UNJ June 2003

The future of professional nursing is threatened today by the current and impending shortage of nurses. While the entire health care industry is affected, it is even more predominant in specialty areas such as urologic nursing. If unresolved, the crisis will be even more significant in the future. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2001), entrylevel baccalaureate nursing school enrollment declined for 6th consecutive years while a large majority of the nursing workforce continues to age toward retirement within the next decade (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2001). Thus, the profession must address the immediate issues of workforce recruitment and retention by educating new nurses and keeping current ones working within nursing, quelling the loss of any more of our valuable working expert professionals. The deluge of new information being published in professional and lay venues attests to the attention to, and interest in creating a climate that facilitates recruitment and retention of registered nurses both in the workplace and in the Urologic nurses and the nursing profession face incredible challenges in caring for patients and their families after a trend of the continued decline in nursing school enrollment, the nursing shortage, and increasing staff nurse dissatisfaction with the current workplace environment. Is it possible to retain staff nurses during this current crisis? Many factors contribute to nurse dissatisfaction and subsequent turnover and burn out. In light of the current nursing shortage, it is essential and cost effective to retain nurses in their specific jobs and within the profession.There is no single, simple reason or solution for professional staff nurse turnover. Some of the current contributing factors to staff nurse dissatisfaction and satisfaction will be discussed in an effort to discern ways to promote staff nurse retention.