Gretchen Berlin, RN, a senior partner at McKinsey, discussed five strategies to improve working conditions for nurses in a report published Jan. 20.
- Increase recognition regarding the importance of the role of nurses.
- Increase the financial incentive for the job in regards to loan forgiveness and repayment as well as involvement of nonprofits and health systems to shoulder educational costs.
- Health leaders should get on the hospital floor to connect with nurses and learn which problems can be solved to ease their workload.
- Introduce more workplace flexibility through regional float pools and team models that allow nurses to shift between departments depending on their circumstances.
- Consider using telemedicine as a model to allow nurses to work in a hybrid setting.
