Nurse workforce scheduling: A qualitative study of Indonesian nurse managers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has resulted in changes in the hospital workflow, including the staffing process and scheduling, especially in the isolation units. Nurse managers are working hard in the scheduling system to ensure high-quality care is provided with the best human resources. Objective: This study aimed to explore the experiences of nurse managers in managing staff nurses’ work schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. Eleven nurse managers from three COVID-19 referral hospitals were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using online semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis, and data were presented using a thematic tree. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist was used as a reporting guideline of the study. Results: Four themes were developed: (i) Nurse shortage, (ii) Strategically looking for ways to fulfill the workforce, (iii) Change of shift schedule, and (iv) Expecting guidance from superiors and compliance from staff. Conclusion: The lack of nurse staff is a problem during a pandemic. Thus, managing personnel effectively, mobilizing and rotating, and recruiting volunteers are strategies to fulfill the workforce during the pandemic. Using a sedentary shift pattern and sufficient holidays could prevent nurses from falling ill and increase compliance with scheduling. In addition, a staffing calculation formula is needed, and top nursing managers are suggested to provide guidance or direction to the head nurses to reduce confusion in managing the work schedule during the pandemic.

Professional Values in Guiding Professional Behavior of Nurses: A Phenomenological Study

Introduction: Nurses must have knowledge and awareness concerning professional values as standards to provide safe and high-quality care. Objective: The study aimed to explore the professional’s value in directing nurses’ behavior. Method: A qualitative study design with a phenomenology approach was applied in this study. We involved ten nurses with ten years of working experience and acting as role models in nurse managers. The data analysis used the Colaizzi method. We found the professional nursing values among nurses, including human dignity, integrity, professional practice, altruism, and compassion. Dimensions that underlying the professional values are knowledge, skill, and attitude. Results: The following four themes reflected how to apply nurses value: 1) Competence in facing challenges; 2 Nurses provided services based on knowledge and skills, a sense of help and compassion for love as a form of worship and commitment to the profession; 3) feeling satisfied in undergoing the nurse profession; 4) expectations of professional development. Professional nurses have a positive attitude and a hope for professional development. Conclusion: The hospital could improve nursing education and research by providing evidence-based practices for self-development. Recommendation: Nurse managers also can provide services based on science, skills, and attitudes as a form of worship and commitment to the profession, becoming a role model for the nurse-led

Nurse managers in mental health units: from activities to time management

Objective: to understand the use of time by nurse managers in psychiatry and mental health units, as they carry out their daily tasks. Methods: cross-sectional study, carried out by 48 managers from public psychiatric units and from the social sector. Data collection was made through an online questionnaire that is part of the Scale of Perception of Nurse Manager Work, including 43 items separated in five functional domains of nurse managers. The responses were in a Likert scale: does not take time, takes little time, takes some time, takes much time. Results: the activities inherent to ethical and legal professional practices and to the management of care and of human resources required more time from the manager when compared to policy interventions, and consulting and professional development. Conclusion: the managers recognize that managing time implies organization, planning work, and establishing priorities in the tasks to be developed.

Leadership competencies of first-line nurse managers: a quantitative study

Purpose This paper aims to examine the leadership competencies of first-line nurse managers (FLNMs) at the unit level in the eastern region of Ghana. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a quantitative cross-section design. Findings Nurse managers exhibited a moderate level of knowledge and ability to apply leadership competencies. Gender, rank, qualification, professional experience, management experience and management training jointly predicted the leadership competencies of FLNMs [(R2 = 0.158, p = 0.016]. However, only management training was a significant predictor in the model. Practical implications Inappropriate leadership competencies have severe consequences for patients and staff outcomes. This situation necessitates a call for a well-structured program for the appointment of FLNMs based on competencies. Originality/value This study is the first in Ghana which we are aware of that examined the leadership competencies at the unit level that identifies predictors of leadership competencies.

Experiences of Nurse Managers during the COVID-19 Outbreak in a Selected District Hospital in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The South African health care system was hard hit by the second wave of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which affected nurse managers as healthcare facilities became overwhelmed due to an increased workload emanating from the overflow of admissions. Therefore, this study sought to explore and describe the nurse managers’ experiences during COVID-19 in order to identify gaps and lessons learnt. A descriptive phenomenological research approach was used to explore the experiences of ten nurse managers who were purposively selected from different units of a selected district hospital. Data was collected through telephonic unstructured individual interviews and analysed using Colaizzi’s seven steps method. The study revealed that nurse managers experienced human resource related challenges during COVID-19, worsened by the fact that vacant posts were frozen. It also emerged that there was a shortage of material resources that affected patient care. Nurse managers also indicated that COVID-19 brought a lot of administrative duties plus an additional duty of patient care. Also, nurse managers who had previously contracted COVID-19 experienced stigma and discrimination. The government needs to address resource related challenges in rural public hospitals and provide continuous support to nurse managers, particularly during a pandemic like COVID-19.