The Quadruple Aim provides broad categories of goals to pursue to maintain and improve healthcare. Within each goal are many issues that, if addressed successfully, may have a positive impact on outcomes. For example, healthcare leaders are being tasked to shift from an emphasis on disease management often provided in an acute care setting to health promotion and disease prevention delivered in primary care settings. Efforts in this area can have significant positive impacts by reducing the need for primary healthcare and by reducing the stress on the healthcare system.
Changes in the industry only serve to stress what has always been true; namely, that the healthcare field has always faced significant challenges, and that goals to improve healthcare will always involve multiple stakeholders. This should not seem surprising given the circumstances. Indeed, when a growing population needs care, there are factors involved such as the demands of providing that care and the rising costs associated with healthcare. Generally, it is not surprising that the field of healthcare is an industry facing multifaceted issues that evolve over time.
In this module’s Discussion, you reviewed some healthcare issues/stressors and selected one for further review. For this Assignment, you will consider in more detail the healthcare issue/stressor you selected. You will also review research that addresses the issue/stressor and write a white paper to your organization’s leadership that addresses the issue/stressor you selected.
To Prepare:
Also read:
NURS 6053 Assignment: Personal Leadership Philosophies
NURS 6053 Discussion: Workplace Environment Assessment
NURS 6053 Discussion: Organizational Policies and Practices to Support Healthcare Issues
The Assignment (3-4 Pages):
Develop a 3- to 4-page paper, written to your organization’s leadership team, addressing your selected national healthcare issue/stressor and how it is impacting your work setting. Be sure to address the following:
Looking Ahead
The paper you develop in Module 1 will be revisited and revised in Module 2. Review the Assignment instructions for Module 2 to prepare for your revised paper.
By Day 7 of Week 2
Submit your paper.
The shortage of workforce in the health sector is one problem that continues to plague the United States. While Registered Nurses form the largest group of care providers in the country, their shortage persist as only about sixty percent practice in public hospitals. This shortage is projected to worsen further through 2022 with the current system of healthcare in the country (American Nurses Association, n.d.) owing to the anticipated retirement of the currently available workforce and advancing ages of baby boomers.
The quadruple aim has been promoted to improve the provisions of the tipple aim that advocated for improvement in population health, individual care experience, and healthcare cost reduction. The quadruple aim adds the improvement of healthcare provider’s experience as another objective to the triple aim (Valaitis et al., 2020).
In fact, Park et al. (2018) notes that it is possible to improve the providers’ experience by promoting the caregiver’s joy at work and providing meaning to their work experience. Therefore, the shortage of workforce can only prevent the achievement of the quadruple aim through enhancing nurse stress at the workplace.
Workplace stress will imminently worsen the already existing shortage of healthcare workforce. The increasing need for primary care due to the increasing prevalence of chronic disease necessitates balancing the nurse-to-patient ratio (Pittman & Scully-Russ, 2016). The inclusion of other strategies by other organizations has proved to be a great solution to the workforce shortage and workplace stress and emotional distress of nursing care providers.
My health organization is not spared by the low nurse-to-patient ratio. The recommended country average ratio of nurse to clients is 1:5 while in my organization, this ratio is lower in various departments. This has caused delayed shift reporting, increased medical errors, increased nurse fatigue, and deterioration in nurse’s mental health. While some nurses have transferred from the organization, others have increased their shift duration to cover for the shortage.
Workload stress has been evident through depression and anxiety among workers, workplace conflicts and incivility, and increased delegation of duties to other junior practitioners. Early retirement of some of the most experienced nurses has also been observed. This trend has also been encountered in nursing practice in some countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada (MacPhee, Dahinten, & Havaei, 2017). The ultimate consequences are compromised professional standards and constant depreciation in care quality.
Management of workload-related stress among nurses involves interventional strategies employed at the national, organizational, and personal levels. Herr et al. (2018) conducted a study on the long-term effectiveness of work stress management strategies employed among 101 male industrial workers. The study assessed the outcome of stress management on the subjects’ mental health and sleep quality at the end of the observation time.
The intervention focused mainly on alterations in reactivity to stressors at work, such as social conflicts, workload, work stress, and anticipatory reactivity. The study established that reduction in reactivity to social stress had long-term positive benefits on reduction of depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.
A study by Havermans et al. (2018), on the other hand, investigated the need for stress prevention strategies among employees and workplace supervisors in various organizational sectors such as finance, services industry, and health care. In this focused group discussion study, researchers guided 7 employees and 8 supervisors in expressing their experiences and opinion about their needs in work-related stress prevention. The emergent themes were analyzed and four main subthemes necessary to prevent stress in the workplace emerged, namely communication, social support, stakeholders’ involvement, and availability of preventive measures.
The national government should be at the forefront in preventing organizational consequences of nursing workforce shortage. The federal and state governments, through their departments of health, should empower nurse educators to train more nurses to cover for the deficit resulting from retirement and increase in nurse-patient ratio resulting from high care demand associated with increased prevalence of chronic conditions.
However, organizational strategies are also critical in curbing the impacts of increased workload such as work-related stress and deterioration in quality. Prevention of anticipated work-related stress and management of already evident stress requires input from the nurses and the administration, including supervisors.
Modification of workers’ responses should form the basis in managing work-related stress due to increased workload. According to Herr et al. (2018), modifications in nurses’ reactivity to stressors have long-term benefits in managing workplace stress. The reduction in depression, anxiety, and conflicts such as workplace incivility were significant outcomes following the implementation of workplace stress management strategies.
Proper communication strategies, the involvement of all stakeholders in creating a favorable environment, and availability of functional social support would confer more advantages in preventing work-related stress in situations of anticipated increase in workload (Havermans et al., 2018). The effectiveness of these strategies had been shown through evidence-based practice.
Work-related stress among nurses is a national stressor that results from increased workload due to low average nurse to patient ratio. However, the organizational impact is preventable through well-executed strategies. It is possible to manage impacts such as nurse depression, anxiety, and conflicts through the participation of nurse leaders and nurses. Such strategies can be very specific to every organization depending on the structural arrangements. However, the major concepts include proper communication and inter-stakeholder collaboration and involvement.
The healthcare institution is currently facing a deteriorating deficit of nurses and nurse managers, a trend that has been observed nationwide in recent years. This ongoing and escalating shortage of nursing professionals is unparalleled in the annals of modern healthcare (Tamata & Mohammadnezhad, 2023). Within our organization, seasoned nurses have exited the profession due to retirement or career transitions, leaving behind vacancies that the remaining nurses and leaders have struggled to fill (Broome & Marshall, 2021).
This challenge is exacerbated by the absence of nursing education opportunities in baccalaureate nursing programs and the lack of experience among potential candidates for these open positions. As Beitz (2019) note, the scarcity of academic nursing education programs in the United States has been a persistent issue since the early 1970s. The purpose of this paper is to explain evidence-based strategies to curb the nursing shortage and how the strategies can be applied to our institution.
The issue of nursing shortages has been a long-standing challenge, and its effects on our institution are reflected in various important indicators (Baker, 2022). Based on our internal records, there has been a 15% rise in nurse-to-patient ratios in the last year, resulting in heavier workloads and possible risks to patient safety. Furthermore, there has been a 20% surge in burnout and discontentment among nursing staff, impacting overall staff morale per the survey done three months ago.
Two reputable sources have provided insights into how different organizations are addressing the nursing shortage problem. The initial article, authored by Ma et al. (2022), focuses on “Innovative Staffing Solutions for Nursing Shortages.” It examines the impact of a newly implemented therapeutic staffing model at the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT). The article identifies several themes among the staff, including shift patterns, ward duties/workload, and morale. While the new model shows promise, it also highlights certain issues. The article suggests recommendations to enhance team cohesiveness, foster a sense of value, and strengthen professional identities.
The second article, published by NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. in 2021, is a report on national healthcare retention and RN staffing. According to this article, one measurable indicator of the severity of a hospital’s vacancy rate is the utilization of contract labor and overtime. The management should not perceive contract labor costs as mere operating expenses but rather incorporate them into the position control system. A more accurate understanding of the direct labor cost can be obtained by including these costs within the payroll cost line.
