Dealing With Staff Shortage and Employee Burnout in Healthcare - Essay Example

Nursing leadership and management have become a necessity due to the emergence of environmentaltrends. A nurse leader must be familiar with the different theories and leadership styles. A nurse leader should be aware of healthcare trends, which might affect, the nursing practice. These trends include new technology, quality control, globalization and service based organizations growth (Likert 5). Change Process: Dealing With Staff Shortage and Employee Burnout in Healthcare Healthcare is a competitive market, and it is not accessible to everyone due to increase in costs (Eleanor & Phillip 1). This has called on the nurse leaders and managers to make decisive decisions to ensure that healthcare is accessible to all groups of people including the ageing, the poor and also children. However, nurse have been faced by changes including moving to a cheaper settings from a hospital care, new technologies, quality control and accessing care that affects decisions of a policy nature. As a manager of a healthcare facility, the problem or process to be changed will be the shift to the use of modern technology in the hospital. Change or enhancement in the healthcare facility is important and the driving forces include: Regulatory agencies This is a state disciplinary body that regulates the actions of nurses. Nurses should obtain written consent to perform any procedure otherwise they face a disciplinary action by the regulatory agencies (Cherie et al 114). Benchmarking This involves the comparison of several organizations that run similar activities. The outcome of the indicators is used to compare the performance of different organizations that are using the modern technology as well as those who are not in use of the same. The results obtained are used to address the areas found weak, and the strong areas are enforced (Eleanor & Phillip 3). Patient satisfaction The change process should better the patient outcomes. The technology should also try to cater for the needs of patients so as to promote patient satisfaction Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare organization (JCAHO) It is used to accredit organizations of healthcare nature. It also evaluates healthcare institutions so as to determine whether it is adhering to safety issues and including staffing levels, which will maintain, an environment that is safe for patient care (Eleanor & Phillip 132). Therefore, JCAHO will be used to evaluate the safety of the new technology proposed to the staff and patients. Timeline The attainment of the change should be measurable. It should have time parameters to minimize chances of time wastage. Time wasters include disorganized papers and even files, failure to analyze time logs and waiting for others (Eleanor & Phillip 118). Goals are beneficial as they provide a guide, they also bring about the time frame and also ways used to measure all the accomplishments. These goals can be short-term or long-term (Eleanor & Phillip 118). Management Theory and Leadership Style Management involves the accomplishment given specific tasks. Management is a task that is acquired something that can be learnt. It includes a number of principles which include division of labor, authority and responsibility, unity of command, unit of direction, discipline, centralization remuneration and equity. A manager has five functions including organizing, controlling, planning, commanding and coordinating. Leadership determines if an organization will succeed or it will fail. A nurse leader should use skills of problem-solving and knowledge so as to find solutions to problems of healthcare nature (Likert 4). Role Theory It involves assumptions of individual that define roles that are for others and themselves in regard to social reading and learning. They also present expectations about what roles that others and they will pay. It also tends to encourage others to participate within the expectations of the roles. Also, if they adopt roles they should act within them. Role conflicts may occur if expectations are not consistent with the behavior. The behavior and expectations are shaped by training, leadership values, modeling and culture informal and formal information within organizations (Likert 7). Role of a Professional Nurse -Care provider. Caring constitute sensitivity and knowledge of the factors that matter and those that are useful to the client. -Communicator. Effective communication will enable the client to express feelings that are internal. -Teacher. The client is like a student who is in the process of learning -Counselor. This will help the client overcome stress and develop interpersonal relationship while promoting individual growth. -Client advocates. This will involve pleading the cause of others. -Change agent. This is a person who initiates change or help others in modification of the system or themselves. -Leader. The nurse assists the client make a decision in developing and attaining of goals so that the wellbeing of the client can be improved. -Manager. This encompasses planning, providing directions, staff development, monitoring of operations, rewarding in a fair manner and representing staff and also the administration. -Researcher. This is practiced by nurses at doctorial, post doctorial and sometimes those at masters degree level (Cherie A et al. 14). Equity Theory This involves equality at work or work fairness. There are two forms of equity, and they include distributive equity and procedural equity. Inequity occurs when the ratio of person’s outcomes to person’s inputs varies with the ratio of others outcomes to other inputs. The perceived inputs in equity theory include education, social status, qualifications, organizational position and how hard the person works. The outcomes include pay, promotion, status, job security, satisfaction and fringe benefits. While resolving inequity, strategies followed are: change your outcomes, alter your inputs, adjust the other person’s outcomes and then inputs, comparison with someone else, rationalizing of inequity and then leaving. This theory has got several problems including weight variables are difficult since they are dependent on perception of an individual, there are levels of individual tolerance, in case of inequality people behave differently, and your response will be moderated by the explanation of inequality. The management should understand that incidences of inequality can generate tension. Where there is limited actual inequality, tension may also occur. The management should provide accurate information concerning rewards as this is extremely important. The change process to new technology will enable the creation of personal health records whose purpose would be to track medications, recording of medical interventions and updating of medical information. It will also involve the use of more emerging technologies such as point-of-care systems, devices that are hand-held and robots (Eleanor & Phillip 146). Summary The change process will involve the hard work of nurse managers and leaders whereby they deliver their services effectively. For nurse leaders to succeed in coping with these changes, they should be able to undertake roles which are demonstrating competences such as master of technology, problem solver, change maker, ambassador, team player and a great communicator (Likert 5). Knowledge of management theory and leadership styles, motivation theories and also their application is critical in support of the proposed change process in professional nursing practice. Works Cited Cherie A, Mekonen A. Hussen and Shimelse T, Introduction to Professional Nursing and Ethics. Addis Ababa: EPHTI, 2005. Print. Eleanor J. Sullivan and Phillip J. Decker, Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing, Seventh Edition. New Jersey: Person Education, inc, 2009. Print. Likert R, Theories of leadership and management. Syque: Jones and Bartlet Publishers, 1967. Read More