Nursing's Staffing Mandate: Build a More Flexible Workforce.

The COVID-19 pandemic exhausted the nursing workforce, casting doubt that future supply will meet demand. To preserve their workforces, nursing leaders are offering emotional support to the frontline. Although these efforts are essential, leaders are overlooking an untapped opportunity to safeguard staffing levels: creating a more flexible nursing workforce. In this article, the authors discuss flexible nurse staffing and suggest 4 key opportunities for improvement.

An Executive Strategy to Support Long-Term Clinician Engagement Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left frontline staff burned out and exhausted. Meanwhile, executives need to ask more of their staff to ensure organizational viability. In this article, the authors propose that executives commit to taking specific actions to create a more supportive work environment and form an executive-clinician compact. This article outlines the 5 actions executives should take to bolster staff engagement and resilience long-term.

The Challenging Road to Clinical Competence for New Graduate RNs.

Despite increased onboarding and training for new graduate RNs, it is taking longer for nurses to develop clinical competence in today's complex care environment. At the same time, hospitals and health systems are facing a shortage of experienced nurses. If left unaddressed, patient quality and safety could be at risk.

Closing Nursing's Experience-Complexity Gap.

Hospitals and health systems are facing a new kind of shortage among the nursing workforce: a shortage of experience. As older nurses retire and the influx of new nurses continues to grow, the net effect is a decline in the overall experience of the nursing workforce. At the same time, care delivery is becoming more complex. We call this phenomenon "the experience-complexity gap." If left unaddressed, the experience-complexity gap will widen and could put quality and safety at risk. In this article, the authors explore this new challenge and suggest 3 key strategies for addressing it.

A Call to Action on Point-of-Care Violence in Hospitals and Health Systems.

Despite deeper investment in security measures, the rate of violence and point-of-care safety threats in healthcare settings is rising. As a result, nurses do not always feel safe while delivering care. In this article, the authors describe strategies for addressing point-of-care violence. This is the 2nd article of a series. The 1st article of this series, Cracks in the Foundation of the Care Environment Undermine Nurse Resilience, in the December 2018 issue (volume 48, issue 12) of The Journal of Nursing Administration, the authors explained how nursing leaders can reduce frontline nurse stress and burnout by addressing 4 "cracks in the foundation" of the care environment that can undermine nurse resilience. This article aims to help leaders address 1 of the foundational cracks: that violence and point-of-care safety threats are now commonplace in healthcare settings.

Cracks in the Foundation of the Care Environment Undermine Nurse Resilience.

To see a meaningful change in nurse burnout, leaders must address the factors in the care environment that undermine nurse resilience. In this article, the authors describe why leaders should focus on the care environment rather than individual resilience building.