The scholarly resources provide valuable strategies that could greatly benefit our organization. One such strategy is the flexible therapeutic staffing model introduced by Kent and Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust, which outlines staffing levels for each service line and ward (Ma et al., 2022). This model emphasizes the importance of flexible rotas, career development for healthcare workers, and safe staffing through therapeutic models involving various disciplines. This model allows our organization to manage patient loads, especially during peak times, effectively.
Implementing strategies aimed at retaining employees, as suggested by NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2021), has the potential to enhance job satisfaction and decrease burnout within our nursing team. To enhance the financial performance of our hospital, it is imperative to focus on enhancing our ability to retain staff, addressing vacancy rates, strengthening recruitment efforts, and managing labor costs effectively. The establishment and maintenance of a high-quality workforce are crucial for successfully managing the challenges associated with staffing.
The healthcare system faces mounting pressure due to the growing general population and aging population, leading to a higher demand for health services and, subsequently, nurses. While these strategies have their advantages, it is vital to acknowledge the potential challenges they pose. For example, the upfront costs of introducing new staffing models or retention programs could put a strain on our financial resources. Additionally, resistance to change from current staff members could impede the effective execution of these initiatives.
One of the most critical challenges facing our organization is the shortage of nurses, which has a significant impact on our overall well-being. To address this challenge and ensure the smooth functioning of our operations, we need to adopt effective strategies that can help us attract and retain nursing staff. These strategies can be sourced from presented external sources.
Customizing these strategies to suit the organizational environment is also important, as it can help the organization achieve the desired outcomes and meet the unique needs of staff and patients. By investing in effective strategies, the organization can create an environment that supports the growth and development of our nursing staff, resulting in improved patient outcomes and overall organizational success.
Baker, D. W. (2022). Addressing the nursing shortage in the United States: An interview with Dr. Peter Buerhaus. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 48(5), 298–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjq.2022.02.006
Beitz, J. M. (2019). Addressing the perioperative nursing shortage through education: A perioperative imperative. AORN Journal, 110(4), 403–414. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.12805
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. Springer. https://books.google.com/books?id=jkC9DwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Ma, E., Kritsimali, A., Olby-Clements, B., Boyd, K., & Demirbasa, B. (2022). Innovative staffing solutions to nursing shortages in acute mental health inpatient wards. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 43(2), 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2021.1961331
NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2021). 2021 NSI national health care retention & RN staffing report. http://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf
Tamata, A. T., & Mohammadnezhad, M. (2023). A systematic review study on the factors affecting the shortage of nursing workforce in the hospitals. Nursing Open, 10(3), 1247–1257. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1434
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.
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
To Prepare:
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:
Quite often, nurse leaders are faced with ethical dilemmas, such as those associated with choices between competing needs and limited resources. Resources are finite, and competition for those resources occurs daily in all organi
Given the complexity of issues that arise in the healthcare settings, it is always important to handle the issues as they arise (Kelly & Porr, 2018). However, the effectiveness in the handling of issues is not always as expected due to the dynamics of policies that guide the healthcare systems. It is a gamble between economic balance, ethics, and the available resources. Business oriented organizations focus on maximizing profits without considering their resource viability. The business is also not hesitant to lay off individuals who are not able to cope up with the organizational demands. Thus, nurses end up being silent but express their misery through aggression which might adversely affect the overall performance of the healthcare facility. This paper discusses the importance of resource-need balance in policy making, examines compassion fatigue as one of the stressors that may impact national healthcare, and assesses the possible impacts and how policy may address the needs.
The policies in the management of the healthcare settings are not always as expected in some cases based on the resources available and the patient needs. For example, a policy that limits the number of nurses in a shift should always factor in the number of patients. The higher the number of patients, the higher the probability that there will be a need for more nurses. A disproportionate balance between the number of nurses and patients may lead to poor service delivery due to, among others, compassion fatigue.
Nursing ethics requires one to carry out their responsibilities according to the outlined principles of the nursing profession (American Nurses Association, 2015). However, it has not been possible to fully address the nursing responsibilities sufficiently with the incoming pressure from the assignment. According to Milliken (2018), nurses must not only consider the ethics of their practice, but also the overwhelming workloads that often characterize their work environments. As a result, the nurses become relatively restless, an occurrence that can significantly influence their performances. They can lose touch with the patients, resulting in relatively poor performance in terms of service delivery. Thus, in designing nursing workplace policies, one must consider covering both patient and nursing staff needs by evaluating the different problems they encounter.
Policies may work towards helping nurses and their performances. However, the approaches towards the determination of how most of the activities that people should consider at a time. The model of operation of a healthcare facility tends to define the degrees at which the service can be modifiable. Healthcare facilities that put more focus on the business aspects of the operations and focus on the potential profits that can be incurred are more likely to have a negative impact on the overall operations of the organization. Business policies silences nurses which leads to significant aggression which may lead to poor services to the patients and generally lower performance of the healthcare facility.
The problems that relate to the balance between policies and the available services can be managed if appropriate policies are put in place to solve the problems. For example, the policies can be service centered that ensures the quality of services based on the average performance of the employees. Having one work for more hours at a higher pay may not be effective in the health sector due to the high chances of suffering from compassion fatigue. Policies might reduce compassion fatigue by increasing the number of nurses attending to patients. The approach can also be improved by reducing the number of hours that the nurses interact with the patient.
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
Kelly, P., & Porr, C. (2018). Ethical nursing care versus cost containment: Considerations to enhance RN practice. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 6. doi:10.3912/OJIN.
Milliken, A. (2018). Ethical awareness: What it is and why it matters. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 23(1), Manuscript 1. doi:10.3912/OJIN.
You may think your current organization operates seamlessly, or you may feel it has many issues. You may experience or even observe things that give you pause. Yet, much as you wouldn’t try to determine the health of a patient through mere observation, you should not attempt to gauge the health of your work environment based on observation and opinion. Often, there are issues you perceive as problems that others do not; similarly, issues may run much deeper than leadership recognizes.
There are many factors and measures that may impact organizational health. Among these is civility. While an organization can institute policies designed to promote such things as civility, how can it be sure these are managed effectively? In this Discussion, you will examine the use of tools in measuring workplace civility.
To Prepare:
By Day 3 of Week 7
Post a brief description of the results of your Work Environment Assessment. Based on the results, how civil is your workplace? Explain why your workplace is or is not civil. Then, describe a situation where you have experienced incivility in the workplace. How was this addressed? Be specific and provide examples.
By Day 6 of Week 7
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by sharing ideas for how shortcomings discovered in their evaluations and/or their examples of incivility could have been managed more effectively.
My work environment assessment yielded 50%, which indicates a barely healthy work environment. I was not surprised by this result because of the turnout rate I experience at my facility. It is very difficult to retain employees because there is a constant shortage of nurses and nurse aids. The employees at my job lack trust in the administration. As rightly stated by Saleem et al (2022) “Incivility in the workplace is harmful to the performance of employees, and that trust in supervisors’ can help employees to perform well. The trust in the supervisor significantly mediates the incivility-performance relationship”
As a supervisor, I have witnessed a lot of disrespect at my job site from the staff and even from my colleagues. Recently, one of my colleagues was so mad with me just because I was granted annual leave for a month, even though it is my right. She was so mad to the point that she refused to come to work on Christmas day to relieve me from work, even after explaining to her that I really wanted to spend time with my children at least half the day on Christmas.
This situation was addressed by my supervisor after I called her multiple times to see if she can find anyone to come in to relieve me from work. She finally called back and asked me to ask another nurse to supervise the building while I go home. One issue I have with my Nurse Administrator is that she doesn’t respond promptly to calls or emails, especially during non-working hours. Sometimes, it is so exhaustive trying to reach your supervisor to assist in taking an emergency decision and they are not there when you need them, it’s so frustrating.
People talk about each other at my workplace to the point of writing up each other for every little thing. Won & Choi (2022), nurses’ experience of workplace incivility can increase their emotional exhaustion and decrease job satisfaction.
Saleem, F., Malik, M. I., Asif, I., & Qasim, A. (2022). Workplace Incivility and Employee Performance: Does Trust in Supervisors Matter? (A Dual Theory Perspective). Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 12(12), 513. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120513Links to an external site.
