Sample Essay On Rural Nursing Issues

Issues and Challenges in Rural Nursing

Issues and Challenges in Rural Nursing

Introduction

Despite that continued urbanization has impacted many countries across the world including Canada, a majority of the Canadian populace lives in the countryside and remote localities. A significant share of Canadian remote dwellers feels challenged in accessing fundamental requirements. The majority of this isolated population comprises the aging populace most which require regular care from physicians and caregivers. This discussion, therefore, thoroughly examines the real challenges encountered by remote and rural nurses, their stance regarding these issues and implications on stakeholders.

Recruitment and Retention of Rural Nurses: Rural and remote areas remain problematic regions regarding the recruitment and retention of nurses compared to other professions and the prospects of workers for finding jobs in urbanized places. This issue is relevant to the nursing practice because it can help to solve the problem of morbidity of rural nursing personnel.
Education: A significant amount of medical practitioners are opting into the area of nursing with a bachelor’s degree nursing, with the figure to as high as 10 percent in over a decade. Understanding the level of education of the rural population helps nurses to know how to deal with the population especially during communication.
Recognition and Attention: Failure to recognize the efforts of rural nurses to deliver quality care to the aging rural populace makes these remote and rural nurses feel understated and unsupported by the urbanized health sector. A good understanding of this challenge enables the policy-makers in nursing to get a picture of the real situation remote nursing.
Particular Challenges for Aboriginal Nurses and Communities: The significant population of Canadian remote areas is made up of Aboriginal people who are less educated. This issue is relevant because it will assist in reforming the nursing system to train more Aboriginal nurses.
Nursing Shortage: Insufficient nursing staff is a problem in many health facilities worldwide and has also had a significant effect on the quality of care delivered to the aging Canadian populace residing in the remote areas. This will help the medical management in balancing the doctor to patient ratio.

Discussion of the Rural Nursing Issues and Challenges

Rural and remote areas remain problematic regions regarding the recruitment and retention of nurses compared to other professions and the prospects of workers for finding jobs in urbanized places. According to Molinari & Bushy (2012), advocate that remote nursing necessitates an affluence of values, indulgence, and support to facilitate recruitment, retention, and top-quality performance. Canada has scarce healthcare providers amongst the large rural populaces with significant studies reporting issues associated with recruitment and retention of healthcare givers in these remote areas. Recruitment and retention of rural nurses in remote regions are problematic as a result of economic, education and training, professional advancement, and quality of occupation life features, (Molinari & Bushy, 2012; CAN, 2005).
In addition, the level of education of rural nurses and the aging population is essential to quality care provided. A significant amount of medical practitioners are opting into the area of nursing with a bachelor’s degree nursing, with the figure to as high as 10 percent in over a decade. Due to innovation and other changes in the economy, nurses, and other medical providers have found relevance in advancing in their studies in order to have a voice in reforms. According to the study published by MacLeod, Brown and Leipart, it proved that that rural nurses work within the liberal and creative scope, (Canadian Association of Rural and Remote Nurses, 2005). They alleged that remote and rural nurses who operate without proper knowledge require ultimate diversity and broad familiarity with health practices and procedures. Unfortunately, the demand for diverse and extensive knowledge is hindered by professional isolation, which a huge impediment to relevant learning. The poor education among the rural dwellers inhibits communication during service delivery.
Furthermore, it is prevalent that some urban practitioners and policy-makers are not familiar with the actual situation of rural health, (Canadian Association of Rural and Remote Nurses, 2005). The major problem arises when the real weather issues likened with remoteness are not acknowledged by health administrators. Failure to recognize the efforts of rural nurses to deliver quality care to the aging rural populace makes these remote and rural nurses feel understated and unsupported by the urbanized health sector. Mostly, health care policies and procedures formulated purposely for urban situations are often irrelevant in rural and remote areas. Further insight into the Canadian rural nursing by MacLeod discovered that there was only one published research that directly focused on rural or remote nursing, (Canadian Association of Rural and Remote Nurses, 2005). McLeod discovered that little research about rural nursing has been published.
Nursing and health care provision in rural and Aboriginal communities has been pointed out as the primary composition of nursing practice in rural and remote areas of Canada. While delivering health care services, nurses usually engage peacefully and collaboratively with the local community, (CARRN, 2005). Recent research shows that the rural nursing practice in Aboriginal communities in affected by the current and projected insufficiency of nursing staff since because the Aboriginal practice is remote and covers the whole of Canada. However, it is noted that this challenge is influenced by the decision to educate Aboriginal Canadian nurses. The Aboriginal nurses acquire nursing educational services through the support of the integration of traditional healing mechanisms and the transmission of health care services to tribal councils.
Additionally, the nursing shortage has also had a big impact on the quality of care delivered to the aging Canadian populace residing in the remote areas. Severe nursing shortage is a growing concern in developing and developed nations, (Daniels, VanLeit, Skipper, Sanders & Rhyne, 2007). According to the survey conducted by the World Health Organization in its 70 affiliate States, approximately 86% encountered nursing shortage. The nursing shortage issue was more severe in about 54% of the WHO member nations engaged in the research of its 70 member states. Notably, recruiting and retaining in developed countries like Canada is changing into a main challenge for policy makers in the light of projected rates of the nursing shortage.

