Background: Impaired Healthcare Workers in the United States
Recognizing the presence of impairments in the workforce is an essential step for the American state authorities to provide the target population with the services of the required quality and create the environment in which they can work successfully without facing any of the impediments to which they are typically exposed. According to the 2017 American Nursing Association (ANA) report, at least 10% of nurses are impaired, substance abuse is the key factor behind the development of the health problem (American Nursing Association, 2017).
Considering the issue specifically in the environment of the Texas healthcare environment, one must also mention that the needs of impaired healthcare employees are guarded by the Texas Department of Insurance (2017).
Impaired Healthcare Workers in Texas: Challenges and Opportunities
As stressed above, the current focus on providing nurses with compensations and other financial opportunities must be recognized as an important step in the right direction. However, other initiatives geared toward the enhancement of the communication process between the target population and the rest of the healthcare members should also be mentioned. Particularly, the programs promoting support and dialogue between healthcare members with impairments and other healthcare employees’ needs mentioning.
Apart from the extensive opportunities for receiving compensation impaired healthcare employees in Texas may use peer assistance programs designed to provide them with a chance to fulfill themselves and attain high success in their career development. The concept of peer support in the healthcare environment implies the assistance provided to impaired healthcare professionals by their colleagues. According to numerous testimonies, the identified approach helps impaired healthcare service members significantly since it allows them to receive the assistance of the healthcare community in an unobtrusive and efficient way. As a result, healthcare practitioners with impairments, particularly, the members of the healthcare system that have developed an addiction to substances, can receive substantial support while also excelling in their skills and acquiring new knowledge actively.
It should be noted, though, that the current system lacks the emphasis on the promotion of cross-cultural communication. While the importance of cooperation is not to be underrated in the nursing environment, one must also keep in mind that the significance of diversity is growing increasingly more important in the context of the global community. Thus, to reach out to all target groups, especially including vulnerable populations, one must keep the emphasis on identifying culture-specific needs and challenges associated with establishing a conversation with impaired healthcare workers. The identified technique is bound to lead to a massive improvement in the further management of impaired healthcare workers’ needs, at the same time offering the latter to maintain consistent contact with the rest of the healthcare community. Consequently, emerging issues will be identified at the earliest stages of development and addressed appropriately.
Addressing the Issue of Cultural Differences: The Texas Corporate Setting
To meet the diverse needs of American nurses with impairments in the setting of a Texan organization, one should focus on the issue of cultural diversity and the necessity to establish a cross-cultural conversation between the organization and its staff member. As explained above, it is imperative to make sure that the needs of the target population are understood and met successfully. In the scenario described above, the company in question will have to consider using a vast array of feedback collection techniques to determine the needs of the vulnerable population and produce an adequate response.
The current procedure involving a written stipulation of whether an impaired nurse is capable of performing the assigned duties and at the same time addressing their health issues adequately seems rather rigid yet effective. It could be argued that the emphasis on active communication and the support of a nurse suffering from chemical dependency is viewed as a necessity.
Identification of Needs and Basic Treatment: Tools and Strategies
The assessment of an impaired nurse’s needs is carried out on a case-by-case basis according to the requirements of the Texas regulation (Texas Board of Nursing, 2015). For this purpose, the adoption of a basic drug test is typically viewed as a necessity in accordance with the current Texan legal requirements (Nursing Jurisprudence and Ethics for Texas Nurses, 2017). In case the test proves positive, a license is revoked, and the healthcare practitioner in question is supposed to undergo a therapy aimed at helping them battle their addiction (Nursing Jurisprudence and Ethics for Texas Nurses, 2017).
The current framework for meeting the needs of nurses in Texas, however, could use significant improvement. While the importance of collaboration and community involvement as the key to the further management of impaired healthcare workers’ needs in the workplace is essential, it should only be viewed as the start of a continuous improvement process. Afterward, one must place emphasis on the active promotion of diversity and the accurate identification of Texan healthcare workers’ needs. For example, the importance of family support and, therefore, the active involvement of family members in the therapy process should be a welcome change in the current content of programs aimed at meeting the needs of impaired healthcare employees.
Rehabilitation, Monitoring, and Related Issues: Overview
The current approach to monitoring is also quite plain, including regular tests and brief reports. An in-depth analysis of the changes that impaired healthcare employees undergo during the therapy must be conducted so that the options for a faster recovery and rehabilitation could be identified. For instance, reports and detailed assessments of the psychological changes in impaired healthcare staff members should be deemed as a priority. The supervision of a pharmacist must be viewed a mandatory, yet the monitoring process must not be represented as an attempt to establish a rigid control over the vulnerable population; instead, it needs to function as the support system that allows healthcare employees with dependency issues and other impairments to develop the necessary habits that will keep them healthy (Balayssac, 2017). To attain the identified goal, one must consider the principles of diversity and collaboration as the essential tools. The promotion of an uninhibited dialogue between an impaired healthcare employee and the corresponding nursing staff must be recognized as instrumental to the successful recovery.
Conclusion: Maintaining the Focus on Meeting the Needs of the U.S. Healthcare Workers with Impairments
The issues faced by impaired healthcare employees are very numerous and challenging. Therefore, a comprehensive program for assisting them in addressing the identified concerns must be designed. To promote further improvement, one should focus on identifying the specific needs and characteristics of the target population. Particularly, the focus on family values and the enhancement of peer support must be considered essential for Texan healthcare service members.
References
American Nursing Association. (2017). Recognizing impairment in the workplace. Web.
Balayssac, D., Pereira, B., Virot, J., Collin, A., Alapini, D., Cuny, D.,… Vennat, B. (2017). Burnout, associated comorbidities and coping strategies in French community pharmacies – BOP study: A nationwide cross-sectional study. PloS One, 12(8), e0182956.
Nursing Jurisprudence and Ethics for Texas Nurses. (2017). Nursing jurisprudence and ethics for Texas nurses. Web.
Texas Board of Nursing. (2015). Rules and regulations relating to nurse education, licensure and practice. Web.
Texas Department of Insurance. (2017). Workers’ compensation health care networks. Web.