Won So Young, & Choi Heejung. (2022). Structural Equation Modeling of Nurses’ Experience of Workplace Incivility. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration, 28(4), 342–351. https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2022.28.4.342
A good workplace environment contributes to successful health quality outcomes and performances. Patient satisfaction, work efficiency, patient safety, and effectiveness of care are some outcomes that rely on the conduciveness of the workplace environment. Interactions among healthcare professionals are a major contributory factor in ensuring these outcomes are effectively achieved. Therefore, workplace civility can be used to assess a health organization to meet quality standards and ensure that nurses achieve professional and ethical standards.
My organization is a health institution that offers both preventive and curative health services. The organization employs nurses and other healthcare professionals of various cadres and experiences that interact together to facilitate a health system. Using the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory, I conducted a workplace environment assessment for my health organization. This paper aims to describe the outcomes of this assessment, propose theories and concepts to improve organization outcomes based on this assessment, review current literature, and recommend evidence-based improvement strategies.
The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory is a tool that contains a 20-question assessment using rated Linkert scale options for assessment of the health of the workplace environment. The higher the scores, the healthier the work environment. The highest possible score is 100, while the least possible score is 20. The overall score of the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory for my organization was 69. This was rated as a ‘barely healthy’ work environment. The poorly scored items were about communication with employees, employee engagement, employee retention, an opportunity for career and professional advancement, workload distribution, employee health and wellness, and employee mentorship.
Among the highly rated outcomes of this assessment were trust, respect, collegiality, appreciation of achievements, teamwork, collaboration, availability of resources for professional growth, and compensation. Two outcomes that surprised me were employees’ confidence in recommending the organization to family and relatives despite the low ratings in the health of the workplace environment and employees reporting a high level of trust and respect between the formal leadership and teams. These results were surprising because they portray some level of intrapersonal conflict among the employees themselves about their views of the organization.
There have indeed been few conflicts within the organization, and the few that have occurred have been solved amicably and effectively. However, some employees still believe that there are bare healthy civility practices within the organization’s workplace environment. The scores regarding employee wellness and self-care confirmed my preassessment expectations. The organization lacks well-laid-down strategies to manage employee stress. This was also evident in the workload stress scores, low employee satisfaction, and low employee engagement outcomes from this assessment.
These results showed that the organizational workplace environment health regarding civility is still barely healthy. According to Clark (2015), a healthy work environment requires shared organizational goals and vision, civility at the individual, team, and organizational levels, leadership, and civility conversations amongst all stakeholders. The results of the assessment showed that my organizational workplace performed better mainly only in items on organizational goals but dismally on other elements thus, the overall result was a ‘bare health.’ Using these results as the basis of assessment of my workplace health, there is evidence of the need to improve workplace civility and health.
Griffin & Clark (2014) presented a review of oppression theory. This theory relates well to the health of the workplace environment. This is based on oppressed group behaviors described by Freire’s work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in 1971. In this theory, a group of individuals who feel oppressed tends to feel marginalized and show certain behaviors that portray them as controlled by those they perceive to wield power over them.
Concerning nursing practice, this theory explains that nurses who experience workplace incivility lack control over their workplace environment, making them vulnerable to oppressed group behaviors (Griffin & Clark, 2014). Oppressed group behaviors include not speaking up and transferring these negative impacts to others. Therefore, the oppression starts a cycle that leads to horizontal and vertical violence and other uncivil behaviors. In attempts to equilibrate the system of power imbalance with an already started oppressed group behaviors, the vulnerable nurses can transfer the uncivil behaviors to colleagues.
In my Work Environment Assessment, employees expressed mixed outcomes that relate to appressed group behaviors. Ideally and psychological, uncivil behaviors in the workplace would have led to a negative reaction from the employees. However, these employees expressed high confidence in the organization such that they could recommend it to family and friends. In another example, the employees remained neutral in the role and value in the organization despite reporting that there is mutual trust and respect among workers in the workplace.
This can be remotely interpreted as ‘keeping silent’ to preserve the reputation of a barely healthy institution. Therefore, the oppression theory explains the outcomes of my work environment assessment from a psychological perspective. Employees likely reported poor employee satisfaction and engagement in the environment as a result of the lack of confidence in communication at all levels of the organization. Lack of communication or ineffective communication can lead to poor engagement of employees, thus explaining the outcome of oppressed group behaviors.
Workplace incivility in nursing practice and learning has negative impacts on the victims and the patients as well. Protecting vulnerable individuals and empowering the victims can ensure that the organization delivers health efficiently and in an effective environment. The oppression theory explains uncivil workplace behaviors in a socio-ecosystem but identifies the source and the victims of these behaviors. For example, using the critical consciousness by Paul Freire to address oppression, key interventions aim at implementing actions against and awareness of these behaviors and their consequences.
The organization can identify those at risk of experiencing uncivil behaviors and take action against the perpetrators. Using this theory enables the implementers of interventions to understand the socio-ecosystem with different levels where appropriate interventions can be applied. For example, awareness interventions are best applied at the victims’ and vulnerable populations’ level, while punitive actions can best be applied to the perpetrators.
Key shortcomings from my workplace environment assessment were poor employee satisfaction, lack of transparent, direct, and respectful communication, and poor employee engagement. Clark (2019) presented an article on a technique combining various interventions and a conceptual model to address workplace incivility among vulnerable groups, especially learners and junior practitioners. Cognitive rehearsal, according to Clark (2019), is a strategy that will address these shortcomings in the workplace by empowering vulnerable employees, such as junior nurses and nurse students, to address incivility and handle it in nonviolent ways.
This strategy will require that junior nurses be attached to mentors or seniors who are skilled facilitators (Clark, 2019). The role of these facilitators will be to provide guidance to their juniors through debriefing, preparatory learning, and evidence-based scripting. This will enhance communication between junior nurses and other professionals, improve their satisfaction with nursing practice, and engage them in solving extralimital problems.
Another strategy focuses on enhancing Workplace Relational Civility through a contemporary prevention approach that aims at enhancing relational decency, culture, and readiness in the workplace (Di Fabio & Duradoni, 2019). In this strategy, the nurse managers can take up the active leading role in identifying risk factors and enhancing building on the individual strengths of employees (Atashzadeh Shoorideh et al., 2021).
Workplace relational civility that starts from the top managers can trickle down to the employees vulnerable to workplace incivility. Therefore, civility aspects such as respect, courtesy, and taking cognizance of others’ rights can be established in the socio-ecosystem described in the oppression theory. This can break the when of uncivil behaviors and enhance positive interactions and relations that will promote employee engagement, communication, and job satisfaction.
To ensure that these strategies are effective in enhancing workplace civility, additional strategies can be employed by the organization. Firstly, the organization can embark on promoting awareness of workplace incivility. According to Jemal (2018), oppression is like a virus in an organization. Awareness is the best antidote for its outcomes, such as horizontal and vertical violence. Critical awareness, as described by Paul Freire, can mitigate oppression through transformative consciousness. Transformative conciseness uses awareness among the oppressed as one of its domain interventions. Therefore, awareness among vulnerable nurses can enhance the achievement of the aforementioned strategies.
Another strategy to bolster successful civility practices in addressing inequalities and social injustices in the workplace through anticipating behavioral responses. This can enhance behavioral response. Enhancing awareness of behavioral responses to uncivil behaviors among all employees at the workplace can enhance transformative awareness. This related strategy can improve critical awareness among potential perpetrators in the socio-ecosystem by enhancing self-blame and self-reflection.
My workplace environment assessment showed that my organization is barely healthy in terms of workplace civility. Key shortcomings were employee engagement, communication, and job satisfaction. To explain the relationship between uncivil behaviors in the workplace and organizational health, the oppression theory concepts were applied. In this theory, workplace incivility was a nonending outcome of an inferiority complex among vulnerable nurses. Therefore, this theory came in handy in explaining potential positions in the socio-ecosystem where interventions can be targeted.
The role of nursing leadership in risk identification and preventive strategy implementation through behavioral response awareness was evident in the current evidence. Promoting awareness of incivility and potential outcomes among employees and ensuring social justice in the workplace were identified as potential strategies to bolster successful practices. Key strategies to address communication, engagement, and satisfaction as part of workplace civility interventions were workplace relational civility and cognitive rehearsal for junior employees.
