Congress Abstracts 2005

76

SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES FOR JOB-SHARING THE CASE MANAGER ROLE. Susan Franco, RN, BSN, Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE.

As the nursing work force ages, and nurses encounter new demands in their changing life cycles, creative strategies must be employed to keep expert nurses in the workforce.

Aging parents, the challenge of children involved in multiple community activities, and marital demands impact the nurse’s ability to maintain a fulltime professional role. Some choose to relinquish their positions or postpone their nursing career if adjustments cannot be made to achieve a balance between professional and personal commitments. This has influenced the number of nurses available for filling positions during the nursing shortage.

One approach to retain expertise without sacrificing personal commitments is the development of job-sharing positions. This approach, which allows nurses to work part-time in positions with full-time requirements was instituted in the case manager role at our institution. The nurse partners with a colleague to provide comprehensive care management for the oncology patient. The patient benefits from being able to draw upon the experience of two nurses who are in close communication with each other. The complexity and acuity of oncology patients today make job-sharing particularly challenging. Strategies have been developed to ensure seamless care is provided and patient satisfaction is maintained. Effective interpersonal skills, consistent documentation tools, strong organizational techniques, careful partner selection, and a commitment to the role are essential elements. In addition, there must be understanding and acceptance by the physician collaborators and other co-workers, and support from the institution. The critical components in designing the job-share role will be presented.

Lessons learned over a cumulative of ten years of job-share experience and outcome measures will also be discussed to assist others desiring to create such roles in their institutions.

Health care organizations must come to realize they need to be open to new ways to structure work to retain valuable nursing staff desiring to have the right blend of commitments in their professional and personal life. Creating and sustaining these types of job-sharing positions can be a win-win for the nurse who can have the desired balance in life, the patient who receives quality seamless care, and the organization who retains valuable nurses.