Introduction
The study will focus on a plan for recruiting, hiring, interviewing and retaining the nursing staff for the acute care units in Houston, Texas, USA. Acute health care units are health care facilities that offer a wide range of medical services and these include surgical procedures, obstetrics, pediatric, ambulatory and weak and elderly care units. The study will focus on all these services and perform a comparative study of the different levels of work performed by nurses in this facility.
The organization focuses on the various guidelines for the retention of new graduate nurses. The plan will involve assessment of the new nurses’ performance, holding of mentorship and coaching programs. As the chief nursing officer, I will develop an orientation guide for the newly hired nurses alongside a job description scheme.
Strategy for the recruitment of the nurses
The strategy for the recruitment of new nurses will be based on a number of factors and considerations. The new graduates who had been previously attached in the acute health care unit in Houston and other related units within the US will be considered. In this case, the graduates will have to apply for the jobs following an advertisement in the media.
The candidates will submit their resumes alongside other credentials in the medical field to prove their qualifications. Those who will impress the recruitment panel headed by myself will be shortlisted and invited for the interviews.
In the interview, the proceedings will be based on what is reflected in the candidates’ credentials. The panel will try to relate the written information with visible qualities of the candidates.
Practical interviews will involve the applicants conducting basic procedures like patients’ preparation for medical procedures, calling for the patients’ attention and bed making. Questions on various drugs and related actions will be asked and the applicants will have to display their skills and knowledge beside the written documents and other testimonials. Following this, the most preferred candidates will earn the opportunity to work in the facility on probationary terms.
The probation period for the interns will take one year after which the trainees will be retained on permanent basis. Contracts will be signed between the trainees and the hospital. Other candidates from different areas of professionalism with experience or training in nursing will be considered. They will be required to sit for the national nursing board exams to be registered by the nursing council.
They will also be required to display skills in areas like podiatry, obstetrics and surgery. Those who will impress the interviewing panel will earn the opportunity to work on probation but their performance will be subjected to regular assessment every 6 months. They will also be employed permanently or temporarily depending on their performance.
The recruitment program will consider factors like sex, age, physical status and background. The recruitment panel will offer recruitment to individuals between the age of 20 and 40 years. The age bracket will be made so to ensure the employment of a youthful and energetic workforce. It is hoped that workers within the age bracket will facilitate faster, better and effective medical procedures. The organization will create a framework for balancing the ratio of male to female workers.
The number of male recruits will have to be equal to the number of female ones. This fact will facilitate better and efficient performance and conform to legal requirements. The organization will recruit interns based on merit and not on personal or demographic attributes like an intern’s proximity to the hospital.
Applicants from other continents and regions of the world like Harare, Tokyo and New Delhi will be invited to apply as the posts will be advertised on the organization’s website. The hospital will also invite disabled or physically challenged applicants.
Several positions will be set aside for them. Disability mainstreaming will be highly upheld within the facility. The disabled will be offered special services like parking and transport facilities and also fair tasks to perform.
Job description adverts for nurses working under the 12-hour shift program
The job description for the 12 hour shift program will consider several factors like number, age and sex, academic credentials, areas of performance, job experience, duties and responsibilities, application procedures and recruits’ expectations.
The organization will recruit 20 fresh graduates every year. This aspect will correspond to an increase in the volume of patients’ especially those with acute renal failure and coronary artery diseases.
The number of nurses will effectively facilitate the patients’ care program annually and growth of pediatric and obstetric wards. The job description part of the advertisement will define the exact position to be held by the nurses and the different “switches” to be made. Major areas will include pediatric care, obstetric, medical and surgery, frail and elderly care and in-patient facilities. The job description clause will outline the various roles and responsibilities to be performed by the nurses during a 12 hour period program. In respect to surgery, the nurses will be required to display skills in patient care, drug administration, therapy monitoring techniques, preparation of patients for surgery and information on minor and intermediate surgical procedures.
They will be expected to assist the surgeons on minor surgical operations. As for the elderly patient care, the care givers will be required to demonstrate knowledge in handling elderly and frail patients according to the NET2-staffing procedure on hosting. They will be required to administer drugs and food to the patients.
They will be expected to keep adequate records on the patients’ performance and recuperation of which the reports will be submitted to me and the doctor in charge of evaluation. On obstetrics, they will be required to display adequate knowledge on handling patients with medical attention being highly prioritized.
For qualifications, experienced nurses will have an added advantage especially when it comes to technical areas like surgery and obstetrics. They will be required to be graduates from a recognized medical school with background training on nursing.
They will have to be registered by the nursing board. The 12 hour shift program will also be comprehensively described and the nurses will be required to work for 12 hours a day during day or night shifts.
Interview questions
- Can you tell us something about yourself?
- What will be your objectives in the acute care units?
