The embers of professional expectations have been fanned into the flames of demand for better health care providers. These have instigated profound changes in professional nursing training. The minimum entry requirement has been raised to keep abreast with a more technologically advanced society who is also aware of their fundamental rights. The need for program development and improvement is also spurred by changing trends of disease and new cases. Many Faculties, in collaborative professional nursing training, are challenged by a transition in the conceptualization and development of nursing programs. The design of a model program for nursing development and improvement is, therefore, of significance. This paper focuses on the process of human resource development in the field of nursing to overcome today’s healthcare demands and the ever-evolving concepts of nursing as a pillar of health care provision.
A. Job Description For A Nursing Faculty.
Position Of Lecturer In Department Of Psychiatric And Mental Health
Position requirements
In order for an applicant, to qualify for the position of a lecturer in the department of psychiatric and mental health he/she must have an educational prerequisite of a master’s degree in nursing. The applicant must also be a certified specialist in psychiatric and mental health nursing. He/she must also have at least three publications in the field of mental health. The publications should be must have been published in recognized journals and newspapers. The applicant must also have at least ten years of experience clinical practice in a mental health hospital. Experience in administration or nursing management is an added advantage. Finally, all applicants must be computer literate.
Position Responsibilities
A successful applicant will have a number of responsibilities. For example, he/she will be required to interact with undergraduate nursing students for a minimum of 12 contact hours in a classroom every week. He/she will also have to interact with undergraduate nursing students for a minimum of 5 contact hours in clinical practice in a week. The position also requires the successful applicant to design the undergraduate curriculum on mental health through defining competencies, learning objectives and learning methods.
It will also be his/her responsibility to integrate classroom based teaching with practical experience. He/she will achieve this by attending ward rounds with students and participating in a mental clinic. It will also be compulsory for the newly appointed lecturer to use assessment and evaluation strategies to assess his/her student’s use cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains.
A successful applicant will also be required to maintain professional expertise and a role model to the nurses in training. He/she will also have the responsibility of Facilitating learning and creating an environment that fosters a culture of research and innovativeness in nursing education in order to improve and develop the nursing program. Finally, he/she will be required to attend undergraduate nursing students’ placements and coordinate the center for clinical placement for students rotating in psychiatry and mental health.
B. Candidate Selection Process For A Nursing Faculty Position
1. Questions
The candidate will be required to answer some questions. For example, the candidate will be required to give a summary of his/her educational background. Candidates will also be required to describe what kind of certificates they have for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. They will also be asked what they consider to be their most noteworthy contribution from their last job. Candidates will also have to explain why they chose the field of psychiatric and mental health.
They will also be expected to explain their past achievements and scholarly endeavors. Interviewees will also have to give an account of where they have worked from the time they were registered as nurses.They will also be asked about what other areas training they have undertaken.
2. Open Ended Questions
All applicants will also be subjected to some open ended questions. For example, they shall be required to explain the what they expect to find in an ideal school of nursing in terms of curriculum, training, assessment and evaluation and transition from class work to practica. They shall also be expected to state what role they would play if they were hired as a member of the nursing faculty to ensure that the graduates from this institution are competent and responsive to the dynamic field of health care provision. Finally, all applicants will be required to explain what they would do if an undergraduate nursing student wrote to them an email and details of the email included a proposed relationship with them.
C. A Faculty Retention Plan.
The loss of human resource is an issue that stakeholders in the healthcare sector are grappling with at the moment. The advance of professional nursing training and development has been crippled by lack of trained personnel due to the mass exodus from the field. The ever-evolving concept of faculty development must take centre stage in dealing with the current shortage. Faculty retention plans must be put in place to challenge the nursing faculty shortage. The journey from classroom to bedside care of a patient is very delicate. The transition between theoretical knowledge to practica is extremely sensitive. These two steps require proper guidance from a nurse trainer who blends intellectual competence with gusto to inspire would be nurses. The ministries of health and medical services have identified retention of nursing faculty as the backbone of health care provision.
Nursing faculty retention programs can be done through the identification and support of faculty development programs. Faculty development programs if established will motivate the nursing faculty to remain in a certain institution since there will be set programs that cater for their needs and offer them a lifetime career development experience. Current literature reports that most members of nursing faculties seek pastures anew in an attempt to further their education and develop their careers. Nursing faculties need to continue with educational development in order to challenge new trends of disease patterns and technological developments in the field of healthcare. They can only remain relevant if they continue with career development through new technologies and educational approaches.
A strong communication network should be established to allow for free flow of information. Members of Nursing faculties can be retained if there is feedback on the nature of their duties. The manner in which work has been dispensed is paramount is building a free atmosphere for interaction and exchange of information.
