Proposed project intervention on geriatric patients - Coursework Example

 Proposed project and planned intervention on geriatric patients in post-acute care setting 0. Introduction As seen in the research conducted by Harahan, et al (2009), the size of the aging population is expected to increase in the near future. With this thought in mind, it is almost obvious that the size and the structure of the healthcare personnel is also expected to be affected. It is also important to note a good number of these older patients live in nursing homes; a fact that explains that there is need to have adequate qualified healthcare professionals that would be instrumental in meeting the demands of the aging population in their remaining years. Borrowing from the previous studies that have indicated the need to establish a standardized testing that will determine the basic knowledge that can be used in appraising the competency of nurses in long term care setting, there is need to describe planned intervention on how to ensure that nurses have the basic knowledge prior to patient assignment. With this planned intervention, it will be possible to modify and develop better placement and preceptorship programs to the geriatric patients. 2.0. The organization 2.1. Description of the organization The selected organization, BT Hospital, is a hospital that has a Geriatric Department that cares for older adults in its South Dublin region. In the Geriatric Department, there is a wide variety of professionals that do various tasks ranging from administrative jobs, physiotherapy, social work, dietician and other medical staff. In the Department, a Clinical Nurse that specializes in Gerontology was appointed a week ago to deal with the growing number of patients in the hospital. The hospital dates back to the 1990s and ever since, it has been expanding its size and improving the services to its clients. However since the geriatric patients require fast and convenient care, the Geriatric Department in BT Hospital suffers a great deal since the nurses may be said to not being equipped with the required competencies, knowledge and the skills that may be useful in assessing and managing the risks that the geriatric patients may face within the care setting. In as much the nurses are qualified, they are very young and experience has been indicated to be among the finest ways of practicing acquired knowledge if a nurse has to become an expert in their field (Benner, 2013). 2.2. The organizational structure BT hospital The BT Hospital applies the Bureaucratic organizational structure that involves different layers of management that run from the top management to the lowest management. Yoder-Wise (2013) explains that bureaucratic organizations since bureaucratic organizations have different layers of management, the procedures in such an organization are very rigid and this structure rarely appreciates the need for change since the structure is so rigid and adapting change is extremely difficult. The decisions made have to follow an organized process as information has to flow from the top management to the bottom. From this description, it is arguable that bureaucratic organizations provide very little room for flexibility especially through decision making (Yoder-Wise, 2013). In the BT Hospital, the administration runs from the board, to the administration then to various departments that provide care such as Department of Human Resources, the Aging Office, Department of Mental Hygiene, and Adult Daycare Department amongst others. 3.0. Organizational culture 3.1. Analysis of the existing leadership and innovation cultures in BT hospital In the BT Hospital, bureaucratic form of leadership is the most prevalent in the hospital and more so in the Geriatric Department. Burton, Obel & Håkonsson (2015) explain that bureaucratic kind of leadership was existent in the past years especially during the industrial period when the authority was tied to the size of the firm, the responsibilities, the tasks in the workplace and the division of labor among different persons. In this setting, change was resisted on a great deal since there was specific plan that had to be followed. Since a bureaucratic organization follows a routine and standardization, Burton, Obel & Håkonsson (2015) indicate that in such a case, chances of predictability were high and the members of such organizations are always keen to follow the set procedures to avoid matching the demand. The bureaucratic leadership is unlike innovative leadership proposed by Grady & Malloch (2011) that motivates the employees in a particular organization to experiment with the existing processes so as to come up with new processes that would help improve the care offered to patients. 3.2. The organizational climate for change using frameworks from multiple disciplines Being a bureaucratic style of leadership, the organizational culture is different from other setting such as ones that adopt innovative leadership styles. One of the characteristics of the bureaucratic culture in BT hospital is one that is less inventive as the hospital has not invested in taking risks. The hospital expects its healthcare professionals to do their job in the same way they have been doing since the onset of the hospital, they get very little training; thus, their performance is not improved. This denoted one the key areas that need to be changed in the BT hospital, specifically the Geriatric patients’ Department. Secondly, Geriatric patients’ Department in BT hospital is not precision oriented. Burton, Obel & Håkonsson (2015) are of the opinion that an organization that places low value on attention to details is one that does not offer the best services to its clients. This yet another aspect that needs to change since geriatric patients are ones that need care; thus, there is need to change the hospital to put more emphasis on detail. Thirdly, the Geriatric patients’ Department in BT hospital does not emphasize on the outcome of patients after caregiving. This explains that the hospital does not motivate its employees to do all they can to produce results or achieve set outcomes. Lack of emphasis on outcome needs to be changed if BT hospital has to provide the best care. In addition, Geriatric patients’ department in BT hospital rarely organizes its work around teams but focuses on specific individuals in the department. This explains why the department complains of negative relationship between the healthcare professionals and their managers. Team work, therefore, needs to be fostered in the department if results have been achieved in the geriatric department in BT hospital. IOM (2008) writes that it has become extremely difficult to recruit and retain physicians that have specialized in geriatrics. The trend in the nursing program today indicate that geriatricians are not focused on pursuing recertification via continuing with their education since a good number of them do not see the need and the benefits of studying harder. 