Healthcare Staffing Paper

Providing the best care to each patient starts with providing the proper amount of staff members to each unit. Looking at the needs of different units not only allows administration to see areas for improvement, but also areas that are being handled correctly. Utilizing the indicators provided by The Joint Commission, 4 East, a pediatric medical/surgical floor, has a high rate of falls and nosocomial pressure ulcers that appears to be related to the increase overtime nurses have been working for that floor (Nightingale, 2010). Research has shown increases in adverse events have been related to nurses working over 40 hours a week (Bae, 2012).

One can wonder if there is any correlation between patient-nurse ratio and it’s effect on patient safety. In the research conducted by Jack Needleman and his associates (2002), they examined the relationship between amount of care provided by the nurse and compared it to patient outcome. The result showed that the increase amount of time a nurse is able to spend with the patient better the quality of care is. The data for this research was collected from seven hundred and ninety-nine hospitals across eleven states. This covered both medical and surgical patients that were discharged and the data was evaluated the relationship between the time provide to the patients by the nurses and patients’ outcome. As research showed,

Primarily, it is crucial for health care organizations to focus on ensuring safe and quality patient care, as well as improved job satisfaction by enforcing an optimal and adequate nurse-to-patient ratio and creating innovative and long-term strategies through a collaborative effort. In order to ensure the safety of patients and nurses, state-mandated safe-staffing ratios are necessary. Adequate nurse staffing is key to patient care and nurse retention, while inadequate staffing puts patients at risk and drives nurses from their profession. As baby boomers age and the demand for health care services grows, staffing problems will only intensify. Consequently, safe-staffing ratios have become such an ever-pressing concern. In 2004, California became the first state to implement minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, designed to improve patient care and nurse retention. Subsequent studies show that California’s program measurably improved patient care and nurse retention.

In terms of resources and finances, inpatient care is the most costly form of healthcare. It not only requires the medical supplies, but basic care supplies such as food, bedding, etc. It requires more practical resources in terms of electricity and other services, as well as more human resources, as the patients require round the clock care and availability. Hospitals and centers providing inpatient care therefore need a minimum of two shifts, and possibly three in order to avoid unnecessary and costly mistakes due to the workers’ exhaustion.

Orderly Staffing Inc. focuses on the recruitment of Speech and Language Pathologist for school districts. Orderly Staffing Inc. is the primary employer of the Speech and Language Pathologist, working on payroll, benefits, and continued support. Orderly Staffing Inc. will match Speech and Language Pathologist to school districts, help with contract negotiations and future position vacancies.

In 1999, expert surgical nurse authors at the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) developed a comprehensive curriculum to assist in the education and transition of nurses entering perioperative clinical specialty for the first time (Beyea, 2002). In 2007, Periop 101: A Core Curriculum (AORN, n.d.) was created which moved the instructor-based program into an online format of modules designed to assist with mastering core perioperative competencies. The program provides instruction with videos, assigned readings, and quizzes at the end of each module. The learning focuses on patient safety and the program is best utilized when combined with preceptorships and skills labs.

I would say that Indiana should have staffing laws because according to AHRQ Nurse Staffing model, an analysis of the research by ANA shows that ensuring adequate staffing levels reduce medical and medication errors, decrease patient complications, decrease mortality, improve patient satisfaction, reduce nurse fatigue, decrease nurse burnout, and improve nurse retention and job satisfaction (Yoder-Wise p. 256). Although the acuity of a patient’s conditions is influenced by their age, primary diagnosis, co-morbidities, and treatment stage is a key factor in determining the staffing required for safe care, however, the dynamic nature of patient care often makes it difficult to quantify the care needs of patients at any given time. In addition, the following patient variables affecting staffing decision should be considered before staffing: number of patients, range of conditions, observations and interventions required,

When a patient becomes hospitalized, it is important to ensure patient safety and satisfaction. A process known as hourly rounding has been implemented in many hospitals as a way to achieve this increase in patient satisfaction. The hourly rounding process consists of four concepts that are covered with each hourly round. When these concepts are implemented, the nurse will anticipate the needs of the patient and prevent unnecessary and untimely call lights. Hospital implementation of this process may receive some resistance but with the proper training and education this process can increase patient safety and patient

Ms Debra Shannon, BSN, perioperative RN is assigned to the OR consisting of 6 main rooms and 1 cysto room and provides support to the interventional radiology, during this rating period. She serves as Service Lead to Cardio, Vascular and Thoracic Services. She provided valuable input for this proficiency. This proficiency report demonstrates examples of how Ms. Shannon uses her perioperative nursing expertise to provide patient centered nursing care in exceeding the Qualification Standards in the four areas for a Nurse II.

