In this unit, you learned about qualitative research. Qualitative studies are usually done in natural settings and use words to describe experiences and observations. Please complete the following steps for your discussion post:
Describe a problem that needs to be addressed in your clinical setting.
Develop a qualitative research question that seeks to address this problem.
Discuss how your question will lead to research to identify the preferred way to address the problem.
Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.
Peer response:
Please read and respond to at least two of your peers initial postings. Consider the following ideas in your response:
How does your initial posting compare to those of your peers?
What are the similarities and differences?
Ask clarifying questions if something is unclear.
Ask follow-up questions about the identified problem and research approach.
Does this problem support a qualitative approach?
Peer 1:
One problem that my hospital currently has is a shortage of labor. I realize that this is not just an issue affecting my hospital, but instead this is a nationwide shortage. In the past year, 87% of nurses have said they are burnt out and about the same amount agree that they are underpaid and staffing ratios are at a dangerous level (Gaines, 2022). One of the busiest times of year in surgery is November and December statistically. Patients find that at the end of the year, they have met their annual insurance deductible as well as having PTO that they either use or lose. Considering the factors of time and money availability, no time like the present is better than to get that wart removed or that pesky hernia taken care of. How can we increase our workforce by 15% to be able to handle the volume of patients we will have by year end? In order to answer this question, I would first look at how many staff currently in orientation are ready to be on their own. Depending on how many people we have that are able to function on their own, leadership may be able to make room assignments to ensure senior/support staff are assigned to their rooms. Also I would look at offering an incentive program to casual/PRN staff, off-shift staff as well as part time staff. An incentive program may entice some staff to pick up extra shifts so that we can achieve our year end goals. I would finally hire at least 8 more nurses, 8 more certified surgical technologists and 6 more surgical assistants or RNFAs. During the training of new staff, there will be a plethora of procedures so their time precepting will be well diversified. Gaines, K. (2022, October 10). The Nursing Shortage in 2022: Study Reveals Key Causes. Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/articles/nursing-shortage-study/
Peer 2:
Describe a problem that needs to be addressed in your clinical setting. A major problem the facility I work at faces is the turnover rate. This is true for many jobs, whether it is the healthcare field or not. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (2022), the number of job openings increased to 10.7 million. This number was finalized at the end of September. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic many people have not wanted to return to work. At the assisted living facility I work at there have been a handful of younger new hires, but after a couple days of work they end up leaving because they are not a good fit for the job or are not reliable and do not show up for their shifts. Develop a qualitative research question that seeks to address this problem. What can my workplace do to retain new employees, or current employees, by 15% within the next 6 months? Discuss how your question will lead to research to identify the preferred way to address the problem. One of the important aspects of research for this question is the why. Why did new employees leave? Were they not properly trained? Was this type of work not for them? These are important questions because improper training can be fixed rather easily. This can be done with more training days, especially with a staff member that has more experience in the healthcare/assisted living field. The facility is both an assisted living and memory care, and the kitchen divides the two sides. Sometimes the assisted living side can get chaotic and if it is too fast paced for the individual, an easy solution to that would be to move them to a calmer environment on the memory care side. Not only is it important to ask these questions to the employee that left, but also team members that worked closely with the individual. These findings can establish a different foundation. Sometimes individuals do not want to admit their faults or weaknesses, and fellow team members are outsiders looking in and are able to give the criticism needed. References U.S. Department of Labor. (2022). Job openings and labor turnover—September 2022. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/jolts.pdf