The use of clinical support workers has the potential to create RN dissatisfaction, and hence amplify existing retention problems. Institutions creating positions for nonprofessional clinical support workers must generate specific policies and procedures for minimizing the dangers described above. A list of what can be delegated, as well as pertinent RN considerations, should be generated in clinical areas employing nonprofessional clinical support workers. Models involving the offloading of clinical tasks to healthcare assistants. The issue that arises is whether RNAs are more economical providers of direct nursing care than RNs given the difference in pay between RNAs and RNs and the productivity of each.
Further study is required.
Models supporting RNs as the most economical providers of direct nursing care. This unproductive time appears to be split between waiting to be told what to do next and being told what to do. Statistically, then, it appears to take two such support workers to do what one should be able to do, and every fifth RN just to give instructions to support workers. Since nonprofessional support workers have little potential for upward mobility, turnover may be high. Therefore, recruitment costs are a factor to be considered.