Budget Measures, Personnel Recruitment, and Technology-Driven Measures - Essay Example

SIMULATION ASSIGNMENT - BUDGET MEASURES Before starting the simulation, I got myself acquainted with the page. It was user friendly and very easyto understand. I referred first to the suggestion of Chief Executive Officer Kazumi Tabata and then reviewed the Fact File and the Measures. With these facts and information in mind, I began to make decisions as ECC Administrator. Accommodation - Although only 100 rooms will be constructed with private balcony against 130 rooms without that facility, upon considering the preference of the three age groups, I chose to have the rooms with open porches. A breath of fresh air, adequate sunlight and a good view has been proven to have an affect on fast recuperation. A relaxing environment contributes to the well-being of a patient. Food - An External Caterer seemed to be a wiser alternative compared to an internal facility. An internal facility seemed too luxurious and could probably promote patients not eating on time. Aside from being less expensive, an external caterer would make the dining area more spacious. A larger eating area can house more patients so that they could eat together and thus promote interaction among one another. In the case of patients getting hungry between meals, the center still offers a facility for cooking light refreshments. Medication - Although much expensive, an Automatic Dispenser is more accurate. With the automatic dispenser residents can be traced they have indeed obtained their required medicine. And since they are the only ones who know their individual codes it is easy to check if they have complied with specific dosage regimen. Recreation - I checked Recreation Area, Library, and the TV Room. Recreation is essential to one's recovery from illness and trauma. The sports area will provide effective wellness and fitness programs for the residents. The upgraded amenities offered by the Library will be for leisure and also for learning process. A TV Room would be great for entertainment. These facilities will provide the patient with a "sound mind, sound body." I left out the Transportation because the residents wouldn't always be going out for a leisure trip and the two new vans can only accommodate 30 passengers and 12 wheelchairs. Perhaps renting transportation for occasional trips is wiser. Communication - I chose Dedicated Telephone over Internet Access because internet access is very expensive. If residents need internet services, they can access the web in the library. In addition, communication over the telephone is much clearer as compared to the internet Miscellaneous - I chose to install an Audio System because soothing music is proven to contribute to the wellbeing of persons in any environment especially in a health care facility. Improving the Interior Decoration will encourage the resident to stay outside the room and mingle with other residents. Social interaction is proven advantageous. But I left out Furnishing because it is unwise. Perhaps it is more appropriate for particular residents to furnish their individual rooms at their additional expense. My decision for the accommodation proved to be a good one as it caters the need of a larger part of the private payer population. The $3.3 million was wisely utilized for the expansion plan. With concerns to food, external catering was not a good decision. I guess I failed to consider the preference of the age group to flexible dining time especially when their families come to visit them. Medication through an automatic dispenser was also not a good decision. I should have researched more about it before preferring it over Common Inventory. Also it was unwise not to purchase new vans as these vans are aimed to provide the patients comfort while traveling. Anyway, I was right not opting to provide each room with a computer. The evaluation said that it was also a good idea to repaint the walls and provide the rooms and the corridors with paintings. I was also correct on deciding not to purchase new furnishings because it was very expensive and unnecessary. Unfortunately, installing high-end audio systems turned out to be a bad idea. There, I failed to consider the resident's individual music preference. I believe I have underestimated the simulation. I have chosen some good measures but I could have done better if only I was more careful and meticulous. Given another chance to play this phase again, I would base on the facts presented by information and not rely on my own knowledge and preferences. PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT For the reason that my performance in the initial stage was only quite good, I felt determined to be more thorough to achieve a better assessment in the next stage. This time, the challenge before me was to decide the best combination of personnel to enhance ECC's resident quality care in a cost effective manner. To my surprise, this stage appeared to be much complicated than the previous one. The suggestions of the Nursing Director and the Medical Director were quite easy to comprehend. What seemed difficult to understand are the many facts and figures concerning the information that have to be considered to assist me in the decision making. I had to read and reread them to get the picture. Since the action requires for additional personnel, there was no need (or possibility in the simulation) to decrease staff members. I took into consideration the suggestion of Terrie Carillo to only marginally increase the number of Registered Nurses and concentrate on hiring more Certified Nursing Assistants balanced by hiring more Licensed Practical Nurses. I also took into account Dr. Cynthia De Leon's recommendation of hiring more part-time Diet Aid personnel and Therapists. I first checked on the maximum personnel I can add for each profession. There were times when I exceeded the allocated budget for recruiting additional staff