.
Overall, practical leadership is a crucial healthcare phenomenon, especially in the ED, where several patient conditions are handled. The hospital’s low morale and engagement challenges may be addressed by establishing open communication channels, addressing the staffing shortage, and initiating a training and talent development program. Hence, creating workplace cohesion, increasing the ED budget to steer recruitment and equipment purchase, and recognizing exceptional practitioners would solve the hospital’s problems.
Works Cited
Curtis, Kate, et al. “Nurses Responding to the World Health Organization (WHO) Priority for Emergency Care Systems for Universal Health Coverage.” International Emergency Nursing, vol. 50, 2020, 100876.
Sibiya, Maureen Nokuthula. “Effective Communication in Nursing.” Nursing, vol. 19, 2018, pp. 20-34.
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