Fraser Institute, a northern Ontario acute care hospital, has partnered with a downtown Toronto hospital, granting access to renowned healthcare experts. Despite this partnership, the hospital must expand services with limited resources, achieve funding campaign targets, and attract enough registered nurses (RNs) even with enticing sign-up bonuses. Fraser Institute can address challenges by leveraging telemedicine and collaborating with educational institutions, aligning with its mission to provide exceptional healthcare services to the community.
External Opportunity 1: Telemedicine
One of the external opportunities for Fraser Institute is the expansion of telemedicine services. By investing in telemedicine infrastructure, remote consultations, diagnostics, and patient monitoring become possible (Haleem et al., 2021). It reduces staff strain and bridges the urban-rural healthcare disparity gap. Embracing telemedicine enhances patient outcomes, decreases readmissions, and delivers cost-effective care. However, some potential threats to implementing telemedicine include the technological infrastructure and connectivity required to facilitate remote healthcare services. Rural areas, like the one Fraser Institute serves, often need more broadband access and adequate network infrastructure, which can hinder the effective delivery of telemedicine services.
External Opportunity 2: Collaboration with Educational Institutions
Fraser Institute can establish strategic collaborations with nursing schools and universities, creating a pipeline for recruiting new RNs. The hospital can attract nursing students and recent graduates eager to gain valuable experience in rural healthcare by offering internships, scholarships, or mentorship programs (Wildow, 2023). Collaborating with educational institutions can help address the shortage of RNs in rural areas and create a mutually beneficial relationship between the hospital and schools. However, collaborating with educational institutions could face financial constraints due to the costs associated with implementing and maintaining scholarship, internship, and mentorship programs.
References
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Singh, R. P., & Suman, R. (2021). Telemedicine for Healthcare: Capabilities, features, barriers, and applications. Sensors International, 2, 100117. Web.
Wildow, S. (2023). Growing the healthcare workforce: What Area Universities are doing to attract students. Dayton Daily News. Web.