Nursing Education - Assignment Example

?Nursing A long term approach for narrowing a credibility gap that might exist between an organization’s HR department and its department managers A credibility gap results in lack of trust in and scepticism about claims and pronouncements. A credibility gap that exists between an organization’s HR department and its department managers make them talk at each other, past each other, and question the views of each other privately. One of the impacts of this is difficulty in nursing staffing especially recruiting and hiring qualified professional nurses during periods of nurse shortage. A recommended long term approach for narrowing this credibility gap is closer collaboration between the organization’s HR department and its department managers. Fallon and McConnell (2007) explain that a key aspect of this collaboration is assembling a group of personnel from both departments. The major function of this group is to review the nursing scheduling practices of both the departments, and replace the existing rigid practices that are currently used to schedule nurses, with creative alternatives. In addition, the new nursing scheduling practices must reflect the realities of the organisation’s workplace and the nursing marketplace. Basically, this approach will help realign the goals and values of the two departments to avoid pronounced differences. In this way, the two departments will be in one regarding the recruiting, hiring and scheduling of nurses and decision made on the same will reflect the expectations of both departments. When such scheduling practices are in place, there will be no acceptable reason for rejecting the application of a qualified nurse during the time of staff shortages. The most difficult part of managing employees in hospital settings and how to develop this skill The most difficult part of managing employees in a hospital setting is diversity management. Disparity in group affiliations that are most likely to affect the hospital workplace mainly involve identity, or cultural groupings based on national origin, ethnicity, race, and religion. Diversity could also result from the job-related functions, for example, the presence of hospital administrators and various healthcare professionals in one setting. If diversity is not managed well, it leads to the problem of “us” verses “them” in the workplace. A diverse workforce is critical in meeting the patient healthcare needs and thus diversity is a big issue where employees are required to work together. Such a situation requires that hospital managers should be highly skilled in turning employee diversity into a resource by creating an environment that works for all employees. In order to develop this skill, managers should be sensitive or develop sensitivity to cross-cultural issues in communication and values (Lenora, 1998). This will help them to deal with marked behavioral differences among various groups and develop ways of assimilating groups that seem un-assimilable. In this way, the managers will develop an inclusive employee management strategy and workplace culture that ensures that there is a good interaction among employees. The culture and strategy developed will reflect or at least accommodate to the greatest possible extend the expectations and values of the various workforce groups. This is very important in the development of successful work teams. The Importance of Transforming Nursing Education The idea of having an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression among nurses is important in ensuring an improvement in patient safety and quality care. Such kind of an education system will ensure that nurses are more competent in dealing with the current healthcare demands and the needs of the patient than before. In addition, it will ensure that nurses are able to respond to the changing trends of healthcare practices for example the use of technology. Nurses who have achieved higher levels of education are also more effective in implementing evidence-based practices that are meant to improve patient outcome, safety and reduce healthcare costs while increasing the efficiency of the healthcare system. In addition, higher levels of education will ensure that nurses possess a wide range of knowledge that will allow them to function well in interdisciplinary teams and practice under various healthcare settings without the need of much supervision. It will also improve their decision-making ability and reduce dependence on physicians that could result to delay in some decisions and consequently endanger patient life. An analysis of the global population indicates that demographics have changed with societies becoming more multicultural than ever before. At the same time, the current healthcare system and its professionals were primarily developed to deal with acute injuries and illnesses, a challenge predominant in early 20th century. Higher educational qualifications will therefore ensure that nurses are able to respond to the chronic diseases like mental health conditions, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension among others that are prevalent in the 21st century due to the aging population, high obesity levels and environmental pollution. They will also be able to respond to healthcare demands under a culturally diverse patient population, and changing demographics. Similarities and Differences between Positive and Negative Communication One of the characteristic of a positive communication climate is equality. A supervisor for example, views a nurse as being equally important and worthwhile and so they are open to suggestions from them. On the contrary, a negative communication climate is marked by feelings of superiority by some people and this makes it difficult for them to become receptive to the opinions and ideas of the other people even when their own opinions do not enhance performance and proper work practices. A positive communication climate is marked by the use of descriptiveness where the people express exactly what they have observed without labelling encounters, people or behaviours as good or bad. They also use complete information. For example, a supervisor who makes judgements on a nurse based on a complete analysis of all factors surrounding the performance of the nurse instead of screening information based on their own values. On the other hand, a negative communication climate is marked by personal biases and assumptions where some of the people draw conclusions before making a careful evaluation of the observations made or information received. They also share incomplete and biased information. There is empathy in a good communication climate. A supervisor, for example, could take the perception of life from the experience of a disabled nurse and communicate this perception. This way, the supervisor is able to understand the disabled nurse, and assign them duties without having experience with disability. A negative communication climate, on the other hand, is marked by lack of empathy. Ways of Encouraging Positive Confrontation and Conflict Management Conflict is a positive element of every workplace because it challenges people to think beyond their daily routines by bringing in variety of values, interests, experiences and lifestyles. In order to encourage positive confrontation and conflict management, nurse managers should recognise, thank and reward nurses who are ready to take a given stand and support their decision provided it does not work against the organisation’s mission. The nurses should also be encouraged collect facts and/or data for supporting their opinions so as to fully illuminate the problem. The organisation should eliminate excessive behaviour regulation and nurses should be provided with training in healthy conflict and positive conflict confrontation skills. In this way, nurses will be encouraged to voice and support their views constructively. Nurse managers should also create an workplace culture that encourages differences of opinions and, expression of concerns and feelings. They should listen keenly to both groups and, dig and get the compatible interests among the two groups because this normally lies underneath two incompatible positions. They should then communicate these findings. In this way, they will focus on the goals and values they have in common rather than their differences and will be ready to re-examine their own actions and standpoints (Heathfield, 2012). The organisation’s administration should also observe keenly to take notice when dangerous tension is building and the problem is getting out of hand. If this happens, the administrators should hold an urgent conflict resolution meeting with the conflicting parties. They should then facilitate smooth conflict resolution which should be done using good language. This will ensure that conflicts experienced do not extend from being work-related or between two groups into being an entire organisation affair and include personal differences. References Fallon, F. and McConnell, C. 2007).Human resource management in health care: principles and practice. Sadbury, MA. Jones and Bartlett. Heathfield, S. (2012). Fight for What's Right: Ten Tips to Encourage Meaningful Conflict. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/conflictresolution/a/fightforright.htm Lenora, B. (1998). The Diversity Advantage: A Guide to Making Diversity Work. Akron, OH. Oak Hill Press. Read More