Healthcare Personnel Shortage Paper
Healthcare Personnel Shortage
Julienne Auguste
HCS/427 HR PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN HEALTH CARE
DEIDRA JOHNSON
February 20, 2011
The medical-surgical unit of ABC hospital is a 52 bed unit divided into three nursing stations. The unit provides care for medical/surgical adult and geriatric patients on various stages of recuperation from diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical interventions. Staffing levels are based on accurate calculation of the volume of patients occupying a bed. Lately the hospital has been experiencing a shortage in staffing of all positions; registered nurses, license practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, technical staff and orderlies. The problem has escalated to a critical level in recent …show more content…
weeks. As a result of this insufficient staffing, stress levels are elevated to the point of impacting job satisfaction. Employees are often overworked by putting in longer hours to make up for the lack of adequate personnel. This practice has taken a toll on employee morale. The hospital is concerned that the quality of patient care may be compromised in the process.
In addition, the sustained shortage over the past few weeks has caused an increase in personnel cost, decrease in efficiency and job satisfaction in the organization as a whole.
The hospital has been forced to transfer some of their patients to other nearby hospitals and ambulatory care settings better equipped to handle the flow. These steps are implemented to avoid possible legal and regulatory issues that may arise should a tired and overworked employee drop the ball that negatively impacts a patient. Unless the well-defined plan is developed as soon as possible to stem this matter, the loss of revenue will continue which may result in the facility closing its doors for …show more content…
good.
Medical personnel shortage is a problem not only for ABC hospital but the entire country as a whole. Unless a thoroughly devised blueprint is created, the shortage will have great consequences. This is a problem that is likely to continue for several reasons. At the top of the list is our aging population. According to the American Nursing Association, the average age of the RN population in 2004 was estimated to be older than 46 years of age. “The nation is facing an impending shortage of nurses, which is expected to peak by 2020” (ANA, 2010). To remedy the situation and keep an eye on future staffing needs of the facility, the board of directors has created a task force to develop a plan of action to address this problem before irreparable damage is done.
The plan has been developed to look at a number of remedies including taking a second look at the entire workforce of ABC hospital, in the hopes of manipulating the numbers for better allocation of current employees, using a logical framework approach.
An outline with details of the strategic planning process clearly defined to include provisions geared toward increasing retention of current staff employees, provide hospital education and training for nursing personnel, as well as training for entry level employees, recruitment of qualified workers, create employment-based incentive packages, promote employee relation initiatives, and finally, to evaluate and measure outcomes.
The workforce developmental program will be funded through savings and cutbacks from the effort of all employees. The cost saving plan includes ideas to reduce current expenditures throughout the facility. These ideas include limiting unnecessary office supplies in the inventory, the taskforce also developed funding criteria for and application guidelines for the implementation of all facets of the plan.
Employee
Retention
Effective employee retention efforts will ensure that talented and knowledgeable workers remain with the organization for the maximum period of time. Employee longevity is one of the most critical components to ensure the survival of any business, especially in the medical field where patient satisfaction is of the utmost importance for the survival of the business. Having seasoned workers caring for the patients may provide added assurance that they’re receiving the best of care. Very important to accomplish this goal is to create an environment that fosters job satisfaction. The plan provides specific policies and practices to address the diverse employee needs. “The development and implementation of strategies to keep employees happy and routinely engaged in the organization are the basis for any successful retention program” (Ortega, 2006). Employees have a voice in the decision making process that will help create an environment comfortable for each team individually.
The work environment has a direct impact on employee retention. Job satisfaction has been known to largely be responsible for the success and failure of businesses around the globe. Now more than ever, with the sustained shortage of healthcare workers, it is vital to focus more resources to job satisfaction and employee retention strategies. This problem is only going to escalate because of the aging population that will require more medical care and the aging population of nurses reaching retirement age, who will be leaving the workforce. Employee job satisfaction can be influenced by a number of factors from the design and furniture placement, to the quality of work the individual worker is able to produce and the level of interaction with co-workers and the management team.
Education and Training
In addition, the plan includes hospital-based training programs through workshops, seminars, and intranet-based sessions. This program is tailored to offer career advancement opportunities to qualified nurses and other staff members who wish to expand their career to more specialized areas such as the operating room, the critical care, and neonatal units. The training classes will last just a few months in a hybrid format that combine lectures with home study, hands on experience and labs.
This program is a way to provide opportunity for professional growth and development of existing employees and to make room for new recruits. For nurses not looking to make any changes to their current positions, other educational sessions will be made available emphasizing practical skill set used to diagnose and treat various medical conditions; especially caring for patients recovering from major surgeries. Keeping the staff abreast of pertinent changes current healthcare delivery procedures will build confidence in their ability to provide optimal care.
Recruitment
There are a number of recruitment strategies that can help fill the gap fairly quickly. One of those strategies is to hire former employees who might have resigned to pursue further education or career goals. Such employees may be even more valuable the second time around. Not only they are well trained on the company’s expectations, having had first-hand experience in the quality of their job performance takes the guessing game out of those apprehensions that may exists when hiring an unknown to join the team. The plan also provides suggestion for working closely with local educational programs; distribute literature about the facility to the graduating classes. We will also dedicate time for hospital representatives to participate at career fairs being sponsored by the schools.
