Summary
Mainly, leaders present employees’ grievances in the nursing sector by participating in collective bargaining and, in extreme cases calling for work boycotts. The advocacy targets policymakers, and most often, leaders employ strategies to achieve the desired outcomes.
Nursing unions play an integral role in facilitating change in their profession, bettering the healthcare system. They usually participate in peaceful demonstrations and industrial strikes to compel their employer to act on pertinent issues raised. Consequently, health care provision is usually hampered during the advocacy period, thus, leading to poor patient care. The adverse outcomes are experienced in both emergency and non-emergency hospitals. Statistics have shown that patients’ admission dropped by about 28 percent at hospitals during strikes (Chima, 2020). Efficiency in service delivery decreased to a great extent because of the advocacy.
How Organization Culture Hinders Nursing Advocacy
Organizational culture, to some extent, hinders nursing advocacy. Nursing unions have been almost rendered ineffective due to the constant intimidation they face. They are mostly not protected from being sacked and are usually expected not to question the employer. Nurses who boycott work face harassment from their superiors, who are prevented from being part of the union. Health facilities adopt a top-down communication approach, where instructions come from the unit head.
Further, poor communication channels make it difficult for the union to reach the members. Reporting hierarchy complicates advocacy as nurses avoid contradicting their supervisors. The staff further lacks knowledge of nursing ethics and is not conversant with the law provisions that protect them from victimization. The organizational culture limits the nurses’ autonomy; thus, they lack the courage to risk their profession. Finally, the hospital’s management does not support the nurses’ union activities; the discouragement decreases staff morale. The health sector is categorized as an essential service provider; thus, employees serve under strict contractual conditions.
Reference
Chima, S. C. (2020). Doctor and healthcare workers strike: are they ethical or morally justifiable: another view. Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 33(2), 203-210.