Design matters for nurses

Stressed and burnt out, young nurses are leaving the profession early. 

At the same time, good senior nurses can pick and choose their placements. These types of challenges are contributing to a shortage of nurses worldwide – so the way the profession attracts and retains people is more important than ever.

I certainly applied for a job based on environment.”

Research participant

THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

Can the physical environment help create a culture where nurses feel valued – comfortable, safe and more able to provide quality care

The research suggests workplace design can make a meaningful contribution to a hospital’s staff attraction and retention strategy in an increasingly competitive sector.

CARING FOR THE CARERS

Good workplace design matters to hospital staff. It creates more efficient and effective spaces. It enhances multi-disciplinary work. It makes knowledge sharing and stress-busting social interaction easier. And it creates workplaces nurses want to join – and stay. 

Author

Michaela Sheahan
Megan Reading
Dr Agustin Chevez
Brett Pollard
Dr. Lucio Naccarella (University of Melbourne)
Prof. Jim Buchan (University of Melbourne)
92% Percentage of acute hospitals in the UK with daily shortages of nurses (NHS)
109K Shortage of nurses in Australia by 2025 (HealthWorkforce Australia)