Nursing is the powerhouse in the delivery of safe, quality patient-centered care in the healthcare industry. To ensure continued safety of the patient and nursing staff, the issue of inadequate staffing must be addressed. Consequently, patient’s mortality rate has been linked to the level of nursing staff utilized in ensuring an utmost outcome (Aiken, 2011). This paper will outline the issue associated with inadequate nurse to patient staffing ratios in the hospital setting; essential factors such as economic, social, ethical and political and legal affecting the issue will be established; current legislature and stakeholders will be ascertained and policy option, evaluation of bill and the results of analysis will be reviewed.

In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen a significant decline in the quality of patient care it provides. This has been the result of reduced staffing levels, overworked nurses, and an extremely high nurse to patient ratio. The importance of nurse staffing in hospital settings is an issue of great controversy. Too much staff results in costs that are too great for the facility to bear, but too little staffing results in patient care that is greatly hindered. Moreover, the shaky economy has led to widespread budget cuts; this, combined with the financial pressures associated with Medicare and private insurance companies have forced facilities to make due with fewer

The broad research problem leading to this study is the belief that nursing shortage in facilities leads to patient safety issues. The review of available literature on this topic shows strong evidence that lower nurse staffing levels in hospitals are associated with worse patient outcomes. Some of these outcomes include very high patient to nurse ratio, fatigue for nurses leading to costly medical mistakes, social environment, nursing staff attrition from the most affected facilities. The study specifically attempts to find a way to understand how nurse

When caring for your patients it is crucial to have the correct number of staff on the floor in order to provide safe and effective quality care and patient outcomes. When our facilities we work in fail to recognize the connection between appropriate RN staffing and positive patient outcomes, this becomes a problem in which laws and regulations become a necessity. The American Nurses Association (ANA) is behind the legislative model that empowers nurses to design individualized staffing proposals for each unit. “This approach aides in establishing staffing levels that are flexible and account for changes; including intensity of patient 's needs, the number of admissions, discharges and transfers during a shift, level of experience of nursing staff, layout of the unit, and availability of resources (ancillary staff, technology etc.)” (ANA, 2016). This will allow management to look at patients as more than just a number creating a census, but focus more specifically on the burden of care. Optimal nurse staffing is important in helping reduce the caregiver stress and unresolved conflict that can compromise patient safety. “Nurses employed in better care environment report more positive job experiences and fewer concern about quality care. Interprofessional collaboration has been characterized by effective communication and is a key factor in reducing error and improving patient outcomes” (Folse, 2015, p. 433). Successfully managing stress and conflict in the work

According to Barton (2013), establishing an acuity-based core staffing model is a delicate balance between enhancing patient safety and provider productivity while also optimizing organizational costs (Barton, 2013). According to Barton (2013), the true benefit of an acuity-based, data-driven staffing management system is flexibility enabled by real-time information. Barton argues that more than mandatory staffing, nurses with adequate support and manageable work levels report increased satisfaction; and patient care, quality, and safety is optimized (Barton, 2013). I agree with Barton’s view of nurse staffing. Having worked in the intensive care unit for 18 years, I have seen how appropriate staffing improved the quality of patient care.

Employee counseling in the workplace has gained distinction over the years and has become increasingly important with the number of incidents related to stress-related health issues ( ). Furthermore, employee assistance programs (EAP) have become so popular that more than 60% of large firms offer EAP services (Dessler, 2013). With corporations competing for success, excellence, and the increasing intricacies of work, employees now experience enormous work-life stress leading to anxiety and depression. EAPs are programs intended to facilitate employee well-being (Dessler, 2013). EAPs offer assistance and counseling, such as personal, legal, and financial services, child and elder care referrals, adoption assistance, mental health counseling,