Introduction
Medical facilities should hire competent practitioners to deliver high-quality services to different patients. Such institutions can be conceptualized as open systems that have throughput, input, output, negative feedback, and cycle of events factors. This paper describes how a given pediatric clinic is unable to meet children’s health needs due to the problem of nursing shortage. This issue is examined and analyzed using Open Systems theory in order to propose appropriate solutions.
Description of the Selected Unit
The targeted pediatric clinic’s mission is to offer quality medical services to children aged between one and ten years. The facility has competent managers and practitioners to address the diverse needs of the targeted patients. Its vision is to become a leading provider of superior health care in the region. The current mission to continue meeting the changing demands of every child. The values supporting this institution’s performance include integrity, beneficence, autonomy, and justice (Matthias, 2015). These attributes resonate with the expectations of young children and their parents or guardians.
A positive culture has emerged whereby individuals liaise to deliver positive results. Decisions are made efficiently. Proper leadership is implemented to guide different practitioners and other staff members (MacLean et al., 2014). Unfortunately, the existing climate is unfavorable since many nurses and physicians are overwhelmed by the increasing number of patients. Although the environment is appropriate, issues such as staffing shortage and lack of adequate resources have affected the performance of different teams.
Problem Description
The current problem is that many practitioners are unable to meet the health needs of different children due to the problem of nursing shortage. This challenge is affecting the institution’s image and performance. The Open Systems model can be used to describe the nature of this predicament. The first aspect of this theory is input (MacLean et al., 2014). This attribute reveals how the clinic’s leaders have failed to implement an effective staffing policy to empower the targeted patients. Additionally, adequate resources are unavailable in the selected facility. The absence of inputs (human resources and equipment) has led to this predicament. Due to these gaps, the institution is unable to improve its care delivery systems (throughput).
The absence of skilled practitioners and resources has resulted in poor patients’ outcomes (output). Consequently, the institution has not achieved its organizational goals. In terms of revenues, the facility has been performing poorly (MacLean et al., 2014). Additionally, it has been unable to attain specific recognitions such as the magnet status (cycle of events). Its image in the region has also been affected (negative feedback).
Desired Outcome, Goals, and Objectives: Solution
Several goals and objectives must be considered to deal with this challenge. The main goal is to transform the operations and processes in this clinic in order to meet the diverse needs of different people. The intended strategic focus will ensure that the right strategies and incentives are put in place to deliver positive results. The second goal is transforming the existing culture using superior approaches such as teamwork (Pyone, Smith, & van den Broek, 2017). The main objective is to ensure that the facility attains the “magnet status” recognition within two years. This aspect will act as a benchmark for introducing superior ideas that can address existing predicaments and eventually improve performance.
The problem affecting the targeted clinic can be addressed using an evidence-based approach. The leaders should identify the current needs and hire more practitioners to deliver high-quality services. They should go further to acquire the right resources and equipment to empower their nurses. The targeted workers must be skilled and conversant with emerging health needs in pediatrics. Practices such as teamwork, empowerment, and communication will be introduced (MacLean et al., 2014). Practitioners can also be encouraged to form multidisciplinary teams in order to offer high-quality services.
Attributes such as integrity, code of ethics, and leadership should be embraced in this clinic. The strategy will encourage different workers and nurses to focus on the needs of different children. Emerging technologies and concepts such as “meaningful use” can be introduced to make a significant change in this facility. Adequate resources will empower newly-recruited practitioners and make it easier to deliver desirable medical services. The institution will implement a powerful framework to monitor the effectiveness of different professionals. The major indicators of improved performance will include the number of satisfied customers, complaints raised within a specified period, and revenues (Pyone et al., 2017). The concept of continuous improvement should also be taken into consideration.
Additionally, the targeted goals and objectives will be translated into policies. For example, the outlined solution will become a part of the institution’s staffing policy. The concept of “meaningful use” will be considered to improve patients’ outcomes (Matthias, 2015). The “magnet status” recognition will be pursued as a policy in order to transform the behaviors, performance, and practices of different nurses.
The first professional standard that will be considered to address the current problem is the Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002 (Ratnapalan & Uleryk, 2014). This law will give an opportunity to retain and hire more practitioners in an attempt to deal with the current shortage. The second one is that of meaningful use. The concept will be aimed at introducing superior technologies and equipment that can result in high-quality pediatric services.
Mission, Vision, and Values: Culture and Climate
The proposed solution seeks to increase the current workforce and introduce new resources in the targeted clinic. The initiative will address the needs of more patients and make the institution a leading provider of desirable services. This is in accordance with the current mission. The achievement will eventually support the organization’s vision as it intends to become a leader in the region. The solution is in accordance with the clinic’s core values such as integrity, justice, and equality (Matthias, 2015). All employees and practitioners will use such attributes as guiding principles to deliver positive results.
The above solution has the potential to create a powerful culture characterized by a shared vision, teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking. The level of burnout will reduce significantly. The new culture will eventually take the institution to the next level. The emerging working environment or climate will be positive since nurses and physicians will collaborate to deliver quality services (Ratnapalan & Uleryk, 2014). Continuous improvement will become a powerful concept for empowering different practitioners. Processes should be updated depending on every emerging need. Consequently, the clinic will become a leading provider of high-quality pediatric services.
Conclusion
The above discussion has revealed that the targeted pediatric clinic intends to become a leader in its region. Unfortunately, the problem of workforce shortage is affecting its goals. The decision to hire more practitioners and introduce superior equipment or resources will deal with this challenge. The proposed initiative will support the clinic’s goals, mission, vision, and values. Professional standards such as meaningful use will make the clinic successful.
References
MacLean, L., Hassmiller, S., Shaffer, F., Rohrbaugh, K., Collier, T., & Fairman, J. (2014). Scale, causes, and implications of the primary care nursing shortage. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 443-457. Web.
Matthias, A. D. (2015). Making the case for differentiation of registered nurse practice: Historical perspectives meet contemporary efforts. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 5(4), 108-114. Web.
Pyone, T., Smith, H., & van den Broek, N. (2017). Frameworks to assess health systems governance: A systematic review. Health Policy and Planning, 32(5), 710-722. Web.
Ratnapalan, S., & Uleryk, E. (2014). Organizational learning in health care organizations. Systems, 2(1), 24-33. Web.