4.0. Points of expected and/or needed change in geriatric patients’ department in BT hospital In the Geriatric patients’ Department in BT hospital, change is expected in the innovation aspect since the department focuses more on the performance of the job not on improving the performance of the employees. Attention also needs to be put on details such as outcome of the patients and team work that would in turn put more value on positive work relations between workers. Most importantly, there is need to change the perception pf the geriatrics, and the perception of their programs. However, it is true that some of their schools are not fully equipped with the necessary facilities that would be useful in preparing these nurses for their future work on the growing number of the aging population (Odegard, et al, 2007). 5.0. Successes or challenges with change implementation Since the BT Hospital, Geriatric Department has taken a bureaucratic structure, the need to delegate nursing tasks may be faced with a lot of opposition, but in the long run, the management may succeed especially with consistency with this change. The management may also find it helpful to incorporate informal services as opposed to the usual formal care in the healthcare environment. This will improve the relationship between the clients and the healthcare professionals and in the long run set the hospital working toward achievement and not focusing on people purely. In a much the organization is bureaucratic, the management may also make the geriatric patients receive adequate care by increasing the administrative role of the existing nurses. This will help improve the outcome of the patients; the nurses will also focus on precision as opposed to when the management does a great percentage of the administrative work in the hospital. Since the department deals with aging patients and their needs are quite complicated, the department may achieve results through managing risks by assisting the involved persons through offering residential care. This may be faced by huge challenges since bureaucratic structures are very rigid and change is very minimal in such settings (Burton, Obel & Håkonsson, 2015). Most importantly, change may be found in this setting if there is a follow-up on the certification of the nurses, their experience and what they are willing to do to improve their current statuses. This will help improve the services offered to the geriatric patients since they will access the best services from qualified healthcare professionals. Despite the challenges, it is expected that the relationship between the patients and the healthcare professionals will be improved and the healthcare professionals will be well placed to deliver quality care. 6.0. Specific plan for creating a favorable organizational climate for implementing the proposed project Educational programs are vital in impacting change in an organization despite how small the organization may be perceived. For the proposed project to work, there is need to have additional training on the healthcare professionals on the need to improve long-term care if the aging population has to be catered for in the expected way. Alongside the internal training programs, the existing healthcare professionals may be urged to continue with their education so as they acquire recent skills that would be useful in improving the skills they already have and they may also understand the present licensure requirements that are mandatory. The nurses may also find out if their curricula has been modified especially with the changing needs of patients. These changes will also help the healthcare professionals become more innovative in their workplace as opposed to following the normal routine of care provision. 7.0. Conclusion In the BT Hospital, Geriatric Department there are critical gaps that need to be filled if the patients in the hospital have to access the specialized care that they need. As seen in the work, the hospital takes a bureaucratic structure that is rigid and rarely gives an option of change but followed the set routine strictly. However, with the recommendation of changes, the hospital is likely to change and even offer the best care possible to its clients. References Benner, P. E. (2013). From Novice to Expert. Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Patricia_Benner_From_Novice_to_Expert.html Burton, R. Obel, B & Håkonsson, D. (2015). Organizational Design: A Step-by-Step Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Harahan, M., Robyn I., Stone Institute For The Future Of Aging Services, American association of Homes and Services For The Aging, Priti Shah Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation & U.S. Department of health and human services (2009). Examining competencies for the long-term care workforce: a status report and next steps. Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/examining-competencies-long-term-care-workforce-status-report-and-next-steps Institute of Medicine ( IOM) (2008). Retooling for an aging America: Building the health care workforce. Board of Health Care Services, the National Academies Press. Odegard, P.S, Breslow, R.M, Koronkowski, M.J, Williams, B.R, & Hudgins, G.A (2007). Geriatric pharmacy education: A strategic plan for the future. Am J Pharm Educ, 71(3), 47. Porter-O’Grady, T., & Malloch, K. (2011). Quantum Leadership (3rd Ed.), Jones and Bartlett, MA. Yoder-Wise, P. (2013). Leading and Managing in Nursing - Revised Reprint. 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