so I had to reconsider my mix of staff. I only added 5 additional RN's, raised the number of LPN's to its maximum hiring which is 10, increased the CNA's by 30, added 4 to the one Diet Aid, and an additional 6 to the existing 4 therapists (the latter two professions also being in the maximum level of hiring). My performance revealed that I have selected the right number of Registered Nurses to improve the quality of care provided to ECC residents. Unfortunately, I have chosen more than the required number of part time Diet Aids and Therapists. Upon receiving the results of my decisions, I realized that although there is a need to hire more Diet Aids and Therapists, I failed to consider the fact that the number of hours spent and required in dietary counseling and therapy is very low compared to the other services required by the residents. With these results at hand, I should have hired more CNA's and just adequately raised the number of Diet Aids and Therapists. TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN MEASURES I still have not lost hope and still expected to perfect this phase of the simulation. Again I read all the necessary information that would help me in my decisions. As in the previous phases, I kept my eye on the graph of the projected impact of my decisions. I found out that it was impossible to check all the measures even if I would have to choose the cheaper alternative. So I was compelled to decide on the best measures that would benefit the residents without going over the budget. Monitoring - I chose Manual Monitoring not only because it is less expensive compared to Remote Monitoring but also for the reasons that the survey says that residents prefer Manual Monitoring plus the fact that I have just hired 30 additional CNA's to meet the residents' required services. Emergency Care - Although way expensive in contrast with GPS, Companions is very much suitable for the types of patients housed in ECC. I also took into consideration the great difference of quality care with regard to GPS and Companion. Because Companions will replace CNA's, there will be a 35% savings in personnel costs. But since the budget is not sufficient, I was forced to choose GPS over Companions. Tele-Homecare - I chose Telephone against Two-Way Interactive Video. It is less expensive and yet caters to the objective of contact with the attending physician. E-Mail - The Automated Update seemed a wiser choice compared to the Manual Update which would extra work on the side of the Registered Nurse. I have no choice but to not choose Medical System because the budget cannot cover it. Anyway, that service can be compensated by the staff. I don't understand why the evaluation said that I have chosen few measures when I have only left out one measure and it was very evident that the budget made it impossible to choose all of them. Anyway, my performance was fair enough as I have made decisions that provide additional quality of care. What did you learn from doing the sim How would you apply what you learned to your current or future job The assignment was certainly a difficult task. At first glance, it seemed very easy. But as I began to play the simulation, I realized that it requires a great sense of responsibility and involves careful planning and necessary analysis. It was very important to be serious about the program and to really put myself to act the role. I view the simulation as a challenging test in executive decision making that will later be advantageous not only in my chosen profession but in life in general as well. Since I was just a newly appointed Administrator, I had to be cautious in all my moves. I carefully read and made sure I understood the instructions of the program. It was very essential to consider all the facts along with the recommendations and suggestions of my superiors which would mainly be the basis of my decisions. It was very important to act in accordance with the current goal of Evashwick Care Center which is to provide quality care to residents and improve its overall environment to enhance its image in the community. As part of the team, I had to direct all my actions towards ECC's present objective in order to heighten the center's competence against other long-term care facilities. It was also necessary to understand the condition of the residents so I always check with the Fact File, the Measures and the Projected Resident Satisfaction Index to guide me in my choices. Not only once did I exceed the budget allocation so I had to reconsider my decisions for the project taking into account the wellbeing of the residents without sacrificing the welfare of the center itself. I felt duty-bound to balance the enhanced services that ECC can offer with the budget that the center can provide. I learned that it was such difficult task to balance these things and even if I am the Administrator, I cannot just do everything I want. There were many things that I have to consider which was for the benefit of the two parties. I was very elated when I was commended to have made a good decision but I also underwent disappointments when some of my decisions were assessed as not good. I know that I could have done better if I had been more careful in my planning and meticulous about my choices. The positive thing is that the simulation provided the explanation for its assessment on my performance. I have acquired useful information and knowledge concerning health care facilities. It is my personal aspiration to offer my services to care for patients and the simulation was very helpful in providing a factual perspective in that field. I realized that I must possess many qualities and go through a lot of experiences that are necessary to be able to perform my best in my chosen endeavor. I learned a lot about responsible decision making and the implications of my decisions in a company such as ECC. Generally, the simulation is very challenging and learning experience. Read More