Essay on Patient and Nurse Staffing

Submitted By vroberson
Words: 1130
Pages: 5
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Change Initiative
Grand Canyon University LDR 615
April 15, 2015

Change Initiative Many hospitals provide a variety of healthcare services. Nurses occupy a variety of positions within the facility. Each nurse is responsible for maintaining and upholding a contribution to the organizations. Each nurse serves a purpose and is responsible for maintaining the objectives written in their job description. Staffing is one of the largest and hardest parts of management. Staffing is the part of management involving obtaining, utilizing and maintaining the workforce. It is the process of identifying, assessing, and developing nurses within the agency. Organizations cannot run an organization successfully without adequate staffing throughout the facilities.
Need For Change Staffing Nurses throughout healthcare facilities has always been of high importance. Currently there are proposals throughout legislation that address the issues of nurse staffing. There is research stating with increased nurse staffing there is a higher rate of job satisfaction, and increased reports of patient satisfaction throughout healthcare facilities. Many hospitals base their staffing ratios off of the ratios put in place staffing committees. The staffing ratios influence their staffing grids based off of state and federal policies. Ultimately staffing requirements are based on the organizations needs.
Current Staffing Issue and Procedures The hospital I’m employed with has Nurse Staffing Governance and a Nurse Staffing Plan and Council. Nurse Staffing Governance is a set of committee members that are responsible for carrying out the laws and rules regarding in Texas as they pertain to nurse staffing. The hospitals staffing policies and procedures must: Ensure adoption, implementation, and enforcement of an official, written nurse staffing plan that is based on the needs of each patient care unit and shift based on evidence of patient care needs in order to provide an adequate number and skill mix of nurses that are able to carry out the needed patient care; Requires that consideration is given to the nurse staffing plan recommended by the facilities nurse staffing committee and its evaluation on an existing plan; Requires the use of official Nursing services Staffing Plan as a component in setting the budget; and Encourages nurses provide input to the committee to help them prevent retaliation. This governance receives reports on nurse staffing and patient outcomes, including the committees’ evaluation of the effectiveness of the official nurse services staffing plan and actual staffing semiannually. The Nurse Staffing Plan & Council are responsible for recommending a staffing plan, welcome input from nurses to develop, monitor, and evaluate the staffing plan, review, assess, and responds to staffing concerns, evaluate effectiveness of the plan, and submit reports to the hospital board. The council is composed of various members throughout the hospital. Individuals that serve on the council are selected by their peers and serve a term of two years. All information and data collected during committee meetings are considered confidential under the TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE 161.031 et seq.; TEX. OCC. CODE 303.001, et seq.; and 42 U.S.C.A. 11101, et seq. The Staffing plan will be consistent with regulations and guidelines established by the Texas board of Nurses and other regulatory agencies; reflect the current standards established by private accreditation organization, government entities, professional nursing associations and other healthcare professional organizations. The council will review, assess, and respond to staffing concerns expressed about the adequacy of staffing. All nurses will be oriented to the process of reporting concerns. The nursing staff may report concerns as they relate to staffing without the fear of potential or retaliation. At any point the nursing staff becomes concerned about the safety and
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