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Background: The Coronavirus disease of 2019 [COVID-19] has drastically transformed the health care system. People are infected almost every day with COVID-19. Some of the people infected end up in the hospitals leading to overcrowding of the wards. Thus, the nurse managers are expected to ensure that the hospital and wards are well managed. The situation may be worse in rural hospitals where the resources are limited.
Aim: This study explored the human resource challenges experienced by nurse managers during the COVID19 pandemic, in the district hospital of Vhembe, Limpopo Province.
Method: The researchers followed a descriptive phenomenological approach. Data were collected through telephonic in-depth individual interviews from seven purposively selected nurse managers. Data analysis followed the seven procedural steps by Colaizzi.
Results: Results indicate that nurse managers had to deal with staff shortages on a daily basis. The staff shortage resulted from absenteeism due to COVID-19 infection or COVID-19 infected family members at home. Shortage of staff was also worsened by early retirement, resignation or death of nurses. The nurse managers ensured that the hospital remains functional by devicing means of curbing the shortage through provision of COVID-19 centred management and flexible allocation.
Conclusion: The study findings highlighted that managers has to deal with staff shortage on daily basis. The shortage seems to be worsening. The situation highlights the urgent need of improving staffing at the hospital and supporting available nurses in rural public hospitals to ensure that they continue to provide services. There is need for providing incentives for the nurses who are continuously risking their lives in ensuring that patients with COVID-19 receive care. This revealed a need for the government to provide continuous support to nurse managers, more specifically during a pandemic like COVID-19.
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