Atashzadeh Shoorideh, F., Moosavi, S., & Balouchi, A. (2021). Incivility toward nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, 14, 15. https://doi.org/10.18502/jmehm.v14i15.7670
Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace: Let’s end the silence that surrounds incivility. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. https://www.myamericannurse.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf
Clark, C. M. (2019). Combining cognitive rehearsal, simulation, and evidence-based scripting to address incivility. Nurse Educator, 44(2), 64–68. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000563
Di Fabio, A., & Duradoni, M. (2019). Fighting incivility in the workplace for women and all workers: The challenge of primary prevention. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1805. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01805
Griffin, M., & Clark, C. M. (2014). Revisiting cognitive rehearsal as an intervention against incivility and lateral violence in nursing: 10 years later. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(12), 535–542; quiz 543–544. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20141122-02
Jemal, A. (2018). Transformative Consciousness of Health Inequities: Oppression is a Virus and Critical Consciousness is the Antidote. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, 3(4), 202–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-018-0061-8
Select at least ONE of the following:
Manage Discussion Entry
According to Lowe (2020), the average working individual usually spends more time at work than any other activity. This is particularly so for healthcare workers who take longer shifts at work. Due to this, the workplace is a key setting for enhancing the health and well-being of individuals. The workplace is essential in supporting workers’ health and well-being; therefore, enterprises are responsible for providing a safe and hazard-free working environment (Cooper et al., 2020).
Maintaining a safe environment can help enterprises reduce employee absenteeism due to injuries and other stressors at work and reduce insurance costs due to fewer work-related injuries and ailments. Overall, a safe, healthy workplace fosters employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention. My workplace had a score of 84 on the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory. This means the working environment is moderately healthy. My workplace scored high points in the areas of teamwork, employee training, and opportunities for employee advancement. However, the workplace scored lower points on employee compensation and diversity.
Although the workplace is not very diverse, and I think employees should be paid more for their work, I think there is a high degree of civility. Incivility cases are not common. For example, arguments between workers or between patients and workers are rare. Employees treat their colleagues and patients cordially and respectfully. Employees work in inter-professional teams, which promotes collaboration; this has been essential in promoting civility as different professionals have to coordinate their efforts to reach a common goal, which is to enhance the health outcomes of patients (Efendi et al., 2019).
One of the rare occasions I witnessed was when an experienced nurse verbally abused a nurse undergoing her preceptorship program. The nurse who had been on the day shift was requested to extend her shift to help out with victims of a grisly road accident. The experienced nurse claimed that the younger nurse on preceptorship was lazy and needed to get more active to help out with the situation. Thankfully, the nurse manager was nearby and intervened before the situation got out of hand.
Although the experienced nurse was stressed out after extending her shift, she was wrong in verbally abusing the new nurse who was learning how to do her duties. The nurse manager engaged the perpetrator of the abuse and had her immediately apologize to the new nurse. In addition, she was requested to take a mandatory 2-hour online refresher lesson on how to handle incivility at the workplace. This lesson is available for all nurses on the organization’s website to remind us how to handle themselves in case of disputes and other types of incivility at work.
Cooper, A. L., Brown, J. A., Rees, C. S., & Leslie, G. D. (2020). Nurse resilience: A concept analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 29(4), 553–575. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12721
Efendi, F., Kurniati, A., Bushy, A., & Gunawan, J. (2019). Concept analysis of nurse retention. Nursing &Amp; Health Sciences, 21(4), 422–427. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12629
Lowe, G. (2020). Creating healthy organizations. In Creating Healthy Organizations. University of Toronto Press.
A healthy nurse workplace refers to a safe, satisfying and empowering environment. Building and consistently keeping a healthy work environment is critical for patients’ safety, nurse satisfaction, workforce retention, and care quality, all of which are critical to the financial survival of healthcare organizations. The six key factors that enable employers to foster a sustainable healthy workplace culture are – true collaboration, skilled communication, effective decision-making, meaningful recognition, appropriate staffing, and authentic leadership.
True collaboration is a synergistic relationship formed when two or more entities work together to achieve something far better than the sum of their separate powers and efforts. Regarding authentic leadership, the leader models and encourages others to emulate a good work environment (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Skilled communication is an open, engaging, and productive conversation among nurses that enhances team collaboration, a faster adaptation of new nurses, and fosters civility (Clark, 2019). Meaningful recognition acknowledges personnel behavior and skill influencing the patient’s nursing care.
Recognition, promotion, and incentives increase nurses’ loyalty to the job. A workplace health assessment is a process of obtaining information on the variables that support or hinder employee health at a specific company or hospital and finding potential possibilities to improve or address those problems. According to the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory tool, personnel are not only motivated by a healthy work environment but also have a high degree of civility (Clark et al., 2011). The paper reflects on an assessment of my workplace based on Clark’s tool, a snapshot of my work environment, and encounters with incivility cases.
The Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory revealed that my workplace is moderately healthy after documenting a score of 80/100. Top-rated features in the assessment were transparency, team collaboration, skilled communication, wellness, and effective leadership. The attributes fall mainly under personal motivation factors and are critical for a healthy environment. Low-rated attributes were meaningful recognition and effective decision-making making. The low scores centered on traits with organizational responsibility. The scores could pose an issue with the organization’s structure and practices for employee welfare. The workplace is civil, as evidenced by high scores on “discernible level of trust,” “transparent and respectful communication,” and “fair and respectful treatment of employees.”
Workplace incivility refers to low-intensity social behavior typically regarded as unacceptable in the workplace and can be used to harm, belittle, or undermine another person or group (Clark, 2015). An example of a case witnessed during my attachment is a fresh graduate nurse in his late thirties who shifted from a successful job in the corporate world to nursing. Years of professional expertise, valuable parental insights, and a calm attitude disposition were all assets brought to the table by this nurse. This nurse was enthusiastic about understanding the unit’s norms, highly motivated, and quick to develop tactile skills.
However, he made enemies with one of the most outspoken departmental nurses who had a position in day-to-day operations. The nurse snubbed his questions and concerns. Furthermore, he was unfairly assigned responsibilities and given fewer days off despite being a family man. Being fully aware of his rights, the nurse raised awareness to a more superior leader. The work schedules were enough to measure the incivility besides the colleagues witnessing it. The Nursing Director dug into the matter and formed an interim investigative committee. Finally, the two nurses were summoned, had a conflict mediation process, and were allocated to different departments. Later the hospital developed automated shift scheduling to curb such issues.
Incivility in the nursing workplace causes physical and emotional anguish to victims and affects the quality of patient care. Interventions to improve the situation include raising awareness about workplace incivility, training on effective communication methods to combat workplace incivility, and drills to practice the newly learned communication techniques. Facilities and organizations should establish acceptable and unacceptable behavior rules and procedures for reporting and dealing with occurrences of incivility.
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Clark, C. M. (2015). Conversations to inspire and promote a more civil workplace. American Nurse Today, 10(11), 18–23. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ant11-CE-Civility-1023.pdf
Clark, C. M. (2019). Combining cognitive rehearsal, simulation, and evidence-based scripting to address incivility. Nurse Educator, 44(2), 64–68. https://doi.org/10.1097/nne.0000000000000563
Clark, C. M., Olender, L., Cardoni, C., & Kenski, D. (2011). Fostering civility in nursing education and practice: Nurse leader perspectives. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 41(7/8), 324-330.
Clearly, diagnosis is a critical aspect of healthcare. However, the ultimate purpose of a diagnosis is the development and application of a series of treatments or protocols. Isolated recognition of a health issue does little to resolve it.
In this module’s Discussion, you applied the Clark Healthy Workplace Inventory to diagnose potential problems with the civility of your organization. In this Portfolio Assignment, you will continue to analyze the results and apply published research to the development of a proposed treatment for any issues uncovered by the assessment.
To Prepare:
*Template completed in the Week 7 discussion should not be submitted with this assignment.
