CHALLENGES FACED BY SAUDI ARABIAN NURSES AND POSSIBLE POLICY RESPONSES
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Abstract
Background Healthcare in Saudi Arabia is undergoing rapid transformation as part of the National Transformation Programme, which is part of the country's long-term goal Vision 2030. A shortage of competent applicants, sexism, a disjointed job market, an excessive amount of foreign workers, inadequate nursing school capacity, and a dearth of nurses in outlying areas are among the many challenges faced by nursing HRH. Putting forth an argument This case study summarises the findings from the Saudi Health Council's (SHC) and the Saudi Ministry of Health's (MOH) evaluation of the current challenges faced by Saudi Arabian nurses. We recommend that the Saudi government take steps to improve the nursing profession so that it can meet the needs of all Saudi citizens in terms of access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. In order for Saudi Arabia's workforce modernization initiative to be successful, there needs to be a more direct pathway for students in middle school and high school to enter nursing school. This pathway should offer a number of career opportunities, including postgraduate studies. In order to retain nurses, it is possible to make nursing a more attractive and family-friendly profession. Possible answers include reducing shift length, reorganising the nursing team to include more allied health professionals, and distributing duty through the use of locum tenens personnel. It is possible to build new postgraduate nursing curricula, improve current ones, and open doors for nurses to careers in areas such as quality, informatics, telenursing, and others. We must prioritise the development of rural pipelines and the allocation of incentives and increased compensation to underserved areas. Concluding remarks To implement these changes, the Ministry of Health (MOH) must work with other stakeholders in the healthcare system, particularly businesses. Human resource planning should encompass the whole industry, and nurse leadership at all levels should be strengthened.
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