Nursing and midwifery workforce readiness during a global pandemic: A survey of the experience of one hospital group in the Republic of Ireland

AIM: To explore the mobilization of nurses/midwives in a designated hospital group in Ireland during a global pandemic. BACKGROUND: The recent global pandemic has resulted in the large‐scale worldwide mobilization of registered nurses and midwives working in the acute care sector. There is a dearth of literature reporting the mobilization of this professional workforce. METHOD: Mixed‐methods design using an electronic survey and facilitated discussion across one Irish hospital group. RESULTS: Eight of 11 hospitals responded to the survey. There was a 2% vacancy rate prior to the pandemic. Mobilization included reconfiguration of clinical areas and redeployment of 9% of the nursing/midwifery workforce within 2 weeks of the pandemic. A total of 11% (n = 343) of nurses/midwives were redeployed in 3 months. Nurses/midwives required re‐skilling in infection prevention control, enhancement of critical care skills and documentation. CONCLUSIONS: Three key areas were identified to enable the nursing workforce readiness. These are referred to as the three ‘R's’: Reconfiguration of specific resources, Redeployment of nurses to dedicated specialist areas and Re‐skilling of nurses to safely care for the patients during the pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: A centralized approach to reconfiguration of clinical areas. Redeployment is enabled by closing non‐essential departments. Hands‐on re‐skilling and reorientating staff are essential.