The Assignment (3-6 pages total):
Part 1: Work Environment Assessment (1-2 pages)
Part 2: Reviewing the Literature (1-2 pages)
Part 3: Evidence-Based Strategies to Create High-Performance Interprofessional Teams (1–2 pages)
In the Georgetown community, a new medical building was developed, and there is a need for an electronic medical record (EMR). There is some shortfalls within the healthcare system and hence the need to establish a system that can improve the flow of information. This new implementation of the EMR system is going to be a significant change to the organization. Successful implementation of this change involves not only new technology but also about the people.
Digital innovation has transferred the world drastically; hence the information plays a significant role in healthcare delivery and helps address the health problems and challenges faced by clinicians and healthcare professionals. The perioperative service is critical to Modern Medical. This department is challenging that provides complex clinical care involving several teams, with high cost, sophisticated technologies, and a large array of supplies, instruments, and implants. These variables create a complex environment and have been a source of some patient safety-related adverse incidence in the past. Systems are needed to solve this gap in traditional reimbursement systems.
The proposed solution will allow the staff to manage Operating rooms, capture clinical data, track the use of equipment and instrument, and produce reports to aid in reimbursements. Also, OR managers and directors will have access to a wealth of information that will enable them to make informed decisions that directly impact patient safety satisfaction, operational efficiencies, improved OR utilization, and financial performance.
The stakeholder groups that will be impacted by the implementation of EMR are physicians, staff, patients, scheduling department, super-user/trainers, IT department, billing department, laboratory department and insurance company (Health.gov, 2019). These stakeholders can make or break the implementation process, their perspectives, knowledge, ability, and willingness is vital to this implementation.
Stakeholders should be involved in each phase of the implementation process, to give support, provide suggestions for design, and participate in the evaluation and continuous quality improvement activities. The stakeholders responsible for assisting to address this health gap are; clinicians, finance department, Information Technology department, OR manager, and staff members. They play a crucial component in the selection, buy-in, and decision-making process.
Electronic medical records (EMR) shows to be promising for facilitating healthcare improvement. Hence, the opportunity has presented itself for implementing such a system. EMR is a computerized medical information system that replaces paper-based medical practice. According to Abdekhoda (2016), patient clinical information is collected and shared by EMR, as it is the tool to create legible and structured patient information records.
The primary use of the EMR is for digital storage system for patient records. This system provides healthcare organizations with services such as decrease medical errors, increase the effectiveness of healthcare services, and reduce healthcare costs. EMR implementation can be expensive and can take time and energy for staff members to fully integrate the system into healthcare (Roussel et al., 2020). The technology makes it easier to report quality data and has the potential to improve quality, permanence, and safety and effective healthcare services.
In conclusion, EMR implementation is timely, complete, and provides accurate information about patient healthcare delivery. As such implementing this system can yield a positive return on investments to the healthcare organization.
Roussell, L., Thomas, P., & Harris, J. (2020). Management and Leadership for Nurse Administrators (8th ed). James and Bartlett Learning.
When evaluating the profitability of a project, it is crucial to assess the returns that the company or investment project generates against the costs of producing these incomes. The Projected Expenses and Revenues (Five Year) shows a total expenditure amounting to $1,509,867 compared to total revenues or benefits of $1,631,436. Interestingly, the expenditures are during the start of the project, over the second year, and during the fifth Year with other years recording zero costs. This implies that the project requires a minimal interval of sustenance costs over the project’s economic life. The estimates then project a $1,631,436 gain, which means that the project is profitable and generates revenue over the five periods. The estimated financial impact of this proposal is a projection of benefits realizable within the time frame. However, further analysis of ROI could provide a better indication.
Investment Return (ROI) is an investment efficiency measure used to assess or compare the performance of investments. There are crucial aspects that need to be sighted when interpreting the calculated ROI – total returns and total costs. This percentage metric is intuitively easy to comprehend and incorporates the net return (numerator) because investment returns can be a gain (positive) or loss (negative).
The project’s ROI yields a positive figure of 8.05% to imply that the health care should anticipate net returns worth 8.05% of their initial investment outlays and additional investments throughout 5-years. These results for the organization indicate that if the project is successfully implemented, the company will expect the estimated percentage gain on its investment. However, this measure is favorable for a company intending to choose between two investment projects so that it becomes possible to select a project with a higher return on investment ratio that promises more efficiency in income generation.
In healthcare just like in all segments of the economy, budget is very important. A clearly and well defined budget is essential as it helps a healthcare organization to better comprehend the funds that can be spend on various sections of the project and how much spending should be selected to each.
Every project has some startup expenses which are incurred before the project commences and starts getting revenues. In this project we have four startup expenses. These are expenses for training staff, server, and hardware and software setup and software license. The table below shows the costs for each of the expenses and also its percentages.
Expenses/ Cost Year 0 PercentageStartup expensesSoftware License $ 160,00023%Hardware & software setup $ 217,000.0031%Server $ 115,000.0016%Training (Staff) $ 217,000.0031%Total startup expenses $ 709,000.00100%Training of staff and hardware and software setup have the highest costs as they both have 31% of the startup expenses. The server is the least with 16%.
Surplus or deficit is a figure that shows if a business is making positive cash flows or negative ones. It shows if the firm is making profits or not. We have deficits from year one to year 4. In year 5, the healthcare business will have a surplus. Thus it will have made its profits.
YearDeficit/ SurplusYear 1 $ (688,206.00)Year 2 $ (382,983.00)Year 3 $ (142,760.00)Year 4 $ (71,630.00)Year 5 $ 168,593.00The table below shows the estimated budget together with the Return on Investment for the years from 1 to 5. We can see that from year 1 to year 4, the ROI is negative. This means that the company is not efficient enough on the revenues compared with the cost. In year 5, the ROI is positive which is equal to 0.16. This means that the money that was invested is realizing gains thus the company is performing well financially.
Expenses/ CostYear 0Year 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Grand TotalStart up expensesSoftware License $160,000Hardware & software setup $217,000Server $115,000Training (Staff) $217,000Total startup expenses $709,000Operating ExpensesCost/ procedure @25/ procedure x150 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750 $ 3,750software support $ 45,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000contingency 20% $ 110,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,0003rd party interface $ 30,000 $ 30,000Total operating Expenses $ 188,750 Total Expenses $709,000 $ 188,750 $ 3,750 $ 68,750 $ 33,750 $ 68,750 $ 363,750 Revenue/SavingsNew medical record creation $ 111,664 $ 204,093 $ 204,093 $ 204,093Charge Capture $ 32,880 $ 32,880 $ 32,880 $ 32,880 $ 32,880Chart management $ 45,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000 $ 50,000Improved coding $ 20,000 $ 22,000 $ 22,000 $ 22,000 $ 22,000Total Revenue/Savings $ – $ 209,544 $ 308,973 $ 308,973 $ 104,880 $ 308,973 $ 1,241,343Return on investment-0.77-0.42-0.15-0.070.16Total revenue $ – $ 209,544 $ 518,517 $ 827,490 $ 932,370 $ 1,241,343Total expenses $ 897,750 $ 901,500 $ 970,250 $ 1,004,000 $ 1,072,750Deficit/ Surplus $ (688,206) $ (382,983) $(142,760) $ (71,630) $ 168,593There are numerous benefits of electronic medical record (EMR), such as improved quality of care, medical error prevention, and unnecessary care costs. However, one significant barrier to the adoption of EMR systems is the cost issue. Implementing an electronic medical record system in the primary care can result in a positive financial return on investment to the health care organization. The magnitude of the return is sensitive to several key factors.
W10/11A6 Summary/Elevator Speech (PPT slides)
<Include a handouts view or other printout of your “elevator speech” here, that highlights the value of your proposal, incorporating selling points from your analyses that you believe make the business case for nurse entrepreneurship and leadership’s commitment to your proposed healthcare product or service>
It is a typical day at Greenwood Hospital in upstate New York. A nurse enters the supply closet and takes out some bandages to replace old ones on a patient who was admitted from the surgical ward several hours ago.
This week, you are introduced to basic accounting concepts that impact daily operations within health care organizations.
Students will:
Learning Resources for NURS 6211 Week 3 Foundational Accounting Concepts and Financial Statements
Note: To access this Week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings for NURS 6211 Week 3 Foundational Accounting Concepts and Financial Statements
Baker, J. J., Baker, R. W., & Dworkin, N. R. (2018). Health care finance: Basic tools for nonfinancial managers (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 4, “Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth” (pp. 33-36)In this chapter, you are introduced to the meaning of assets, liabilities, and net worth. You explore the relationship between the three and how they must be balanced if an organization is to be successful.