Nurses Stance Concerning the Issues and Challenges

As a response to recruitment and retention issue, a considerable number of nurses choose to move from remote areas to urban areas, return to their hometowns or relocate with a prospect for different careers. Studies conducted to examine reasons for recruitment issues showed that nurses’ preference to go back to their hometown was because of their initial choices for rural practice, (Daniels, VanLeit, Skipper, Sanders & Rhyne, 2007). Equally, the aspiration to work for a particular size of community and wish return to their hometown reported significant variations in making initial profession decision.
Additionally, as a way of addressing the education concern facing the rural nurses, nurses could adopt an integrated and joint effort involving the government, health providers and educational institutions offering various levels of training in nursing practice. Moreover, nurses have begun to advance their particular level of expertise with many of them pursuing a nursing degree. Possibly, the nurses engage public awareness programs to educate the population regarding necessary communication to promote proper conduct in the process of providing health care services. Also, the rural nurses enlighten the aging population about how to follow prescriptions and correct dosage.
Although the rural nurses regard their services to be invaluable, they join themselves in the form of groups to support the rural nursing activities. Since these nurses feel unappreciated, forming groups help them to fight for recognition by the urban health providers and policy-makers. The society, in particular, has failed to place much value on the rural nursing practice, the nursing groups and the attention on relational features of the rural nursing practice that is associated with remote nursing.
Through a number of recommendations tabled by the Royal Commission on the Aboriginal population, this category of people has found support to train in rural nursing. The commission discovered considerable shortage of Aboriginal health care service providers especially nurses, (Canadian Association of Rural and Remote Nurses, 2005). The recommendations were for these institutions to educate 10,000 Aboriginal health experts within a period of 10 years particularly in the fields of health and social activities.
As a result of continued exploitation from employers, a number of nurses express much dissatisfaction serving as rural nurses. Health care facilities have recorded high staff turnover that is attributed to the ramifications of the nursing shortage such as stress, workload, and burnout. The human resource has embarked on hiring new nurses while tired rural nurses quit seeking more satisfying positions in the urban areas.

Stakeholder Involvement

The CARRN identified a number of issues concerning rural and remote nursing profession in Canada including insufficient numbers of nurses, (Molinari & Bushy, 2012; CARRN, 2008; CNA, 2005). CARRN jointly with CNA acknowledges recruitment and retention of nurses in remote areas as problematic. As a justification, CARRN explains that the problem of recruitment and retention occurs as a result of economic, education and training, occupational advancement, and quality-of-work-life, (Molinari & Bushy, 2012; CAN, 2005). In addition, Families to rural health care providers especially the spouses are vital stakeholders affected by the challenges in rural and remote nursing. Research reveals that spouse’s encounters and perceptions of rural localities are amongst the most significant features in a physician’s decision to stay or relocate from a remote practice, (Mayo, & Mathews, 2006). Lack of opportunities for the nursing professionals and other employment positions is also a big challenge affecting families of rural health care providers.

Analysis of the Issues

Many nurses have begun to like working in Canadian remote areas compared to previous reports that revealed highest mobility levels associated with rural nursing. Nurses that have prior exposure to remote nursing especially through practicum or growing from a rural setting choose remote workstations, (Goertzen, 2005). In addition, nurses who obtain enough social support and recognition develop a sense of belonging to this remote setting, hence; decide to seek employment in rural places. Recruitment and sustainability of rural nurses could be successful if carried out with an understanding of nurses’ discernments in rural and remote localities. Increased access and remote training schemes could help to develop local nurses. In addition, there should be an increase in the participation by Aboriginal factions and decentralization of service delivery. Furthermore, there should be a greater use of communication and information technological innovation. Rural nursing practice should be furnished with advanced equipments and accessibility so as to encourage more nurses to choose rural and remote nursing practice.

Conclusion and Implications for Canadian Nursing

It is evident that Canadian rural nurses encounter many issues such as recruitment and retention, poor education, recognition and inadequate nursing staff among many rural nursing problems. Since the rural and remote nurses and part of the Canadian medical team, failure to address these issues might lower quality of rural health. Many registered nurses will not want to work in the rural settings they are not recognized and offered significant support. On the other hand, training more Aboriginal people in rural nursing practice will increase the number of Aboriginal nurses available to the remote Aboriginal population. These issues are related in one way or another and addressing one issue will solve another hence, Canada will have a favorable nursing environment in both urban and rural settings.

References

Daniels, Z., VanLeit, B., Skipper, B., Sanders, M., & Rhyne, R. (2007). Factors in Recruiting and Retaining Health Professionals for Rural Practice. The Journal Of Rural Health, 23(1), 62-71. doi:10.1111/j.1748-0361.2006.00069.x
Canadian Association of Rural and Remote Nurses,. (2005). Rural Nursing Practice in Canada: A Discussion Paper 3. Retrieved 19 March 2015, from http://www.carrn.com%2Ffiles%2FRural-Nursing-discussion-paper_Draft3 Sept%252005-1.pdf
Goertzen, J. (2005). The four-legged kitchen stool: recruitment and retention of rural family physicians. Canadian Family Physician, 51(9), 1181.
Kulig, J., & Williams, A. (2012). Health in rural Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Molinari, D., & Bushy, A. (2012). The rural nurse. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Spousal perspectives on factors influencing recruitment and retention of rural family physicians. Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine, 11(4), 271-276. www.srpc.ca/cjrm/vol 11/issue-4/pg271.pdf