Challenges that the leaders of today’s health care face
Challenges that the leaders of today’s health care face
Choose two issues or challenges that the leaders of today’s health care organizations face. Select from among the following topics:
1. Staff Shortage (Physicians, Nurses, Allied Health Providers, Ancillary Services)
2. Reorganization in Response to Merger or Consolidation of Services
3. Layoffs as a Result of Declining Revenues
4. Influx of Registry, Part-Time, and Temporary Contract Staff
5. Poor Performance Outcomes Leading to a Reduction in Medicare Reimbursement Dollars
6. Poor Job Satisfaction Rates Resulting in Turnover
You are the manager of an ancillary service department at a large, 500+ bed hospital. Develop a proposal (800-1,200 words) that is directed toward your staff, in which you address the following:
1. Inform the staff of the two issues (from the topics provided) your organization is facing.
2. Describe the impact of these issues on your department.
3. Describe how improved communication, collaboration, and teamwork can improve conditions in your department.
4. Identify at least two examples from the required or recommended readings of techniques found to foster inclusion and improve communication and collaboration.
5. A minimum of FOUR academic references from credible sources are required for this assignment.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines
At present our organization is facing challenges that warrant attention and an action plan. These challenges include the current nursing staff shortage and incidences of poor job satisfaction rates that have increased nurse turnover. These issues are common to all healthcare facilities and are not unusual. However, the negative effects to both patients and staff must be addressed. Interventions to correct or at the very least, improve the current nursing shortage and poor job satisfaction rates must be implemented.
Departmental Impact
Nursing staff shortages have negatively impacted the department in nearly every aspect. Most importantly, there has been a decrease in the quality of patient care, with increased incidences of falls, HAIs, and decreased patient satisfaction scores. The nursing staff shortage is a primary cause of the current low job satisfaction reported by staff nurses. Low job satisfaction is attributed to increased stress levels. These are a direct result of the increased workload and tensions among patients and family members towards nurses who are unable to tend to their needs. Challenges that the leaders of today’s health care face
The aforementioned issues are not unique to our hospital. In fact, the current nursing shortage is extreme (“Hospitals Step Up”, 2018). It is expected that there will be over 1 million registered nurse job openings by 2024, which is twice the number in previous shortages (“Hospitals Step Up”, 2018). Additionally, hospitals in rural communities such as our own are disproportionately affected by the nursing shortage. These hospitals must offer nurses higher salaries and benefits in order to compete with hospitals in larger metropolitan areas, many of whom are linked to well-funded universities (“Hospitals Step Up”, 2018). To address our pressing issues of nursing staff shortage and increase job satisfaction among nurses, a proposal has been developed and will be implemented accordingly.
Communication, Collaboration and Teamwork
Fostering positive communication, collaboration and teamwork among staff is a viable solution to our staff shortage and poor job satisfaction problems. Job satisfaction rates will improve. This will result in decreased incidences of nursing turnover, which will improve our staff shortage issue. A sense of job satisfaction has been reported when staff works together as a team, along with the positive emotions that come from the realization that teamwork effort has made a difference to patient outcomes (Leach & Yeager, 2013).
Our organization recognizes that having adequate staff is an investment in the continued success of our hospital, and we take pride in the competitive salaries and benefits that are offered to prospective nurse applicants. In the meantime, we must encourage our current nursing staff to
implement the principles of team based healthcare into their practices. These principles include shared goals, clear roles, mutual trust, effective communication and measurable processes and outcomes (Mitchell et al., 2012).
Techniques to Foster Inclusion and Improve Communication/Collaboration
Teamwork and collaborative care can yield positive patient outcomes. Some of these include fewer falls, shorter stays and more morning discharges (ANA Staff, 2016). Ways that nurses can include communication and collaboration in their practices includes adopting a team mentality, and working together to care for all the patients in the department, not just the ones assigned to them. Nurses should also develop shared goals as well as clear roles. Shared goals means that nurses have the same priorities regarding the care of their patients, and clear roles defines the expectations for each nurse’s responsibilities (Mitchell et al., 2012). In addition, collaborative care calls for nurses putting patients first, making collaboration a priority, and encouraging contributions from all practitioners into the care of patients (ANA Staff, 2016).
Conclusion
Ongoing changes in healthcare result in challenging issues that are complex and can be
difficult to work through. Staff shortages and poor job satisfaction go hand in hand and are intertwined with one another. Many times our individual attitudes can have a profound effect on any given situation. Attitudes of teamwork and shared goals can make difficult work situations
easier to manage, and are especially relevant to healthcare. As nurses, we have an obligation to provide our patients with best care practices, while at the same time maintaining our own wellness. It is important that we realize that patient care is not an individual responsibility, but a team effort.
References
ANA Staff (2016). Collaborative Health Care: How Nurses Work in Team Based Settings. Nursing World. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/Content/Resources/Collaborative-Health-Care-How-Nurses-Work-in-Team-Based-Settings.html?css=print
Hospitals Step Up Recruitment Efforts to Address Nursing Shortage. (2018). AACN Bold Voices, 10(1), 20. https://doi.org/Retrieved from
Leach, F., & Yeager, K. (2013). What Makes a Day at Work Extraordinary. Nursing Management, 20(1), 16-22. Challenges that the leaders of today’s health care face
