Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) employ some of the most hardworking nursing staff. Caring for the elderly is not an easy job and there are many factors working against staff. The desire to improve nursing home and long-term care staffing and address vital needs is not a new topic. We have talked extensively about the attempts to institute a staffing standard, hold facilities accountable for administrative shortcomings, and more surrounding this topic. There are plenty of opinions on what should be done, but what if we asked the nurses themselves? That is exactly what Zahida Siddiqi at Skilled Nursing News did. Which means we have it right from the mouths of nurses: the easy fixes for better staffing.
Why Nursing Home Staffing Matters
We’ve covered this topic extensively. There are some obvious reasons better staffing matters; for example, the very fact that more hands are clearly more helpful when caring for residents. The hidden or less obvious benefits include upholding minimum care standards and adequate supervision for those susceptible to falls.
When there is a standard 3 hours of direct care per resident per day (which is all the original staffing standard rule proposal required), there is a direct benefit to residents. When there is one nurse for every seven residents (a minimum suggested by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), staff is less likely to burn out and let vital care slip through the cracks.
Easy Fixes for Better Staffing
So what do the nurses say? After all, they are the ones working in the field and experiencing the obvious and hidden issues first-hand. A survey of 500 nurses in SNFs found that 58% who had been in the field for seven or more years were “very happy” with their job. Which is an encouraging number.
However, “not having enough staff” and workload were listed as reasons their job was hard. “Rising regulatory burdens…staffing shortages…and leadership gaps” were also named as issues.
Most surveyed noted that strong relationships were key in worker satisfaction. This points to the importance of the work culture of the facility itself, as well as the relationships nurses are able to build with their residents and their families.
Interestingly, one of the easy fixes suggested was better resources, tools, and training for staff as they face strict “documentation and compliance demands”. Flexible hours and competitive pay were also listed as sources of satisfaction.
How to Implement Change
While legislation gets passed back and forth in Congress and as policies slowly get updated, the change is down to us and individual facilities.
Some simple changes that long-term care facilities can make today include:
- Staff appreciation events. These do not need to be big events, but rather simple acknowledgments of the work nursing staff does on a daily basis.
- More listening sessions. Administrative departments can work with HR to implement surveys, polls, and feedback forms to hear from their nursing staff. Importantly, they must then implement real and practical changes based on this feedback.
- Volunteer programs. If staff shortages plague a facility, it might be in their best interest to implement a thorough volunteer program. While this does not replace the knowledge and expertise of nurses, it would slightly lighten their load in terms of essential observation of residents, help with events and programming, mealtimes, transport, and more.
- Tools and resources. As mentioned above, nurses are crying out for better tools and resources when it comes to documentation and other daily tasks. Facilities could independently look into software and other tools that can benefit their staff and make small (but essential) parts of their job easier.
Advocate for Better Care
At the end of the day, advocating for better staffing is advocating for better resident care. When we help nurses do their jobs, we are directly providing better care for all long-term care residents. This issue is far from resolved and we hope to see real changes—in policy and on the individual level—over the next few years. Feedback from nurses is essential to helping us know exactly what needs to change and even some creative ways to do it.
If you or a loved one have been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, call Gharibian Law (866-706-6185) for a FREE consultation and the best legal representation.
Read more about skilled nursing facilities and the invaluable help essential caregivers provide to nursing staff.
From the Mouths of Nurses: Easy Fixes for Better Staffing
Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) employ some of the most hardworking nursing staff. Caring for the elderly is not an easy job and there are many factors working against staff. The desire to improve nursing home and long-term care staffing and address vital needs is not a new topic. We have talked extensively about the attempts to institute a staffing standard, hold facilities accountable for administrative shortcomings, and more surrounding this topic. There are plenty of opinions on what should be done, but what if we asked the nurses themselves? That is exactly what Zahida Siddiqi at Skilled Nursing News did. Which means we have it right from the mouths of nurses: the easy fixes for better staffing.
Why Nursing Home Staffing Matters
We’ve covered this topic extensively. There are some obvious reasons better staffing matters; for example, the very fact that more hands are clearly more helpful when caring for residents. The hidden or less obvious benefits include upholding minimum care standards and adequate supervision for those susceptible to falls.
When there is a standard 3 hours of direct care per resident per day (which is all the original staffing standard rule proposal required), there is a direct benefit to residents. When there is one nurse for every seven residents (a minimum suggested by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), staff is less likely to burn out and let vital care slip through the cracks.
Easy Fixes for Better Staffing
So what do the nurses say? After all, they are the ones working in the field and experiencing the obvious and hidden issues first-hand. A survey of 500 nurses in SNFs found that 58% who had been in the field for seven or more years were “very happy” with their job. Which is an encouraging number.
However, “not having enough staff” and workload were listed as reasons their job was hard. “Rising regulatory burdens…staffing shortages…and leadership gaps” were also named as issues.
Most surveyed noted that strong relationships were key in worker satisfaction. This points to the importance of the work culture of the facility itself, as well as the relationships nurses are able to build with their residents and their families.
Interestingly, one of the easy fixes suggested was better resources, tools, and training for staff as they face strict “documentation and compliance demands”. Flexible hours and competitive pay were also listed as sources of satisfaction.
How to Implement Change
While legislation gets passed back and forth in Congress and as policies slowly get updated, the change is down to us and individual facilities.
Some simple changes that long-term care facilities can make today include:
Advocate for Better Care
At the end of the day, advocating for better staffing is advocating for better resident care. When we help nurses do their jobs, we are directly providing better care for all long-term care residents. This issue is far from resolved and we hope to see real changes—in policy and on the individual level—over the next few years. Feedback from nurses is essential to helping us know exactly what needs to change and even some creative ways to do it.
If you or a loved one have been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, call Gharibian Law (866-706-6185) for a FREE consultation and the best legal representation.
Read more about skilled nursing facilities and the invaluable help essential caregivers provide to nursing staff.