Current Health Management Issue - Report Example

Investigative Report on a Current Health Management Issue Contents Executive Summary……………………………………………………………… 3 Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 4 Differences between clinicians and managers…………………………………… 4 Background information on clinical leadership …………………………………. 6 Hindrances to successful transition……………………………………………… 6 Aids to successful transition…………………………………………………….. 7 Conclusion and Recommendation ……………………………………………… 8 References………………………………………………………………………. 10 Investigative Report on a Current Health Management Issue Executive Summary The national health care institution is one of the most critical institutions with significant importance to humans, considering that it involves the lives of individuals and mechanisms of making improvements on them. Ideally, national health care involves the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases in humans. As such, it is directly involved in the health of humans and, therefore, requires appropriate systems and individuals in place for the realization of success. Making a transition from the position of a clinician to that of a manager can therefore, be an uphill task as the change of roles has a significant impact in service in the industry. Based on such a view, the national health care institution has seen varied results from the transitions of clinicians to managers with some becoming successful while others failing to make progress in the shift. Based on such a perspective, the paper discusses the mechanics in the transition from a clinician to a manager in addition to the characteristics that may hinder of aid the transition process. Introduction The national health care system faces a number of challenges that require appropriate strategies in addition, plans to overcome such challenges. Such challenges include the means of driving up the quality of national health care in the system, make significant productive gains, and ensuring success in the implementation of government reforms. In order to overcome the above challenges successfully, appropriate structures and strategies are essential for both individuals and the organizations, most especially on the roles and responsibilities (Ham, 2012). For improvements in the national health care system, all the concerned parties must be involved, which include the staff, patients, and the board of management. The leadership and management today, requires overcoming the major challenges in the national health care institutions have three major roles to accomplish; improve the quality of service delivery in the national health care system, make efficiency savings and engagement of all the workers both at the national levels, and in the grassroots, for sustainable delivery and making improvements (Lynn, 2008). The paper will therefore, discuss the various aspects involved in the transition of clinicians to clinical leaders in the National health care system such as the differences between clinicians and managers, background information on clinical leadership, aids and hindrances to successful transition and a conclusion and recommendation of the appropriate measures of making process in the transition. Differences between Clinicians and Managers Numerous studies conducted on the major ways of making improvements in the national health care system suggest better ways of working rather than increased spending as a means of overcoming the challenges in the industry. Such a view is the greatest contributory factor in clinicians making transition into management positions. A manager has four major roles to play in an institution. These include planning, organization, control, and coordination. Management is neither a profession nor an act of science, as most people tend to believe, instead, it gets its definition from roles, responsibilities, and behaviors identifiable with a position (Begun and Dooley, 2003). As such, it requires certain skills such as negotiations, delegation, networking among others for success. Clinicians on a different perspective, have differing roles to perform in a national health care system. The roles include systematic planning, administrative work, and information distribution. As an aspect of self-conception, clinicians perform their duties based on their academic training and the current scientific evidence and studies (Kings Fund, 2008). Most clinicians have their primary concern on individual patients with a high appreciation for the social and professional status as well as the public support in effective delivery of service. For the success of any transition from a clinician to a manager, the above aspects are critical for better understanding of the tasks ahead. The positions of a clinician and manager differ significantly, especially on the roles and responsibilities as well as the mode of operation (Riff, 2008). Clinicians focus majorly on individual patients in their service delivery whereas managers have the full mandate of focusing on the different population groups and government agendas (Begun and Dooley, 2003). As such making a transition from a clinician’s position to that of a manager in the national health care system is not an easy task, instead, one has to have the right qualifications and attitude in ensuring success in duty performance. Other differences between the two positions include a clinician primarily focusing on service provision rather than costs, while a manager has to address all the national health care concerns depending on the available resources. Clinicians mostly work on individual and competitive basis, whereas managers work through the sharing of responsibilities and involvement of others (Powell and Wekell, 1996). Background Information on Clinical Leadership Clinical leadership has roots in the description of the role of nursing staff taking up leadership and managerial positions for the performance of the associated roles and duties; however, currently, a clinical leader refers