Ten Trends with the Nursing Workforce

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

When I ask nurse managers about the most valuable content in my programs, they inevitably tell me they come away “very happy to know that I am not alone in some of the behaviors that I am seeing.” These nurse leaders at the frontlines are observing what they describe as a significant cultural shift in their workforce. They readily acknowledge that there is no going back, yet grapple to make sense of some of what they see. So here is what is trending right now and is top of mind for nurse managers:

1. During the past three years, the quality of nursing care has plummeted, and many organizations are trying to reset and put the basics back into practice.
2. Nurse managers meet significant resistance when they try to hold staff professionally accountable for their practice.
3. No one wants to work the night shift or weekends. Nurse managers need help to fill the vacancies on these shifts.
4. Sick leave and PTO time usage has skyrocketed, with calls coming in just minutes before or shortly after the shift starts.
5. Nurse managers report that they more often cross the line between coach and therapist as staff mental health challenges grow.
6. The trend of younger staff working fewer hours continues nationwide.
7. The workload on nursing units continues to increase, and staffing and scheduling with inexperienced staff is complex.
8. Nurses today push back more frequently on new policy and practice decisions, and noncompliance has increased.
9. As more and more Generation Z nurses join the workforce, managers see significant changes in how nurses view their work less as a calling and more as a job.
10. Nurse managers report more nurses talk about trying other careers or starting their businesses.

None of the challenges mentioned above are unique to nursing as employers nationwide contend with the same trends. Gallup researchers report that globally, employers are resetting and adjusting to what they describe as a culture shock. Work and life, they note, were hit by an asteroid during the COVID pandemic – employees now view their work and life differently. There is NO GOING BACK to the pre-Covid work environment.

While the trends noted above are a culture shock, they are also the reality of where we are now. Strategies that worked five years ago no longer work. Things have changed, and so must leaders.

© emergingrnleader.com 2023

Bring the Nurse Leader Coach Workshop to Your Facility Virtually or Onsite   Click Here for the Nurse Leader Coach WS Flyer

 

 

 

 

 

Other Programs/Books Your Leaders May Find Valuable

From Traditional Nurse Leader to Nurse Leader Coach – Click Here for the Flyer

For new leaders and emerging leaders, consider doing The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership Program – Click Here for the Nuts and Bolts Flyer Final

New Leader Development Option in 2023 – Team Coaching Designed to the Unique Needs of Your Organization  Leader Coaching Brochure

Read the Nurse Leader Coach – Available at Amazon and Other Book Sellers

Recommended Book by the Association of Critical Care Nurses – The Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership: Your Toolkit for Success