Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
The concept of nurse engagement is often used to describe nurses' commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs. In reality, these are just two facets of engagement. Additional considerations include nurses' level of commitment to the organization that employs them, and their commitment to the nursing profession itself. Because nurse engagement correlates directly with critical safety, quality, and patient experience outcomes, understanding the current state of nurse engagement and its drivers must be a strategic imperative. This article will discuss the current state of nurse engagement, including variables that impact engagement. We also briefly describe the potential impact of compassion fatigue and burnout, and ways to offer compassionate connected care for the caregiver. Such insight is integral to the profession's sustainability under the weight of demographic, economic, and technological pressures being felt across the industry, and is also fundamental to the success of strategies to improve healthcare delivery outcomes across the continuum of care.
Introduction
During the 2015 Miss America pageant, Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson, RN, delivered a heartfelt monologue, titled "Just a Nurse," in which she shared the story of one of her most memorable patients, an older gentleman with Alzheimer's disease (NJ.com, 2015). The monologue quickly went viral on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Although it was applauded by many, Johnson's decision to describe nursing as her talent was mocked by hosts of the daytime television talk show, The View (France, 2015). This move inspired nurses nationwide to further band together on social media to educate the public about the nursing profession (Bryan, 2015).
With urgency and passion, nurses found their collective voice and they used it to speak about nursing education, professionalism, and accountability. They were united in advocating for their rightful recognition as trusted, valuable members of the healthcare team. And they were engaged—a state of mind that is essential not only to personal and professional fulfillment, but also to organizational success in today's complex healthcare environment. This demonstrates an alignment that both enchants nurses by bringing purpose to what nurses do and enfranchises nurses by the feeling of belonging both to the profession and to the organization with and for whom they work.
The concept of nurse engagement is often used to describe nurses' commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs. In reality, these are just two facets of engagement. Additional considerations include nurses' level of commitment to the organization that employs them, and their commitment to the nursing profession itself.
Because nurse engagement correlates directly with critical safety, quality and patient experience outcomes (Day, 2014; Laschinger & Leiter, 2006; Nishioka, Coe, Hanita, & Moscato, 2014; Press Ganey, 2013) understanding the current state of nurse engagement and its drivers must be a strategic imperative. This article will discuss the current state of nurse engagement, including variables that impact engagement. We also briefly describe the potential impact of compassion fatigue and burnout and ways to offer compassionate, connected care for the caregiver. Such insight is integral to the profession's sustainability under the weight of the demographic, economic and technological pressures being felt across the industry, and is also fundamental to the success of strategies to improve healthcare delivery outcomes across the continuum of care.
Online J Issues Nurs. 2016;21(1) © 2016 American Nurses Association
