Reference no: EM132319664

Respond by providing additional thoughts about competing needs that may impact your colleagues' selected issues, or additional ideas for applying policy to address the impacts described.

Main Post

Organization Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues

Competing needs of the workforce may have an impact on the development of organization policy. A shortage of providers may institute organizational or legislative change to increase workforce capacity. In this post, I will discuss how the need of the workforce impacts policy as it relates to the national issue of the scope of practice for the nurse practitioner (NP).

Estimates project that two-thirds of new practitioners added to the workforce will be NPs between 2016 and 2030 (Auerbach, Staiger, & Buerhaus, 2018). This information shifts the conversation towards the NP workforce and the policies that affect it. Poghosyan, Liu, Shang, D'Aunno (2017) found that NPs were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and less likely to have the intent to leave if their organization supported NP practice. This finding could have a direct impact on workforce capacity and patient care as a result. Organizations located in areas where the effect of a deficit is minimal tend to restrict NPs using policy, and this may be affecting their internal workforce. Organizations must adopt a plan that is supportive NPs in their daily practice. Ricketts & Fraher (2013) highlight that workforce policy is a result of the demands of different professions and not about the needs of patients. A vital obligation of a healthcare institution is to ensure patients receive the care they need. Outdated policy or one that is non-reflective of the needs of the community does not meet this obligation. New York is an example of government policy that is not beneficial to the residents of the state via the NP scope of practice. NPs must work under the supervision of a physician, which inhibits how many patients they can manage as well as the physicians patient load. I imagine this is an example of professions shaping policy versus patient needs. Changes in policy can have a dramatic impact on workforce capacity and patient care.

References

Auerbach, D. I., Staiger, D. O., & Buerhaus, P. I. (2018). Growing ranks of advanced practice clinicians-Implications for the physician workforce. New England Journal of Medicine, 378(25), 2358-2360. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1801869

Poghosyan, L., Liu, J., Shang, J., & D'Aunno, T. (2017). Practice environments and job satisfaction and turnover intentions of nurse practitioners: Implications for primary care workforce capacity. Health Care Management Review, 42(2), 162-171. Retrieved from https://doi org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1097/HMR.0000000000000094.