- Why do you think you deserve the job?
- What do you think about nursing especially in acute care units?
- How do you intend to work in respect to the 12 hour shift program?
- What changes will you bring to boost the performance of the facility?
- What measures do you think the facility should employ to meet the health care needs?
- Which drugs are commonly used in obstetrics?
- What are some of the procedures involved in basic nursing?
- What are the priorities of nurses?
Strategy for retaining nurses
Most nurses and health workers are usually discouraged by their labor unions and health facilities when they show little appreciation to their work. Appreciation may be shown to the nurses in the form of benefits like salary increments, performance appraisals, promotions, good working relations and educational programs. Salary increments will be based on the nurses’ performance, years of service and achievements. I will suggest an annual 20% salary rise for the nurses to enhance their performance and make them wish to work for long in the facility. The NET2- staffing sources suggest that there is importance in independent staffing and infrastructural development.
The infrastructure will be assessed. Transport and travelling allowances will be evaluated especially if the work will involve going to distant places. The nurses’ performance will be examined and determined. The best performing nurses will be awarded. The awards will be in form of certificates of appreciation, field trips, excursions and promotions. Promotion will be based on merit and it will be accompanied by salary rises, allowances and benefits.
The major benefits will include longer leave periods, house and medical allowances, security and transport. Education trips to the nursing and medicine facilities will be conducted per term and the concerned nurses will be required to appreciate training programs by the hospital. The nurses will be able to learn new procedures and techniques involved in health care by interacting with other nurses across the globe working in acute care units. They will adapt strategies of providing acute treatments to patients and stabilize them awaiting further treatment. This fact is an important aspect of acute care units. Various services will be offered to familiarize the nurses with what is happening in the field of nursing.
The services will include ambulatory and emergency care and urgent surgical procedures. The nurses will be offered the opportunity to express themselves freely on their perceived areas of weaknesses and the experienced nurses will be expected to mentor the less experienced ones. Questionnaires will be given to assess the nurses. Requests will be submitted to me for consideration. Forums will be carried out and performance and results will be discussed and suggestions made on creation of better work ethics.
Mentoring programs for newly hired nurses
The coaching and mentoring program for the newly hired nurses like new graduates will be an involving exercise that will engage the use of professional knowledge. Experienced nurses working in the acute care facility in Houston will be assigned to these new graduates for mentorship. Each graduate will have his or her own supervisor. The supervisor will be required to monitor the performance of the new nurses and report their evaluation to me or to the chief nursing officer.
The graduates will be provided with a routine logbook during the 1 year probation term. The logbooks will be assessed on a monthly basis by the respective supervisors and comments noted. At the end of the probation, I will check the logbooks for evaluation of the nurses’ performance. The supervisors will be expected to show and teach the nurses other different procedures and legislations used in the health care units.
The procedures will involve the different sub-units in the facility and these will be the surgery, medical, ambulatory and frail-elderly units and the pediatric zone. The nurses will be required to closely monitor all the operations taking place in this unit and raise concerns in case they are not familiar with anything within the acute care unit. The new nurses will be required to perform different tasks by themselves and submit reports which will also be examined. Their ability to grasp information quickly and perform diverse tasks and procedures will determine the final verdict of their performance. The new nurses will be involved in both internal and external tasks. The internal tasks will involve events occurring within the health care facility. The nurses will be required to be familiar with the medical procedures within the facility and employ their skills effectively and efficiently for the attainment of the objectives of the facility.
Field trips will be conducted on term basis and educational forums will be held regularly. The new nurses will be required to demonstrate their skills outside the hospital premises. They will be involved in patient rescue missions, emergency and first aid services and transport of patients to secondary health units and submission of relevant work reports. The supervision of nurses and nurses-patient relationships will be highly prioritized by the facility. The new nurses will be required to show willingness to learn and they will be able to achieve this through development of interactive relationships. Respect and coordination will be expected from the nurses in the course of discharging their duties.
They will be required to adhere to the policy of the acute health care units. They will be expected to observe professional laws and regulations. All the units within the facility will display their constitution and through the help of the supervisor, the new nurses will be required to know the regulations and policies and follow them without default. The supervisor will engage the new nurses in training on developing of healthy relationships and interactions with the patients. In this case, the new nurses will be required to observe the response of patients to treatment. Nurses will administer drip to selected patients. Tests that will be done by the nurses will include blood, heart, breathing, window tests and thermoregulatory procedures.
The nurses will be required to keep the patients’ records in the patients’ files and submit them to the doctor upon requests by the doctors. The new nurses will also work with the doctor on the examination of the patient’s development based on the records submitted by the nurses. The doctor and the supervisor will assist the new nurses in the operation of certain machines, for instance, the electrocardiography, mammogram, BP and the X-ray machines. They will be required to learn how these machines work and be able to read results from them. They will be required to detect defaults in the machines. In case of a default, the nurses will be expected to report to the senior nurse or the doctor in charge.