- Chapter 6, “Expenses (Outflows)” (pp. 47-54)The focus of this chapter is expenses and how they differ from costs. It highlights how costs should be reported and how expenses can be grouped for more effective planning and control.
- Chapter 9, “Understanding Inventory and Depreciation Concepts” (pp. 81-93)This chapter examines the relationship between inventory and the cost of goods. It demonstrates how to calculate inventory turnover and product depreciation.
- Chapter 11, “Reporting as a Tool” (pp. 119-125)This chapter describes the basic financial reports and how they are used in financial decision making. The four key financial statements are the balance sheet, the statement of revenue, and expense, the statement of fund balance or net worth, and the statement of cash flows.Zelman, W., McCue, M., & Glick, N. (2009). Financial management of health care organizations: An introduction to fundamental tools, concepts, and applications (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Document: Week 3 Application Assignment Template (Excel spreadsheet)
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Basic financial statements. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.
In this video, William Ward describes the basic financial statements with which nurse managers should be familiar. He highlights the key components for each statement and demonstrates how they are used.
Basic Financial Statements Transcript (PDF)
Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Week 3 Application Assignment Tutorial: Ratio Calculations. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Optional Resources for NURS 6211 Week 3 Foundational Accounting Concepts and Financial Statements
Hurlock J. (2012). Get to know Excel 2010: Create your first spreadsheet. Retrieved from https://support.office.com/en-us/article/get-to-know-excel-2010-create-your-first-spreadsheet-3323c699-ca68-448e-ab44-12b8e348bbf5
Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc. (n.d.). Excel 2010. Retrieved from http://www.gcflearnfree.org/excel2010
Although it is important to be familiar with foundational accounting concepts and to understand how they are calculated, it is equally important to recognize how the information from these calculations fits into the larger picture of daily actions in hospitals. Consider the simple task of taking patients their dinner trays. Think of all of the different costs that are involved. The dietitian must be paid, as well as the food handlers. The food has to be purchased as well as the trays and utensils. Trays must be delivered, picked up, and cleaned. A cost is incurred at each stage.
In this Discussion, you consider how the costs of the daily tasks performed by nurses are accounted for and impact cash flow.
To prepare for NURS 6211 Week 3 Foundational Accounting Concepts and Financial Statements:
By Day 3 of NURS 6211 Week 3 Foundational Accounting Concepts and Financial Statements
Post an explanation of the difference between accrual accounting and cash accounting, and when each might be used. Then, describe a task you might perform or an item you might use daily, and explain where the cost should appear on a balance sheet, and why. Finally, assess how cash flow issues could impact your own organization (or one with which you are familiar).
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6 of NURS 6211 Week 3 Foundational Accounting Concepts and Financial Statements
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:
Also Read: NURS 5051 Module 04 Literature Review Assignment
As addressed in this week’s Learning Resources, an organization’s philosophy statement derives from its mission and indicates the values and beliefs that steer decision-making. An organization’s philosophy statement should be used to develop goals and objectives that lead to assured action.
Effective organizations recognize that “setting specific goals in a clear and compelling way—and insisting that people work together to achieve them—is the best way to get results” (Ashkenas, 2012, para. 9).
This Discussion builds on Week 2 Discussion 2, as you create a philosophy statement, goals, and objectives for Mountain View Health Center, the organization featured in the case study introduced last week.
You will continue to work within the same small group.
Note: You will independently develop an individual philosophy statement, goals, and objectives. Through the collegial exchange that follows, you will offer each other suggestions for refinement.
Review information on philosophy statements, goals, and objectives in Chapter 7 of the Marquis and Huston text and in the other Learning Resources.
Review the Mountain View Health Center case study presented in this week’s media, and reflect on the mission and vision statements you developed for Discussion 2 in Week 2.
Conduct additional research as necessary to strengthen your understanding of the process for creating a philosophy statement, developing goals and objectives, and deepening your thinking about the organization.
For instance, you may research organizations similar to Mountain View and examine their philosophy statements, goals, and objectives.
Craft at least one goal and at least one related objective to operationalize the philosophy.
Consider what you have learned about the importance of the philosophy statement, the process of developing one, and the significance of and distinctions between goals and objectives.
Post a philosophy statement for Mountain View Health Center, at least one goal, and at least one related objective. Offer insights you have gained about the process of developing a philosophy statement, as well as the significance of and distinctions between organizational goals and objectives.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses. Consider the following:
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their philosophy statements, goals, and objectives. Suggest opportunities for refinement.
Cara, C. M., Nyberg, J. J., & Brousseau, S. (2011). Fostering the coexistence of caring philosophy and economics in today’s health care system. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35(1), 6–14.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
The article addresses caring as a part of mission and philosophy and the benefits of this for nursing satisfaction and performance, patient satisfaction, quality of care, and cost reduction.
Lorenzi, N. M. (2011). AMIA’s realigned strategic plan. Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, 18(2), 203–208.
As you read this article, consider the process used to set goals and evaluate the extent to which the identified goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
Kenny, G. (2012). From the stakeholder viewpoint: Designing measurable objectives. Journal of Business Strategy, 33(6), 40–46.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Measurable objectives are essential to strategic planning, yet many organizations struggle with formulating reasonable goals. In this article, the author suggests strategies for developing better objectives and facilitating the planning process.
Urbanski, J., Baskel, M., & Martelli, M. (2011). Strategic planning—A plan for excellence for South Haven Health System. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35(3), 227–234.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
The article addresses stakeholder involvement as a critical component of South Haven Health System’s success in strategic planning and describes how the system develops goals and objectives.
Lloyd-Jones, D. M., Hong, Y., Labarthe, D., Mozaffarian, D., Appel, L. J., Van Horn, L., . . . Rosamond, W. D. (2010). Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: The American Heart Association’s strategic impact goal through 2020 and beyond. Retrieved from http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/121/4/586.full.pdf+html
As you read this report, consider the process used to set goals and evaluate the extent to which the identified goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Case study: Mountain View Health Center [Interactive media]. Retrieved from CDN database. (NURS 6241)
This interactive multimedia piece presents a case study of an organization, with information about the types of activities performed there, organizational structure, strategic priorities, and financial allocations. You will use this as a resource for this week’s Discussion.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Chapter 7, “Strategic and Operational Planning” (pp. 138–161)
Sare, M., & Ogilvie, L. (2010). Strategic planning for nurses: Change management in health care.Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Chapter 7, “The Three Key Elements of the Strategic Planning Process: A Vision That Guides Nursing’s Future Action” (pp. 117–143)
Review as needed, focusing on the information about goals and objectives.
Kramer, M., Schmalenberg, C., & Maguire, P. (2010). Nine structures and leadership practices essential for a magnetic (healthy) work environment. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 34(1), 4–17.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
The authors discuss the clinical environment of nursing and the leadership practices needed to promote quality patient care outcomes.
Also Read: Discussion: Examining Nursing Specialties NURS 6003
I am surrounded by people with good ideas. I need more people that implement them well.
—Will Weider, CIO, Ministry Health Care
The successful execution of a project requires continual control and monitoring to ensure that the project stays on schedule, on budget, and on specification. The ongoing collection, analysis, and reporting of project data is an essential project management tool for monitoring a project’s status throughout its execution; the information generated by this process can be used by the project team to determine appropriate actions to control the project by bringing its time, cost, and performance back in line with the project plan.
This week, you consider how to monitor and control a project throughout its execution.
Students will:
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Coplan, S., & Masuda, D. (2011). Project management for healthcare information technology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
- Chapter 3, “Project Management”
- “Scope Control” (pp. 58)
- “Control Schedule” (pp. 64–67)
- “Control Costs” (pp. 71–75)
These three areas of Chapter 3 focus on controlling scope, time, and cost, also referred to as the triple constraints.
Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Author.
- Part 2. The Standard for Project Management
- Chapter 4, “Executing Process Group”
- These sections of Chapter 3 explore how to coordinate people and resources in accordance with the project management plan. These sections also cover the processes used to track, review, and regulate a project’s performance.
