Nurse workplace quality reflects on patient outcomes
Once thought to be a reliable measure of patient care and satisfaction, nurse-patient ratios may no longer be the prime indicator they once were. Emerging evidence suggests nurse work environments play an increasing role in quality patient outcomes, along with nurses’ perception of the type of facility they work in.
For instance, a survey published recently in Medpage Today* indicates that nurses who work in Magnet facilities perceive the level
of care they provide to patients as being higher than nurses who don’t. In large part, said 50 States Staffing Recruitment Vice President, Mary Kay Hull, Magnet hospitals work hard at reducing nurse turnover by improving the quality of nursing life in the workplace.
“These exclusive hospitals tend to promote a high level of communication between nurses and doctors, deploy advanced medical technologies and are receptive to nurse input. Magnet facilities keep a close eye on nurse staffing burnout and typically offer health and wellness programs to enhance RN jobs satisfaction,” she said.
The nurse workplace is under scrutiny as of late, said Hull, with hospitals, academics and institutions all looking at ways to improve patient care levels by enhancing working conditions. One study, published in the Journal of Nursing Management, ** connects poor nurse work environments with low levels of job satisfaction, poor nurse outcomes and high RN jobs turnover.
“Creating better support services, work flow with less complexity, a nurse work environment that supports autonomous nursing practice and nurses who are committed to their care should be part of both rural and urban hospitals plans for change in order to recruit and retain nurses,” posts authors Marianne Baernholdt PhD, MPH, RN and Barbara A. Mark PhD, RN, FAAN in the study.
Hull’s company specializes in placing RNs with a track record of success in Florida travel nursing jobs, in particular at Magnet facilities. The Sunshine State is a popular destination for nurses looking to avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder common to cold weather states.
“50 States staffs one of the largest health systems in Florida and more than nine Magnet facilities across the state, including popular destinations Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg. Nurses in search of hot RN jobs in ‘Paradise’ better get cracking, because travel nursing jobs are filling up fast,” she said.
* RNs Value Work Environment over Staffing Ratios Kurt Ullman, MedPage Today November 25, 2011
** The nurse work environment, job satisfaction and turnover rates in rural and urban nursing units. Journal of Nursing Management, September 8, 2009.