Recruitment of new employees in itself can be quite costly. To lessen the load and leave room to include Incentive packages, the plan proposes a look into different ways that the cost of hiring new employees can be reduced. To do so, we will first have a clear profile of the ideal worker to fill each position. This profile is firm and non-negotiable. Deviation from the preset guidelines may end-up costing more money in the future. Next step is to create a comprehensive screening test pertinent to each position, to make sure the candidate has the basic skill set for the position. Once it is confirmed that the employee meets the basic criteria, further training will complete the package. We will also look at other areas of the facility for possible employee transfer from once subdivision to another, sort of hire from within, which may be the ideal option. Existing employees have many advantages over new recruits.
Evaluate and Measure Outcome
The last step is to evaluate the results and make sure the outcome is what we were aiming for. In evaluation process allows us to tweak the procedures and remove any unnecessary steps that might have hindered the progression of things. Just as we revise everything we do in our personal lives and make adjustments as we go to help reach our goals, same goes in business. No matter how much time and energy we put into the project to make sure we made the right decisions, there is no way to be sure we made all the right choices until we measure the results. This is the only way to be sure it was all worth the effort.
This step can be designed in a way that does not become too costly. The steps to evaluate and measure outcomes can be fairly simple and cost effective, depending on the number of questions being asked and the importance of the accuracy of the answers. The size of the company also plays an important role in the amount of money needed to complete the process.
Conclusion
Developing and implementing a plan to address the personnel shortage at ABC hospital is a relatively straightforward endeavor. Once we have addressed the key components which include employee retention, education and training as well as recruitment, the last step which may be the most important of all is to make sure the plan is effective. The end result needs to be one that creates a situation that can alleviate financial loss and stresses that the employee shortage has created for the employees of ABC hospital. The bottom line is to end up with a systemic and informed approach that addresses the key elements to resolve the issue.
Reference
Ortega, D. (2006). Invest in Employee Satisfaction for Successful Recruitment and Retention. Benefits & Compensation Digest, 43(5), 16.Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
JULIE MARQUIS. (1998, January 16). Shortage of Nurses Hurts at Hospitals; Health: Lack of RNs with specialty training is acute in state, though not in O.C. Flu epidemic makes matters worse, officials say :[Orange County Edition]. Los Angeles Times,p. 3. Retrieved February 24, 2011, from Los Angeles Times. (Document ID: 25424763).
Julienne Auguste
HCS/427 HR PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN HEALTH CARE
DEIDRA JOHNSON
February 20, 2011
The medical-surgical unit of ABC hospital is a 52 bed unit divided into three nursing stations. The unit provides care for medical/surgical adult and geriatric patients on various stages of recuperation from diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical interventions. Staffing levels are based on accurate calculation of the volume of patients occupying a bed. Lately the hospital has been experiencing a shortage in staffing of all positions; registered nurses, license practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, technical staff and orderlies. The problem has escalated to a critical level in recent …show more content…
weeks. As a result of this insufficient staffing, stress levels are elevated to the point of impacting job satisfaction. Employees are often overworked by putting in longer hours to make up for the lack of adequate personnel. This practice has taken a toll on employee morale. The hospital is concerned that the quality of patient care may be compromised in the process.
In addition, the sustained shortage over the past few weeks has caused an increase in personnel cost, decrease in efficiency and job satisfaction in the organization as a whole.
The hospital has been forced to transfer some of their patients to other nearby hospitals and ambulatory care settings better equipped to handle the flow. These steps are implemented to avoid possible legal and regulatory issues that may arise should a tired and overworked employee drop the ball that negatively impacts a patient. Unless the well-defined plan is developed as soon as possible to stem this matter, the loss of revenue will continue which may result in the facility closing its doors for …show more content…
good.
Medical personnel shortage is a problem not only for ABC hospital but the entire country as a whole. Unless a thoroughly devised blueprint is created, the shortage will have great consequences. This is a problem that is likely to continue for several reasons. At the top of the list is our aging population. According to the American Nursing Association, the average age of the RN population in 2004 was estimated to be older than 46 years of age. “The nation is facing an impending shortage of nurses, which is expected to peak by 2020” (ANA, 2010). To remedy the situation and keep an eye on future staffing needs of the facility, the board of directors has created a task force to develop a plan of action to address this problem before irreparable damage is done.
The plan has been developed to look at a number of remedies including taking a second look at the entire workforce of ABC hospital, in the hopes of manipulating the numbers for better allocation of current employees, using a logical framework approach.
An outline with details of the strategic planning process clearly defined to include provisions geared toward increasing retention of current staff employees, provide hospital education and training for nursing personnel, as well as training for entry level employees, recruitment of qualified workers, create employment-based incentive packages, promote employee relation initiatives, and finally, to evaluate and measure outcomes.
