The process of staffing a hospital is an important matter because it has tremendous effects on the quality of care and patient health outcomes. Hospitals with good staffing ratios generally record better patient health outcomes compared to the hospitals with poor staffing ratios. Hospitals with low staffing levels have a high rate of bad patient health outcomes and experience high levels of preventable diseases like pneumonia, shock, cardiac arrest and urinary tract infections (Ramey & Sefani, 2010).
Staffing is always a costly feature in a hospitals budget. The justification of staffing needs in health care settings is based on the number of patients, the list of activities that are performed on the patient that need to be considered in the entry in the budget and the hospital standards of care (Joint Commission Resources ,2007).
The factors that will determine the composition of the staffing for the health care project are the number of patients, the services to be offered at the hospital and the specific patient functions that the hospital needs to perform on its patients. The staff required for the Operationalization of the hospital includes,
1) A hospital manager (one position)
The hospital manager acts as the business manager or the chief executive officer of a hospital. The hospital manager is responsible for watching over the day-to-day activities of a hospital. The hospital manager coordinates the setting of the priorities for the hospital (Simone, 2009). Since the hospital is average, sized one hospital manager can effectively be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of the hospital.
2) Hospital technicians
Various types of hospital technicians are required to assist doctors, nurses and hospital administrators in the provision of care.
The technicians that are required at the hospital include,
Health information technicians
Health information technicians keep track of the health records of patients like medical history and insurance using coding systems and other specialized software. Health information they help keep track of the diagnosis, the medical procedures and prescriptions (Swanburg & Richard, 2002). The hospital requires two health information technicians; one for the day and one for the night shift.
Laboratory technician
Laboratory technicians conduct tests for diagnosis for planning the treatment of patients. They also collect and prepare laboratory samples for testing and operate testing equipment (Simone, 2009). The hospital requires two laboratory technicians: one to work during the day and the other to work at night.
Pharmacy technicians
Pharmacy technicians are useful in hospitals because they assist pharmacists in labeling, preparing medications and keeping inventory of patients (Ramey & Sefani, 2010). The hospital requires three technicians to simplify the process of issuing medication and alternating between night and day shifts.
Registered nurses
Registered nurses help families and individuals to promote health and prevent diseases. Registered nurses care for the patients in hospitals, coordinate the care of patients and provide patients with emotional support. Registered nurses are trained to degree level (Simone, 2009). The hospital requires 20 registered nurses so that there can be a reserve of registered nurses for alternating between night and day shifts.
Practical nurses
Practical nurses work in providing nursing care to patients under the guidance of the registered nurses and doctors (Simone, 2009). The hospital’s requires 15 registered nurses to be able to achieve adequate staffing for both night and day shifts.
Nursing aides and nursing attendants
Nursing assistants and attendants help nurses in providing basic care for patients in hospitals. They visit patients, move patients around hospitals and offer emotional support to patients. They also provide care to patients with physical disabilities and other health care needs. They usually do not hold any mandatory professional requirements to practice (Joint Commission Resources, 2007). The hospital requires ten nursing assistants so that they can be alternating well in the night and the day shift.
Secretary/administrative assistant
A secretary or administrative assistant performs duties like correspondence, typing and arranging for meetings. Secretaries also do bookkeeping, update websites and arranging travel arrangements (Simone & Sefani, 2010). The hospital requires two secretaries, one to work during the night and the other secretary to work during the day.
Receptionist
Receptionists are the employees that take up office and administrative positions usually done in a waiting area. Receptionists are needed in hospital to be able to welcome and direct patients answering from patients and directing patients to the appropriate room (Simone, 2009). The hospital requires two receptionists, one to work during the day and the other to work at night.
Doctors and physicians
Since the hospital will be operating on a 24-hour basis and serving a substantial number of patients per day, the hospital requires three full time doctors at the hospital facility.
Recruitment process
The process of recruitment of new staff at the hospital is not an easy one. The hospital has stringent criteria of making sure that it hires the competent physicians and other health practitioners that cannot put the lives of people in danger. The plan for the hiring staff at the hospital will be done in stages.
The first step is the preparation for hiring staff at the hospital. The hospital will evaluate its requirements of staff and then determines the positions that should be filed. If there are vacancies to be filled, the hospital management will grant permission for the advertisement of the vacant positions.
The next step is making a request for submission of applications for the position from various potential employees. The hiring process then begins with a medical recruitment team evaluating the potential candidates on three aspects, the possession of the required qualifications, their attitudes to work and the experience level of the potential employees. The medical recruitment team will also perform some background checks of the candidates to ensure that the medical staff backgrounds are very clean.
When a suitable candidate is identified, the employee will be made to sign a contract that binds the medical personnel and makes them responsible for their own actions. An orientation process is then carried out to familiarize the employee with the working processes and the culture of the hospital.
References
Joint Commission Resources (2007) Staffing effectiveness in hospitals. New York: Author.
Ramey, M., & Sefani, D., (2010). The Leaders Guide to Hospital Case Management. London:
John & Barlet Learning
Simone, K., (2009). Hospital recruitment and retention building a hospital medicine program.
New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Swanburg, R., & Richard, S., (2002) Introduction to management and leadership for nurse
Managers. London: John Bartlett learning.