The nurses will be taught the importance of observing the institution’s secrets and patients’ privacy. They will be required to keep the patient’s information confidential and only submit it to the doctor in charge. Consequently, the doctor will be able to disclose the patients’ information to their families. Staff members of the hospital will not be expected to know what is going on with the patients unless they are involved in the patients’ recuperation process. The policies of the institution will be concealed from the external environment.
The supervisor will be expected to conduct an orientation exercise for the new nurses on legal and illegal medical procedures. He or she will be expected to explain the difference between what should be done to the patient and what should not be done in respect to drug administration and supplement prescription. The new nurses will be required to administer drugs and supplements to the patients according to the doctor’s prescription (Rice, 2006). However, the new nurses will not be required to conduct a medical procedure that they are not familiar with. They will not be expected to fail to administer a drug or therapy to patients.
Finally, they will not be expected to fail to report for duties without the approval of the chief of staff or the senior matron. Time is fundamental especially during patient care. The new nurses will be trained on how to administer drugs, food and therapy at the right time. The nurses will be guided on how to organize themselves properly in order to attend to every patient they are assigned to. Correct mentorship and coaching programs will ensure that the new nurses will be able to perform their duties and responsibilities without failure.
Orientation guide for newly hired nurses
The orientation program will be important for the newly hired nurses in directing them towards a successful job performance. The orientation guide will outline information about the vision, policy and objective of the acute care units, the types of facilities and the operation of the major units within the facility, the shift program and the staffing system. The newly hired nurses will be acquainted with the policies, goals, mission, vision and objectives of the organization.
They will be guided through them and copies will be availed to each nurse for reference purposes. They will be expected to observe all the legislation without default. Corrective measures will be taken against the nurses in case of default of hospital work ethics or in case there is a breach of contract. All the newly hired nurses will be required to sign a work contract as an affirmation of the policies and regulations of the organization. The newly hired nurses will also be taken through a brief educational program to familiarize themselves with the various units within the facility. They will be required to identify themselves with the various units and other staff within the facility.
They will be taken to the theater, pediatric unit, the chemist, kitchen, servant quarters and the administration units and be introduced to the respective holders of all the units. In this case, they will be required to know the names of the personnel and have an overview of what they do. They will also be required to present their names for confirmation purposes. Badges bearing the names, identification numbers and unit details of the nurses will be issued to them. An overview of part of the equipment will be conducted as the nurses familiarize themselves with the various departments and units. They will be expected to know at least the names and the functions of the machines.
In the orientation, the newly hired nurses will get the opportunity to know their supervisors and colleagues. An interactive session will be scheduled in which the staff and the new nurses will meet and share different views. A presentation of the various events and operations of the facility will be conducted by the chief nursing officer. The nurses will be informed of the working procedure, code of conduct and performance options. They will be informed of the dress code and how they will be expected to conduct themselves within the facility. Important and safety clothing and uniforms will be availed to each of them with respect to the NET2-staffing procedures.
They will also be informed about the extra work activities like sports and leisure programs. They will be able to learn about the relevant nursing bodies and schools. Information on various opportunities within and outside the facility will be provided to the nurses to encourage and promote good performance among them. Their salaries and payment procedures will be provided on private basis and each will sign the job contract. Other issues like insurance, medical care, housing and transport will be addressed and the new nurses will be able to understand what is expected of them. For the newly hired nurses, they will be required to give an assessment of their expectation and observation.
This fact will help the facility to determine what measures should be taken to motivate and possibly retain the new employees. Finally, the new staff will be briefed on the various types of units within the facility and they will include long term care hospitals, shorter emergency units, alternate family care, assisted hiring programs, residential facility, nursing home and sub acute care facility.
Conclusion
The NET2-staffing program suggests that for an effective nursing of the acute care unit, technical and specialized personnel should be employed in handling complex procedures. The right procedures should be addressed in the strategic study. The procedures will enhance a good acute care unit in Houston to cater for the young, elderly, disabled and challenged cases. The possibility of efficient services and a well-equipped acute care unit will facilitate the Houston Texas branch to be among the leading and efficient hospital facilities. Properly trained nurses will be able to maintain discipline in this practical field with minimal risks of default or patient recovery.
The organization of an acute system is fundamental with respect to the NET2- staffing program for purposeful administration. Better management and policies will ensure that the nurses will be able to adapt to changes in their field and employ the knowledge gained in the field to serve humanity. For good mentorship and coaching, the newly hired nurses and graduates will need to embrace the policies and mentorship program with compliance and respect.
Reference
Rice, R. (2006). Home Care Nursing Practice: Concepts and application. Missouri, USA: Mosby Publishers.