- Chapter 5, Section 5.6, “Control Scope”
This section of Chapter 5 explains the process of monitoring a project’s status and scope. The text also describes how to manage changes to the scope baseline.
- Chapter 6, “Project Time Management”
- 6.6, “Control Schedule”
In these pages of Chapter 6, the authors explain the process of monitoring a project’s status to update project progress and manage changes in a schedule baseline.
- Chapter 7, “Project Cost Management”
- 7.4, “Control Costs”
This section of Chapter 7 reviews the processes used to update a project budget and manage changes to the cost baseline.
Cortelyou-Ward, K., & Yniguez, R. (2011). Using monitoring and controlling in an electronic health record module upgrade: A case study. The Health Care Manager, 30(3), 236–241.
This article examines the application of monitoring and controlling to an electronic health record module upgrade. The article makes recommendations related to flexibility, tracking changes, teams, milestones, and testing.
Noblin, A. M., Cortelyou-Ward, K., & Ton, S. (2011). Electronic health record implementations: Applying the principles of monitoring and controlling to achieve success. The Health Care Manager, 30(1), 45–50.
This article explores the principles of monitoring and controlling in the context of an electronic health record implementation. The article also examines issues such as project costs, project progress, schedule controls, quality management, and controlling risks.
Yin G.-L. (2010). Project time and budget monitor and control. Management Science and Engineering, 4(1), 56–61.
The author of this article describes how time and budget can be successfully controlled during a project’s implementation. The author presents techniques for accomplishing this, as well as describing potential pitfalls.
Document: Project Management Tools Available for Apple/Mac Computers (PDF)
This document contains a list of project management tools that are compatible with Apple/Mac computers.
Document: Team Project Overview (PDF)
This document provides an overview of the Team Project you will work on throughout this course.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Executing, monitoring, and controlling [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.
In this presentation, roundtable participants Dr. Mimi Hassett, Dr. Judy Murphy, and Dr. Susan Newbold discuss the science of executing a project and the art that is involved in the continued monitoring and controlling of it. They talk about the triple constraint of cost, scope, and time and suggest some automated tools and skills that can help in tracking shifting components of a project.
The actual implementation of a project occurs within the execution phase. During this phase, it is not uncommon for project managers to determine that projects have deviated from the original scope, time, or cost (the “triple constraint”), often due to unforeseen issues. When one element of this “triple constraint” changes, project managers must adjust the remaining two elements in order to satisfy project requirements. Maintaining this balance is one of the greatest challenges a project manager faces.
In this Discussion, you examine scenarios featuring issues that arise during the execution phase of a project. You analyze how you would modify the project in terms of scope, time, and cost in order to resolve the issues and fulfill project requirements. You also explain how you would communicate these modifications to key stakeholders.
Consider the following scenarios.
By Day 3 of NURS 6441 Week 8 Project Execution and Control Part I
Post the number of your assigned scenario and a description of where and how you would adjust the plan in terms of budget, scope, and timeline. Explain how you would communicate modifications to key stakeholders. Provide rationale for your response.
By Day 6 of NURS 6441 Week 8 Project Execution and Control Part I
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days, using one or more of the following approaches:
The project stakeholder community includes people, organizations, and groups with a consigned interest or care about a project. The project stakeholder community comprises the top management, project team, project manager, sponsors, investors, resource managers, internal customers, external customers, government, subcontractors, contractors, and suppliers (Derakhshan et al., 2019).
The top management constitutes the company’s president, directors, vice president, corporate committee, and division managers. These individuals guide an organization’s development and strategy. The project team comprises persons borrowed temporarily or devoted and enthusiastic about the project. A project manager provides the project team direction, support, and leadership when completing their tasks. Resource managers are in charge of handling resources. The external customers are the clients.
A project sponsor (an organization or individual) acts as the investor, initiator, administrator, advisor, and critical decision-maker (Pedrini & Ferri, 2019). The sponsor also approves capital allocations and makes decisions concerning the flow of money within a project. Project investors are people who commit funds to a project with the expectation of receiving monetary profits. The external customers would purchase and use the project’s products and services. Internal customers have an association with the organization through partnership or employment.
Project managers must work with government departments and regulators, including the provincial, federal, municipal, and international governments. The project subcontractors, contractors, and suppliers offer resources and expertise to a project. They include electricians, architects, and carpenters. Numerous projects rely on commodities provided by outside suppliers. The project stakeholder community is actively involved with a project’s work and has something to lose or gain from the project’s results. The project may impact the stakeholder community and have a corporate interest in a project outcome. Identifying the stakeholder community is vital to meeting the project objectives and goals.
The stakeholder register contains information related to the stakeholder’s organizational positions, expectations, project roles, and communications requirements. The register contains details encompassing classification, assessment information, and identification information. The stakeholder’s organizational positions include the top management, sponsor, investor, resource manager, project team, and project manager. The project roles encompass the project lead, sponsor, coordinator, functional or technical lead, and clients.
The executive sponsor authorizes the financial plan while the project lead manages individuals, risks, issues, and conflicts (Freeman et al., 2018). The project coordinator coordinates the project’s efforts, while the functional or technical lead can allocate resources and work. The top management is expected to guide the strategy and development of the project. The project team will exhibit high professionalism in the task, job, or skill. They will perform the project’s specific tasks to attain its objectives.
The project manager is responsible for applying project management approaches to ensure the project’s success. The sponsor provides support and resources for the project. Responsible for facilitating success (Pedrini & Ferri, 2019). The investor provides ideas and financial aid to boost and promote the project. Participate in financial and managerial decisions. The internal and external clients will pay for the project services and products. Additionally, the subcontractors, contractors, and suppliers will supply services or acquire resources for the project.
Lastly, the government will address organizational, financial, and technological barriers. The top management team will be contacted through face-to-face meetings, emails, project documentation, and newsletters. Similarly, the project team and manager, investor, resource managers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and internal clients will be contacted via interactive communication, encompassing phone conversations and video conferencing. The government and external customers will be contacted via pull communication through project websites. The top management, sponsor, and investor will also be contacted through push communication via emails, project documentation, and project newsletters.
Record stakeholder information in the stakeholder register below.
Stakeholder NameType(Internal/ External)Organizational PositionRole in ProjectExpectationsCommunicationsRequirementsTop managementInternalSenior management teamProject leadGuide the project’s development and strategy.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetings and Push communication through emails, project documentation, and newsletters.TeamInternalProject teamTeam membersExhibit high levels of professionalism in the task, job, or skill. They perform the project’s specific tasks to attain its objectives.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetings, video conferencing, and phone conversationsManagerInternalManagement teamProject leadResponsible for applying project management approaches to ensure project success.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetings and phone conversationsSponsorExternalSenior management teamExecutive SponsorProvides support and resources for the project. Responsible for facilitating success.Push communication through emails and project documentation, and newsletters.InvestorExternalPrimary stakeholderExecutive sponsorProvide ideas and financial aid to boost and promote the project. Participate in financial and managerial decisions.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetings and Push communication through emails and project documentation, and newsletters.Resource managersInternalManagement teamProject CoordinatorControl project resources.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetings, video conferencing, and phone conversationsInternal customersInternalPrimary stakeholdersClientPay for the project services and products.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetingsExternal customersExternalPrimary stakeholdersClientPay for the project services and products.Pull communication through the project website.Contractors, suppliers, and subcontractorsExternalPrimary stakeholdersFunctional/ technical leadSupply services or acquire resources for the project.Interactive communication through face-to-face meetings and phone conversations and pull communication through the project website.GovernmentExternalSecondary stakeholdersProject CoordinatorConcerned about the organizational, financial, and technological barriers.Pull communication through the project website.
Stakeholder mapping is the strategy that will be utilized to manage stakeholders for the water cube project. The strategy will involve conducting a detailed stakeholder examination to categorize the stakeholders. The key factors will be recognized and inspected, encompassing the demographics, project proximity, needs and concerns, interests, and expectations.
Stakeholder mapping also involves a thorough comprehension of the internal stakeholder team, including the suppliers and contractors, immediate staff, and alliances (Albats et al., 2020). Stakeholder mapping for the water cube project will facilitate the investigation of whether the right resources are available and effective team functioning. Stakeholder mapping will assist in categorizing stakeholders, allocating resources, understanding the stakeholder volume, and bringing the team together.
