Running head: Rogerian Letter to City Hospital Administrators

Rogerian Letter to City Hospital Administrators

Tristen Reid

Louisiana State University

Author Note

The following Rogerian letter was written for English 2001, taught by Jean Coco, and addresses
issues raised in the case study "Role Negotiation, Stress, and Burnout: A Day in the Life of Supernurse,"
published in Health Communication in Practice: A Case Study Approach.
Rogerian Letter to City Hospital Administrators

Rob Carter

720 Magnolia Ave

Savannah, GA 30003

Hospital Administrators

City Hospital

270 W Freedom Blvd

Savannah, GA 30002

Dear City Hospital Administrators:

Burnout in nursing is increasingly becoming a concern at City Hospital, as it threatens the quality Commented [TR1]: Don't indent paragraphs
of care for our patients. City Hospital heavily relies on Medicaid funding. With recent budget cuts to this
program, the hospital, our patients, and our nurses suffer. The budgetary cuts caused a need for staff
reduction and "cutting the fat," getting rid of things that were once a necessary convenience for
everyone in the hospital. When nurses are forced to take on additional roles and responsibilities, they
often do this without receiving additional training or payment. This causes stress and burnout among all
of the employees at City Hospital. These factors contribute to the decrease in the quality of care for
patients as result.

As the board held responsible for the entire hospital, you only want to make improvements
within the hospital. You want the hospital's daily function to run smoothly. Moreover, as hospital
administrators, you have an ethical responsibility to the employees and patients. So, when the quality of
patient care is negatively affected by the burnout of nurses, and the nurses themselves are at risk and
unhappy, there is a problem that needs to be solved.

I understand that there is not always resources available to make these administrative changes.
And it may be difficult to make the plans, or even the adjustments necessary to implement a plan to fix
the problem at hand. I am all for listening to other options and ideas to move forward in fixing the
problem. City Hospital has been experiencing a nursing shortage which has been causing problems, and
the problems will only get worse if something is not done.
Rogerian Letter to City Hospital Administrators

As a nurse in an understaffed unit, I personally am able to see the effects of stress and burnout
have on the quality of care. In my research on stress and burnout of nurses, I have found that there are
ways to reduce these problems. Kalliath and Morris found that social support from supervisors is an Commented [TR2]: Add more citations
effective way to reduce stress in nurses. Consequently, implementing a plan to provide emotional and Commented [TR3]: Fix this citation
psychological support for employees should be a top priority, one that everyone can accept and agree
to.

In recent years, the solution to this problem was not clear. It is a relatively new issue that has
occurred due to outside conditions and circumstance. Budgetary cuts, staffing reduction, and decreasing
resources all contribute to the problem. These factors place extra work onto nurse's shoulders. These
changes should have come with other adjustments, because the employees suffer from stress and
burnout. The quality of care in the hospital is decreased as a result. But now that we have identified that
there is an issue, we must work to fix it. The hospital's employees are suffering and in turn, so are the
patients. In any hospital, the top priority should be the quality of care for patients. That is why a plans
needs to be put in place to reduce the stress and burnout of employees at City Hospital. Social support,
additional training, or payment should be considered to help fix this issue before it gets any worse.

It is in the best interest of the entire hospital to implement a plan to decrease stress and
burnout, and provide resources for nurses who suffer from stress and burnout. Social support from
supervisors has been found in studies to reduce workplace stress on employees in health care. Steps
should be taken by your board to implement a plan to increase social support, or even increase the
training or pay of nurses to match the additional roles. When these changes are made, nurses and all
other staff will be happier and less stressed. And as a result, the quality of care in the hospital will
increase. The hospital will gain prestige which will directly benefit the administration.

In conclusion, the hospital and its employees can only benefit from making these changes,
implementing a plan, and following through with the plan. Our common goal of making the hospital a
better work environment for employees, and nurses in particular, is not only important, but absolutely
vital to the success of the hospital. When the work environment is improved, it directly decreases the
stress levels and burnout of the staff. The staff will then be able to provide better care for patients,
which should always be the main goal of everyone involved.

Sincerely,

Rob Carter, RN

Reference
Rogerian Letter to City Hospital Administrators

Apker, Julie. (2005). Role negotiation, stress, and burnout: A day in the life of "supernurse."

In Ray, E,B. Editor, Health Communication in Practice: A case study approach.pp. 275-300.

Madwa, NJ. Retrieved from

http://www.tandfebooks.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/doi/view/10.4324/9781410612779

Kalliath, T. & Morris, R. (2002). Job satisfaction among nurses: A predictor of burnout levels.

Journal of Nursing Administration, 32, 648-654.

Mackenzie. C. S.. Poulin, P. A., & Seldman-Carlson, R. (2006). A "mindful" way for nurses to

reduce stress. Healthcare Traveler, 14(5), 39. Retrieved

from https://search.proquest.com/docview/216612423?accountid=12154

Wright, K. B., Banas, J., Bessarabova, E., & Bernard, D. R. (2010). A communication

competence approach to examining healthcare worker social support, stress, and job

burnout. Health Communications, 25, 375-382.