Health Systems Administration SLPs - Essay Example

g White Americans, prejudicial attitudes toward minorities remain more common than not, as over half to three quarters believe that relative to whites, minorities – particularly Africa Americans are less intelligent, more prone to violence, and prefer to live off welfare (Bobo, 2001, as quoted by Smedley, 2003). This discrimination often translates to how health care professionals relate to their patients, with whites often giving preferential treatment to fellow whites and being less solicitous of Blacks and other ethnic minorities.

Socioeconomic factors are factors that pertain to the economic status of the patient and economic factors that affect availability and accessibility of health services. This factor is sometimes seen in the thousands of patients without health insurance and those who cannot afford to pay for their medical bills. Socioeconomic factors eventually affect the delivery of health care services as seen in hospitals unable to afford the hiring of more medical personnel or unable to purchase medical equipment.

The last factor affecting the delivery of health care is personnel shortage. At present, the United States is experiencing nursing and other medical personnel shortage. For nurses alone, National Surveys revealed that in the year 2006, 2.6 million full-time practicing RNs were needed nationally. Personnel shortage affects health care delivery in the sense that fewer personnel available to care for patients inadvertently increases work load for available medical personnel. Possible work overload affects the quality of health services.

It also affects the number of patients that the hospital can accommodate. Hospitals cannot be compelled to admit more patients if they know they cannot care for them. As a manager, I would deal with racial/ethnic factors in the workplace by setting a good example. As manager, at times, I am asked to deal with hiring manpower or personnel. In these instances, I will consciously monitor