Staffing
Decisions made about staffing in any institution can have lasting effects on the quality of work done by employees, staff retention rates, and consumer satisfaction. Staffing functions consist of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and orienting staff. Scheduling, staff development, employee socialization, and team building are also often included as staff functions (Marquis & Huston, 2014, p. 37). Staffing is an important phase in the management process to keep hospitals running at their optimum potential. Many health organizations are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and client needs must be met. (Marquis & Huston, 2014, p. 335). The workforce and staff members employed at the hospital should reflect …show more content…
402). The managers use many tools and methods in order to determine proper staffing. Formulas are designed for adjustments and potential changes in order to mix around the staff and find an appropriate combination. Diversity is another huge factor, having ethically and diverse staff members are extremely important in order to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse patient population. At AMC, the goal of scheduling and staffing is to meet patient care needs as appropriately as possible. The master schedule is posted in the department and in Patient Care Administration no later than 1700 hours on the 3rd Monday of the current schedule (McClarigan, 2013). Shifts vary according to department/unit and are developed based on patient need. Staff schedules in the hospital are reviewed as needed to ensure shift patterns meet patient care needs and workload on the …show more content…
The manger is required to develop new and creative strategies to manage predictable and unpredictable situations. It is unlikely staff members call ahead knowing something traumatic will happen, it usually happens very rapidly and adjustments must be made quickly. An organization’s goal should be to build enough flexibility into staffing to ensure appropriate care is able to respond to the needs of the patient as quickly as possible. Core staff members on duty must be able to meet a wide variety of care needs. The team of staff members needs to be developed shift-by-shift and day-by-day to make sure the team is fit and prepared to deal with any crisis. In other words, the nurse manger should not be putting three brand new graduate nurses working the same shift. There must always be an appropriate mix of staff to ensure quality patient care on the units. At AMC, each unit has a staffing matrix that is used as a guideline based on the patient care needs and acuity. The matrix is based on the census and that coordinates how many directors, supervisors, RN’s, and LPN’s are needed to be on duty. The staffing matrix is a “guideline” but is used regularly at AMC to properly plan and provide for patients to achieve high quality