Week 2 Discussion: LEADERSHIP IN A DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Week 2 Discussion: LEADERSHIP IN A DIVERSE COMMUNITY
The arrangement of staff in an organization defines work efficiency. Employees have the potential to meet goals set by an organization. The need to mix employees impacts work output and sharing information that would heighten the service delivery (Ocho et al., 2020). The purpose of this discussion is to determine how well the clinical setting staffs its units.
System Used To Determine Staffing
Technology has been driving the staffing system in my unit. The organization used Intelligent Medical Software (IMS) that covers every aspect of the patient care delivery process. The system organizes staff on their areas of expertise with every employee slotted in the unit to meet the core values. This system has played an important role in mixing employees and ensuring that each employee performs a task suited to do.
The Patient Classification System
The Patient Classification System (PCS) is the system used to classify patients in healthcare. My organization uses the prototype evaluation system where patients are grouped into five different categories. The first category is are those patients with non-chronic, episodic disease or disability. The second category is those with chronic illnesses who need high-level care to achieve their health goals. The third category is chronic patients out of danger and needs high-level functioning to live a healthy life. The fourth category is those with chronic illness and can receive treatment at home (Ocho et al., 2020). The last category is patients with an end-stage illness where care given defines their safety. The system is commercial and not developed by the hospital but can be applied by any health care unit with a wide range of patients.
Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
Our nurse-to-patient ratio 1:4. This ratio implies that one nurse takes care of four patients every time they are on duty. The typical nurse-to-patient ratio should be 1:2 or even fewer for effective quality of service delivery in health care. Our health care unit has a higher ratio that increases fatigue among nurses and causes stress for nurses at work.
Staff Mix
The grouping of nurses in our unit aligns with the skilled nurses. The technical nurses and practical nurses have different skills that have an objective role in the unit. Therefore, each department has a mixture of nurses with technical and practical skills to meet the quality goals of the unit. Our unit utilizes LPNs to work closely with RNs to meet the needs of the health care. The role of LPNs in the unit has been extensive in ensuring that each patient receives the care that aligns with their conditions. The LPNs perform routine assessments and monitor patients in the unit. The unit utilizes the work of the non-licensed personnel, where their role is mainly to document, report clinical and treatment information and observe.
Cross-Training of Staff
The nurses in my health care unit have the skills to occupy multiple positions in health care. The role of the nurse is wide, and it forms a major pillar in the nursing department. The basic knowledge that nurses receive from colleges does not suffice to prepare the nurses to work in a health care department. The learning from the medical schools’ trains nurses on the theoretical aspect of the work they will be doing in the field (Ocho et al., 2020). I believe that nurse practitioners’ training in the field plays an important role in health care. The management of health care units has a better functioning system that prepares nurses to face any medical situation that might face them in the line of duty.
Week 2 Discussion: LEADERSHIP IN A DIVERSE COMMUNITY Conclusion
Clinical staffing in our health care unit has been the main reason behind the improved quality of health care. Nurses that can attend to many health care situations provide the management with the most comprehensive solution to numerous problems facing patients in a health care institution.
Week 2 Discussion: LEADERSHIP IN A DIVERSE COMMUNITY References
Ocho, O. N., Wheeler, E., Sheppard, C., Caesar‐Greasley, L. A., Rigby, J., & Tomblin Murphy, G. (2020). Nurses’ preparation for transitioning into positions of leadership—A Caribbean perspective. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(6), 1356-1363. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13089