Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Competing needs arise within any organization as employees seek to meet their targets and leaders seek to meet company goals. As a leader, successful management of these goals requires establishing priorities and allocating resources accordingly.
Within a healthcare setting, the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are often in conflict. Mandatory overtime, implementation of staffing ratios, use of unlicensed assisting personnel, and employer reductions of education benefits are examples of practices that might lead to conflicting needs in practice.
Leaders can contribute to both the problem and the solution through policies, action, and inaction. In this Assignment, you will further develop the white paper you began work on in Module 1 by addressing competing needs within your organization.
The Assignment (1-2 pages):
Developing Organizational Policies and Practices
Add a section to the 2-3 page paper you submitted in Module 1. The new section should address the following in 1-2 pages:
- Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor (NURSE BURNOUT)
- Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor.
- Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics.
- Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples.
- Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In the healthcare industry, it is essential to ensure that the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are met without any conflict. However, with competing needs, it becomes challenging to allocate resources and prioritize goals. As a medical professor, I would like to provide an answer to the following question:
Question: What are the potential consequences of not addressing competing needs within a healthcare organization, and how can policies and practices be used to promote balance?
Competing needs within a healthcare organization can lead to various consequences, such as a decrease in employee morale, high turnover rates, decreased productivity, and quality of care. For instance, nurse burnout is a common issue that arises due to competing needs such as workload, staffing ratios, and the needs of the patients. If these needs are not addressed, nurses may encounter physical and emotional exhaustion, resulting in absenteeism, decreased quality of care, and increased medical errors.
To promote balance, policies and practices can be used to implement staffing ratios, provide education and training, and support employee well-being. These policies can promote ethical considerations by ensuring that patients receive adequate care and that employees are provided with a safe working environment. However, policies and practices may also have some shortcomings, such as limited resources or legal and regulatory constraints.
To address these shortcomings, policy and practice changes can be recommended, such as implementing flexible schedules, promoting teamwork, and providing incentives for employee retention. Evidence-based research can support these recommendations, and scholarly resources can be used to provide further support.
In conclusion, failing to address the competing needs within a healthcare organization can have serious consequences. However, through the use of policies and practices, balance can be promoted, leading to improved patient outcomes and employee well-being.