A stakeholder management strategy is critical for the success of a project. The strategy certifies that the stakeholder’s interests and expectations are comprehended for their proper management. A strategy allows the project manager to articulate to the project team how communication will work (Albats et al., 2020). The strategy also aids in examining and evaluating the stakeholders and understanding them better. This way, their needs are anticipated or projected, and their concerns can easily be addressed.
The strategy covers the stakeholder expectations, prioritization of stakeholders, action plans, and communication rules. The action plans outline how stakeholders’ involvement will be managed and the stages to be taken to guarantee that their expectations are fulfilled. The communication rules framework the rate of recurrence, category, and level of communication with every stakeholder. Prioritizing stakeholders involves ranking them founded on their capacity to impact a project and their concern for its results (Falcão et al., 2020). The stakeholder expectations include their involvement and their communication preference.
A stakeholder management plan enables categorizing stakeholders based on their project interests and influence (Nguyen et al., 2018). The plan also aids in understanding the stakeholders who need attention to focus and assign the resources effectively. The strategy also assists in understanding the volume of stakeholders engaged in the project and the degree of engagement. It allows for identifying vital stakeholders who positively influence a project to establish healthy relationships.
Understanding the stakeholders’ perspectives as soon as possible is essential. Significantly, a stakeholder management strategy helps unite the team, ensuring everyone is on the same page for successful stakeholder management. The stakeholder management strategy describes how the project team manages the key stakeholders’ expectations and goals in the project’s lifecycle.
One way to identify the stakeholders is to draw on the project charter and any other documentation or project plan to collect an entire list of internal and external stakeholders. Another method that will be used to identify stakeholders is brainstorming. The technique is free-form, involving the team and the project sponsor is essential. The process will involve the team listing all potential stakeholders individually, which is a great place to start.
The other technique includes a stakeholder role profile. Similar to a risk profile utilized to scan for common project risks, a stakeholder profile categorizes stakeholders familiar with each project (Downar, 2018). Following the decision is another method to categorize stakeholders. Projects involve authorizations and decisions. The technique involves rereading the project plan and outlining all the authorization points and decisions, considering the decision-makers at every point.
The other method involves seeking the secondary stakeholders, individuals not involved in project execution, such as clients, regulators, and project opponents. Similar to risk management, the initial step in the stakeholder management process is identifying stakeholders using various identification techniques.
Stakeholder communication is crucial as it assists in building mutual trust and working together effectively. Building on the stakeholders’ communication and feedback improves a project’s results. The methods used to determine the stakeholder’s communication requirement include categorizing the stakeholders based on their power and interest in the project, determining the communication type and channel, stakeholder goal and expectations, and communication frequency.
The stakeholders prefer different communication types and channels, a factor to consider when determining their communication requirements (Derakhshan et al., 2019). Creating a communications plan is significant for stakeholder communication requirements. The plan outlines how, when, and the format used to communicate with the stakeholders. Choosing the appropriate communication method is substantial, depending on the stakeholder’s preference (Civera et al., 2019).
The methods are push, pull, and interactive communication. Another method to determine the stakeholders’ communication requirements is to identify the information they need over the entire project’s lifecycle. As a project ends, stakeholder communication requirements may vary. Asking the stakeholders regularly if they have similar needs is critical. Determining stakeholder communication requirements is essential only if it provides them value and they can understand the communication.
Power and interest are the primary variables that describe stakeholders and how they impact a project. Power is a stakeholder’s capacity to stop or alter a project. Interests refer to the degree of stakeholder involvement in the project. The government has high power but low interest in the project. As such, the government regulatory agency must be pleased to avoid withholding authorizations.
The top management has high power and low interest in the project. The team has low power and increased interest in the project. The sponsor and investor have high power and low interest in the project. The resources manager and manager have high power and interest in the project. The contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers have low power and increased interest in the project. Essentially, stakeholders with both low power and interest must be supervised to guarantee they do not manage to alter or stop the project (Bahadorestani et al., 2020). Those with high power and interest must be actively supervised due to their crucial impact on the project.
The stakeholders with high power and low interest must be pleased to certify that a minor stakeholder does not disrupt the project. Lastly, stakeholders with high interest and low power must be kept informed to guarantee their support for the project. A stakeholder analysis is a continuing exercise that helps categorize those who oppose and support a project.
An interest/power grid equates stakeholders based on their involvement and authority in a project. With high power and low interest, the top management makes the most significant decisions, giving them high impact but limited bandwidth to focus on the project outcomes (Zhuang, 2019). They must be kept satisfied through constant communication.
With high power and interest rates, the project manager and resources manager have the most significant influence on the project’s success, and expectations must be closely managed. With increased power and medium interest, the investors and sponsors can control the project in an undesired manner if they are unsatisfied with it. With low power and high interest, the project team must be sufficiently and effectively informed. The team directly impacts the project, and each individual performs specific and unique tasks to ensure project success.
With low interest and power, the external and internal customers indirectly influence a project and should be monitored without boring them with excessive communication: the contractors, suppliers, and subcontractors. The government, with high power and low interest, regulates the regulations and decrees that can shut down a project (Zhuang, 2019).
The power/interest grid prioritizes stakeholders based on their project participation and control or authority.
A power/interest grid for the project
The stakeholders will be engaged on an ongoing basis through the stakeholder engagement plan. The engagement plan is part of the project management plan that categorizes the approaches and actions needed to support effective stakeholder involvement in project implementation and decision-making.
The Water Cube’s stakeholders will be engaged on an ongoing basis by getting them to talk to one another, managing their expectations, keeping them satisfied, keeping them informed, leading with integrity, and communicating effectively. According to Zou and Leslie-Carter (2010), the most imperative strategy is hiring and leading clever individuals who might resist being controlled and working to time limits.
Getting stakeholders to communicate with one another will promote ongoing project involvement. Effective communication and constant updates about the project’s progress also help it maintain its engagement (Bahadorestani et al., 2020). Developing and upholding a communication plan is critical in ensuring a continuing engagement. Managing stakeholders closely, particularly the project team, and keeping them satisfied promotes their ongoing project engagement (Boaz et al., 2018). Engaging with sponsors, executives, and higher management to attain commitment and manage their expectations and interests encourages their engagement.
Every stakeholder has expectations. Therefore, working with the team to manage their expectations is crucial. One strategy for managing stakeholder expectations is ensuring the project’s success is plainly defined before its commencement. Defining the project variables, including its goals, is essential for managing stakeholder expectations (Pirozzi,2019). This way, the stakeholders can decide if the project matches their interests.
The second strategy involves ensuring that stakeholders see the project’s values as soon as possible. Keeping the project focused by familiarizing the stakeholders with the initial goals, pitch, and timeline helps manage their expectations (Byrne, 2019). The other strategy encompasses maintaining simplicity when communicating with the stakeholders.
Finding a mutual ground with the stakeholders to ensure they receive similar data, reports, and development updates manages their expectations (Stocker et al., 2020). Showcasing the project’s progress by offering updated reports on the team’s discoveries, for instance, managing stakeholder expectations. The final strategy will involve asking for stakeholder feedback, opinions, comments, and suggestions concerning the project. Managing stakeholder expectations by informing and engaging them in the ongoing project promotes success.
Managing stakeholder expectations ensures that they are actively involved in the project execution process. Managing their expectations builds stakeholders’ trust and confidence and allows them to understand the process and any decisions made. Managing their expectations assists in augmenting trust, building improved relationships, and boosting satisfaction among external and internal parties, resulting in smoother project operations (Civera et al., 2019). The project stakeholders, for instance, the project sponsor and investor, are interested in the projects’ outcomes.
Managing stakeholders’ expectations also reduces risk through their engagement. This increases the prospect of project success. Managing stakeholder expectations is critical to project success because they can understand the situation better and have different expectations (Oliveira & Rabechini, 2019). Comprehending the project stakeholders and their needs sponsors the success of a project.
Project changes are unavoidable and arise over the project lifecycle’s course. The most critical aspect of managing project changes is being prepared always. The project changes will be managed by describing the change objective,