The position of nurse manager is recognized as one of the most important in healthcare. Nurse managers are responsible for managing and delivering a level of clinical care that leads to positive patient outcomes. And with the evolution of healthcare, nurse managers are also increasingly responsible for administrative and operational tasks such as
- staffing
- finance and budget
- ensuring that the unit’s performance is in line with the organization’s overall goals
Considering how important their role is, you want to make sure to retain your best nurse managers.
Burnout and Nurse Managers
The nurse manager role is also one of the most complex and challenging. Nurse managers need to be competent in a wide range of clinical, operational, and administrative areas. The changing landscape of the healthcare industry also creates uncertainty, complexity, and instability. These changes have led to a shift in nurse manager responsibilities, away from clinical activities and toward an increased focus on administrative and operational functions.
Is it any wonder that burnout is high for the nurse manager role? With the need to be proficient in such a wide range of skills, a high degree of responsibility for the performance of their units, and sometimes unrealistic performance expectations, nurse managers can easily become overwhelmed, stressed, and exhausted. And burnout leads to costly turnover in one of your most critical positions. Estimates put the cost of replacing a nurse manager at 75% to 125% of his or her salary.
How to Help
Nurse managers have a significant impact on the culture of their units and the engagement of their nurses, which directly impact the quality of care, patient satisfaction, and staff retention. So retaining your best nurse managers is critical to the success of your healthcare organization. One key strategy is to lighten their administrative burden.
Nurse managers often don’t have the tools they need to easily handle workforce tasks like staffing, planning, scheduling, and time and attendance tracking. They’re stuck using cumbersome processes that cost time and don’t provide the visibility they need. A cloud-based workforce management solution like Workforce Go! HCM automates these critical administrative functions and gives nurse managers the dynamic, real-time data they need to respond to issues and make strategic decisions. All this leads to a reduction in stress for managers and more time that can be spent interacting with nurses, patients, and families.
Retaining your best nurse managers is critical to the success of your healthcare organization. Workforce Go! HCM can lighten their load by giving nurse managers the technology and tools they need to handle their administrative and operational tasks more effectively. Want to know more about Workforce Go! HCM? Contact us today at [email protected] or 214-800-5575.