Nursing faculties should also establish a retention plan for faculty that encompasses development strategies for junior and senior faculty. The existing human resource can be developed by senior faculty in advance to fill the void that is imminent once senior faculty quit or retire. Seminars, interdepartmental interactive forums and continuing education programs. Contact hours can vary from 15 to 30 hours for every 2 year relic periods. Senior faculty will inevitably retire and, therefore, this program offers to prepare junior faculty for future responsibility. Development of inter-professional service based learning initiatives also help in faculty development. This preparation will motivate the junior faculty to remain in an institution with the hope that they will be promoted through this preparation and also eases the transition between outgoing faculty and incoming faculty. Current literature reports blame inadequate intra-staff development programs for the loss of human resource and inability to regenerate outgoing nursing faculty.
A refined faculty recruitment plan in response to increasing competition for a doctorate prepared faculty is also paramount in a nursing faculty retention plan. Most faculty members leave their jobs because they are overwhelmed by the duties and responsibilities bestowed upon them. The field of nursing has experienced a steady rise in the number of students enrolled in nursing education programs. The field has been expanded to offer undergraduate degrees, diplomas, masters and even doctoral degrees. The need for improved health care has also caused an increase in enrolment. The manpower must adapt to changing trends in the field of health care. Current literature reports point to the overwhelming burden of staff shortage, which leads to, overworking of a the nursing faculty in an institution as one of the factors. Nursing faculty will remain in institutions if they are guaranteed roles and duties that are manageable.
The remuneration of nursing faculty should also be improved. A study of the current literature on staff retaining programs indicates that nursing faculties have sought greener pastures due to poor remuneration. There should be the creation of awareness on the role of nursing faculty and the existing shortage. Legislation should be done and foundation support for nursing faculty offered. In this manner, nursing faculty will be motivated by attractive salaries that are intandem with what they offer in the field of healthcare training. The short term outcome will be motivating the existing faculty while the long term outcome will be retention of nursing faculty in nursing education institutions. The program development and improvement policy will be boosted by motivated nursing faculty.
Nursing faculty can be retained through coordinated programs in placement of faculty in various clinical sites. This can be achieved through the development of standardized contracts and coordinated training programs. This will lead to an increased number of placements in several facilities especially those in the rural areas. The long term outcome of this will be increased nursing education programs and increased rural health facilities. When nursing faculty shoulder the responsibilities of taking care of the coordinated educational programs, they are more motivated to remain attached to those centers of nursing education. The rural health facilities will be boosted by nursing students on placements. In this manner, staff can be retained through these coordinated programs.
Developing a marketing campaign to increase levels of interest in the positions of a nursing faculty will motivate those already occupying the positions thus helping to retain the members of such nursing faculties. The roles of nursing faculties in developing the health care system should be highlighted with a view to single out duty of personnel working in a nursing faculty. The psychological impact of these efforts will boost the morale of the existing faculty when they see that they are being appreciated. Current literature shows a trend where health care trainers lack motivation because they are never acknowledged.
Current reports show that staff engagement and staff retention are critical in running any organization. Nursing faculty is no exception. Nursing faculty must be motivated through awards and certification to a competitive atmosphere. In this way, nursing faculty will show loyalty to the institutions they work for. When a competitive atmosphere intertwined with strategic motivational approaches is established, nursing faculty can easily be retained in their institutions of nursing education.
Nursing faculty turnover is a threat because of the loss of potential knowledge. In the current economies, human resource is considered as a fundamental resource whose loss leads to loss of a competitive advantage in an organization. Current literature reports that address inability to retain nursing faculty verified factors leading to nursing faculty turnover through correlation and aggression. Knowledge based organizations such as nursing educational institutions must be aware of the threat to the loss of a competitive edge. The main causes and consequences of employee fluctuation must be addressed with a view to resolving them timely. The causes of loss of nursing faculty can be summarized into the following seven factors:
Nursing faculty leave their positions due to low pay where the reward they are offered does not benefit the work load placed upon them. Nursing faculty who are not motivated through benefits and allowances has no psyche to train their students.
A nursing faculty is likely to leave their positions if their future employment is not secure. Assurance of job security through trust in the institution and hope for career development plans and promotions play a key role in leading to loss of nursing faculty.
A good working relationship is important in convincing nursing faculty to stay on. Nursing faculty, just like any other employees, deserve respect, fair treatment and guarantee of all rights entitled to an employee. The moment employees are despised they will itch to quit an institution. An assurance amidst potential risks will help retain nursing faculty. Proper human resource management is an added spice to staff retention.
Lack of roles and opportunities for prestige, development and positions of control make employees lose interest in the institution and warm up for other jobs elsewhere. For the sake of continuing knowledge, nursing faculty should be given positions such as coordination of health facilities and clinical placements for students. The employees need to feel valued and cherished by the organization.
Lack of feedback and proper communication channels will brew tension in the institution. Lack of these mechanisms will not guarantee work satisfaction and hence enhance uneasiness in the institution.
The cultures of nursing educational institutions where strict and long working hours tend to drive nursing faculty away. The institutions must be flexible enough to accommodate all the members of the nursing faculty. It must also establish a conduct code that governs the institution.
References
Hana, U., & Lucie, L. (2011). Staff Turnover As a Possible Threat to Knowledge Loss. Journal of Competitiveness(3), 84-97.