The workforce developmental program will be funded through savings and cutbacks from the effort of all employees. The cost saving plan includes ideas to reduce current expenditures throughout the facility. These ideas include limiting unnecessary office supplies in the inventory, the taskforce also developed funding criteria for and application guidelines for the implementation of all facets of the plan.
Employee
Retention
Effective employee retention efforts will ensure that talented and knowledgeable workers remain with the organization for the maximum period of time. Employee longevity is one of the most critical components to ensure the survival of any business, especially in the medical field where patient satisfaction is of the utmost importance for the survival of the business. Having seasoned workers caring for the patients may provide added assurance that they’re receiving the best of care. Very important to accomplish this goal is to create an environment that fosters job satisfaction. The plan provides specific policies and practices to address the diverse employee needs. “The development and implementation of strategies to keep employees happy and routinely engaged in the organization are the basis for any successful retention program” (Ortega, 2006). Employees have a voice in the decision making process that will help create an environment comfortable for each team individually.
The work environment has a direct impact on employee retention. Job satisfaction has been known to largely be responsible for the success and failure of businesses around the globe. Now more than ever, with the sustained shortage of healthcare workers, it is vital to focus more resources to job satisfaction and employee retention strategies. This problem is only going to escalate because of the aging population that will require more medical care and the aging population of nurses reaching retirement age, who will be leaving the workforce. Employee job satisfaction can be influenced by a number of factors from the design and furniture placement, to the quality of work the individual worker is able to produce and the level of interaction with co-workers and the management team.
Education and Training
In addition, the plan includes hospital-based training programs through workshops, seminars, and intranet-based sessions. This program is tailored to offer career advancement opportunities to qualified nurses and other staff members who wish to expand their career to more specialized areas such as the operating room, the critical care, and neonatal units. The training classes will last just a few months in a hybrid format that combine lectures with home study, hands on experience and labs.
This program is a way to provide opportunity for professional growth and development of existing employees and to make room for new recruits. For nurses not looking to make any changes to their current positions, other educational sessions will be made available emphasizing practical skill set used to diagnose and treat various medical conditions; especially caring for patients recovering from major surgeries. Keeping the staff abreast of pertinent changes current healthcare delivery procedures will build confidence in their ability to provide optimal care.
Recruitment
There are a number of recruitment strategies that can help fill the gap fairly quickly. One of those strategies is to hire former employees who might have resigned to pursue further education or career goals. Such employees may be even more valuable the second time around. Not only they are well trained on the company’s expectations, having had first-hand experience in the quality of their job performance takes the guessing game out of those apprehensions that may exists when hiring an unknown to join the team. The plan also provides suggestion for working closely with local educational programs; distribute literature about the facility to the graduating classes. We will also dedicate time for hospital representatives to participate at career fairs being sponsored by the schools.
Recruitment of new employees in itself can be quite costly. To lessen the load and leave room to include Incentive packages, the plan proposes a look into different ways that the cost of hiring new employees can be reduced. To do so, we will first have a clear profile of the ideal worker to fill each position. This profile is firm and non-negotiable. Deviation from the preset guidelines may end-up costing more money in the future. Next step is to create a comprehensive screening test pertinent to each position, to make sure the candidate has the basic skill set for the position. Once it is confirmed that the employee meets the basic criteria, further training will complete the package. We will also look at other areas of the facility for possible employee transfer from once subdivision to another, sort of hire from within, which may be the ideal option. Existing employees have many advantages over new recruits.
Evaluate and Measure Outcome
The last step is to evaluate the results and make sure the outcome is what we were aiming for. In evaluation process allows us to tweak the procedures and remove any unnecessary steps that might have hindered the progression of things. Just as we revise everything we do in our personal lives and make adjustments as we go to help reach our goals, same goes in business. No matter how much time and energy we put into the project to make sure we made the right decisions, there is no way to be sure we made all the right choices until we measure the results. This is the only way to be sure it was all worth the effort.
This step can be designed in a way that does not become too costly. The steps to evaluate and measure outcomes can be fairly simple and cost effective, depending on the number of questions being asked and the importance of the accuracy of the answers. The size of the company also plays an important role in the amount of money needed to complete the process.
Conclusion
Developing and implementing a plan to address the personnel shortage at ABC hospital is a relatively straightforward endeavor. Once we have addressed the key components which include employee retention, education and training as well as recruitment, the last step which may be the most important of all is to make sure the plan is effective. The end result needs to be one that creates a situation that can alleviate financial loss and stresses that the employee shortage has created for the employees of ABC hospital. The bottom line is to end up with a systemic and informed approach that addresses the key elements to resolve the issue.
Reference
Ortega, D. (2006). Invest in Employee Satisfaction for Successful Recruitment and Retention. Benefits & Compensation Digest, 43(5), 16.Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
JULIE MARQUIS. (1998, January 16). Shortage of Nurses Hurts at Hospitals; Health: Lack of RNs with specialty training is acute in state, though not in O.C. Flu epidemic makes matters worse, officials say :[Orange County Edition]. Los Angeles Times,p. 3. Retrieved February 24, 2011, from Los Angeles Times. (Document ID: 25424763).