According to doctoral candidate Vera Meeusen of the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, hospitals need to implement better staff policies. Keeping current staff is much better than trying to attract new employees. For example, employees working in anesthetics must be given a better career perspective. Meeusen was awarded her doctorate on December 6, 2010.
Many hospitals have to deal with chronic staff shortages in some professional groups such as operating room assistants and anesthetic staff. This puts the quantity and the quality of care under pressure requiring hospitals to recruit staff through special agencies and from abroad. According to information from the Dutch trade union Abvakabo, 58 percent of employees working in health care are thinking about changing their job.
In her doctoral research, Meeusen studied the psychological and organizational factors that influence job satisfaction with the aim of reducing staff turnover. Through an online questionnaire, Meeusen derived information on job satisfaction from over 900 anesthetic staff.
Burnout
Half of the anesthetic staff was found to have two or more psychosomatic symptoms that can be a predictor for burnout. These included signs of exhaustion and absence through illness. This is five times higher than in the general working population. It is perhaps fair to say that these anesthetic staff have less job satisfaction than their colleagues who have no symptoms. Meeusen says: “It is older anesthetic staff in particular who are affected by this. Just like female anesthetic staff who often have heavy responsibilities to fulfill in their private lives.”
Based on the answers given in the questionnaire, Meeusen describes four factors that strongly contribute to job satisfaction: career and reward, the relationship with the employee’s manager, the actual job content, and the social environment at work. The working climate depends on five factors: recognition, opportunities for personal further development, learning and growth, establishing clear personal goals and progress. One of the things lacking for anesthetic staff is the opportunity for further personal development as well as a clearly defined career perspective.
Medical responsibility
Meeusen argues for the implementation of firmer staff policies in hospitals that are aimed at limiting unnecessary staff turnover. Employees in health care must be given the chance for personal development so that they can go on to hold positions with more medical responsibility. “Medical specialists are expensive and should do what they are good at. But specialized health care employees such as specialized nurses, operating room assistants, anesthesia staff, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants are performing more and more tasks in health care. This is a trend that should be encouraged.”
But this means that education in hospitals has to change. It has to encourage and stimulate employees to perform new tasks. This shifting and reallocation of tasks can contribute to a more efficient and cost-effective health care service.
Vera Meeusen was awarded her doctorate on December 6, 2010 from Utrecht University. Her doctoral thesis has the title: Risk factors for job turnover among Dutch nurse anesthetists”. She currently works as manager of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven. Prior to this, she worked in anesthetics.