to all individuals with clinical backgrounds taking up leadership and managerial positions. Effective leadership in the national health care system is indeed an uphill task and often involves greater challenges as compared to those in the private sector (Harris, and Roussel, 2010). In such a view, an effective leader in the national health care institutions must have the appropriate skills and knowhow in the delivery of service and make appropriate changes for the success of the system (Ham, 2012). Clinical leadership and managerial roles have greater responsibilities than the normal provision of treatment services to patients by most clinicians, and therefore, the low turnout of individuals in the national health care professions willing to make the transition to the higher managerial positions. Instead, the role of a clinical leader or a manager in the provision of national health care services involves a wider aspect of improvement of the quality agenda (Flynn, 2006). Hindrances to successful transition Considering the differentials in the two positions, it is evidently clear that making a transition from a clinician to the position of a manager faces significant challenges, which hinder the success of the transition process. As a leader, one is expected to have the right skills for the determination of a number of decisions involving a wide range of departments. The major hindrances towards the transition from a clinician to the position of a clinical leader or a manager include the conflict between giving priority to the organizational objectives rather than individualized objectives (Dunn, 2013). Clinicians’ mode of operation involves prioritizing on the needs of individual patients rather than those of the organization. On the contrary, a clinical leader’s job involves giving priority to the organizational objectives before that of personal patients. Such a difference significant works as a hindrance to the successful transition from a clinician to a manager. Lack of appropriate skills and knowledge in the different managerial concepts is another hindrance (Savage, 2005). An effective clinical leader requires absolute sound knowledge on statistical and financial matters. Majorities of clinicians lack financial and statistical knowhow on how to run the affairs of a national health care organization, despite their professional training (Gapenski, 1999). Such a perspective has therefore, proved to be a great obstacle towards a smooth and successful transition process. As already stated above, the national health care is a demanding profession as it involves the lives of humans. Establishing a balance between the administrative demands of a clinical leader or manager and the clinical responsibilities becomes a great challenge (National Health Service, 2011). The multi-tasking approach to operations, therefore, becomes the greatest hindrance to the successful transition. Reduced acceptance by former peers and colleagues also possess a great challenge towards an efficient transition process (Smith, 2000). Such include the major challenges faced by clinicians seeking to make transitions into managerial and leadership positions. Aids to successful transition The culture practiced in the clinical profession has brought about a negative picture and perception, especially in the manner in which clinicians carry out their duties and responsibilities inn providing national health care services to patients. The negative perception of the national health care system has necessitated the significance of change in the management and operative mechanics in the system. Based on such views, a number of factors that aid towards successful transition process have been developed to ensure the transition process remains smooth and successful. First, with the individualized attitude associated with clinical practice and professionalism, it is believed that clinicians would make better managers in the National Health care institutions, considering the fact that the clinicians understand major operations in the system (Lopes, 2013). As such, there has been an increase in the number of clinicians making transitions to the managerial positions in the healthcare system. Continual studies on the complexity of the current operational structure of the health care systems reveal a slow pace of transformation in the industry, considering that individuals who hold a majority of the senior managerial positions come from the private sectors outside the health care system. Such a view has necessitated the increase in clinicians’ transition into leadership positions in the National Health care system (Snyder and Mirr, 1999). Other clinicians have also made transition to the managerial positions as a means of promotions and advancement in profession. Conclusion and Recommendation Transition of clinicians to managerial and a leadership position is a complex process that requires appropriate strategies and mechanisms in order to attain success. As such, the process has faced substantive hindrance towards the successful implementation. Despite such difficulty, a significant progress has been evident and currently a good number of clinicians have taken up leadership and managerial positions in the National Health care system. The transition process of clinicians to leadership roles in National Health care system has contributed significantly towards the improvement of service delivery, and, therefore, it has been an aspect of substantive importance. Therefore, to increase the number of clinicians making transition, it is important that clinical institutions incorporate managerial courses to equip all the professional clinicians with the appropriate skills of leadership for effective leadership. References Begun J, Dooley K, BZ. (2003). Healthcare organisations as complex adaptive systems. In Mick SM, WM, Advances in Healthcare Management. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Dunn, A. (2013). 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