NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 2 Needs Analysis for Change

Name
Capella University
NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 2
Instructor’s Name
Date

Inadequate Nurse Staffing

Inadequate nursing staffing has been a major economic and human resources issue in the state of Washington, which has a direct impact on patient safety, staff health, and organizational financial viability. Being a nurse who is employed in an acute care setting, I have been able to observe the impact of chronic understaffing on the work of NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 2 nurses, which has resulted in excessive workload, postponed care, and stress among employees.

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The number of nurses per patient is too large to deliver timely assessments, education of patients, and safe medication administration. Although the state has about 60,500 licensed nurses, a large percentage of them are not involved in direct-patient care, which leads to the workforce shortage in hospitals and clinics (Washington State Nurses Association, 2022). The medical facilities experience high rates of vacancies and turnover that impact the working budgets and productivity.

Summary of the Economic Issue and Impact

Nursing staffing and burnout do not occur uniformly among the Washington State population. The rural hospitals and the safety-net facilities that are, in most instances, financially challenged find it more challenging to recruit and retain nurses than the urban and financially endowed organizations. These facilities have disproportionate numbers of low-income patients, uninsured patients, and those patients reliant on Medicaid, and as such are particularly susceptible to staffing instability.

The Washington State Hospital Association (2023) reported that over 60 percent of the rural hospitals in the state experienced registered nurse vacancies of greater than 15 percent, which was higher than 9 percent in urban hospitals (Washington State Nurses Association, 2022). This leads to increased waiting time, decreased access to specialty care, and increased avoidable hospitalizations among the patients in rural and underserved communities.

Any Socioeconomic or Diversity Disparities

The inequality of diversity also contributes to the issue of staffing in the healthcare sector of Washington. Racial and ethnic minority nurses report greater levels of workplace discrimination, lack of organizational support, and reduced promotion opportunities which all facilitate burnout and turnover.

The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing 2021 discovered that approximately 63 percent of nurses across the country had either been subjected to or had observed racism in the workplace, which is highly related to emotional exhaustion and intention to leave the profession (American Nurses Association, 2021). In Washington, minority nurses are not well represented in leadership, yet they provide their services across a diverse population of patients.

As an illustration, the nurses of color constitute nearly a third of the population of the state but less than a fifth of nurse managers and executive nursing leadership (Washington Center for Nursing, 2023). Such disparities restrain the plurality of views when making decisions and have an adverse influence on culturally sensitive care provision.

Economic and labor implications of discrimination are also pointed out in national and regional data. According to Anuson Wijayaratnam et al. (2024), almost 78 percent of nurses reported being the victims of patient racism, and 59 percent of coworkers, and less than one-third of them officially reported patient racism incidents due to the fear of retaliation or because the organization did not take any action.

Wage differences are still in existence in Washington State. On average, minority registered nurses receive two to three thousand dollars lower incomes yearly than their white counterparts who have the same education and experience. Ethical practice is not only necessary in treating socioeconomic and diversity differences with equitable pay, inclusive leadership development, and anti-bias programs, but also serves to enhance nurse retention, decrease economic wastage, and increase access to healthcare by the most vulnerable groups in Washington.

Evidence-Based Findings and Need for Change

Turnover of nurses is a significant financial burden for all healthcare systems in the state of Washington. For Washington health care organizations, the integration of safe staffing compliance practices, accountability for nurse leaders, and comprehensive retention practices represents an evidence-informed approach to addressing the ongoing statewide nursing shortage in a fiscally responsible manner.

Predicted Outcomes and Opportunities for Growth

Washington State can achieve a stable nursing workforce through work done with evidence-based staffing programs, such as safe staffing policies, nurse resident programs, comprehensive wellness strategies, etc. Additionally, by focusing on retention via supportive workplace cultures, it is possible for mid-sized hospitals in Washington state to lower turnover rates by as little as 5%.

In doing so, these hospitals can save millions each year on recruitment, onboarding, and agency staffing costs (Naegle et al., 2023). Conversely, when safe NHS FPX 6008 Assessment 2 nurse-to-patient ratios are maintained by facilities, those same facilities will experience fewer adverse events, lower liability exposure, and improved Patient Safety Outcomes.

References

American Nurses Association. (2021, April 6). https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/racism-in-nursing/national-commission-to-address-racism-in-nursing/

Wijayaratnam, A., Kozlowska, O., Krayem, A., Kaur, S., Ayres, H., Smith, R., Paterson, J., Moghabghab, R., & Henshall, C. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13317

Bae, S.-H. (2024). https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2024.1607068

Ballout, S. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.17097

Bates, D. W., Levine, D. M., Salmasian, H., Syrowatka, https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmsa2206117

Glauberman, G., Ito-Fujita, A., Katz, S., & Callahan, J. (2023). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10713739 /

Naegle, M. A., Kelly, L. A., Embree, J. L., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2023.101917

Upadhyay, S., https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580231159315

Washington State Nurses Association. (2022, February 10). https://www.wsna.org/news/2022/hospital-staffing-crisis-caused-by-working-conditions-not-lack-of-qualified-nurses?utm_source=chatgpt.com