Formal Paper
Heather Shuping

Theoretical and Professional Foundations in Nursing

Assessment/Background

In the time that I have spent in the clinical setting during my nursing education, I have noticed several problems that concerned me. One of the main concerns I have seen in the hospital setting is staff turnover among the nursing profession. The turnover can ultimately lead to temporary problems like understaffing. Thankfully though, I believe this problem is amendable with proper intervention to facilitate a change toward staff retention.
So why is staff turnover a problem in the nursing profession? First and foremost, this is not a unifactoral issue. In fact, staff turnover is the byproduct of multiple job related factors and stressors in the nursing profession. For instance, job-related stress plays a major factor in decreasing one’s job satisfaction. Stress in nursing usually occurs when one perceives that his or her resources are exceeded in a given situation (Esther, et al., 2005). Typical factors that can promote stress in a nurse are high job demands and excessive work hours. With these factors, the nurse may continually feel overworked, while also feeling like they are working “all the time.” Other factors that could cause stress are having little control over your work environment or having limited supportive relationships in the workplace. As we all realize, at least some sense of control and peer support are necessary to promote feelings of job satisfaction (2005). Finally, staff turnover itself can cause stress for the nurse, as he or she may feel overwhelmed by the increasing workload, which is promoted by the decreasing amount of available staff. Furthermore, “burnout” will usually occur after a prolonged period of stress causes increasing exhaustion, emotional instability, and career dissatisfaction (2005).
It should also be mentioned