For the health care setting to operate effectively in achieving its goals and objectives, it requires to implement the main management concepts. These include planning, organizing, directing, and controlling.
In a setting where nurses, therapists, and other healthcare staffs are located in a central position, management is relatively simpler than where the care of patients is managed out of a central location.
However, these four functions apply irrespective of location in managing health care leaders and their staffs (Management Functions in a Health Care Facility, 2012).
The administration undertakes planning by evaluating the current operation of the institution and developing plans that focus on the future of the heath center (Huber, 2006). In our case, the administration employs strategic planning technique in planning ahead to overcome unprecedented challenges.
The management achieves this by analysis both external and internal factors affecting smooth operations. The most common approach for accomplishing this task is using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) method.
This tool helps the administration to determine the most cost effective action for business (Management Functions in a Health Care Facility, 2012).
As community health service providers, we plan for emergencies by ensuring that enough staffs are available to handle urgent situations, and equipping them. Even when we are offering our services out of the health center, we prepare emergency wards within our central facility.
In addition, we gather information from the community to help in decision making. We employ SWOT analysis to determine how to overcome institutional weakness such under staffing and delays in delivery of medical supplies.
Also, we evaluate threats such as ignorance among of clients regarding appropriate health care lifestyles. There are opportunities, for instance impressive service demand, and; therefore, it is possible to charge clients an affordable fee and still remain resourceful.
Apart from planning, organizing plays unique roles in management. This function mandates the health care management to organize its resources and plan for their proper usage in advance. This is a system that helps management to determine the internal doctorial configuration (Huber, 2006).
The management does this by considering allocations for different departments. The management also performs this function at whatever time they are selecting and authorizing certain departments to handle some clear-cut roles (Huber, 2006).
I, as the health center’s administrator, implement these roles in conjunction with my assistant and other trained health professionals. My assistant reports to me, whenever necessary, on the progress of daily operations and joins in organizing and reorganizing them.
We also work together prepare duty rosters for nurses and doctors. In addition, she handles bookkeeping, staff payroll, costs and maintenance, and coordinates with heath insurers and social services.
The next function of management in health care set up is directing or leading. This management function entitles the administration to control and take charge of staffs (Huber, 2006). Directing helps the company achieve it objectives. Also, it helps the health workers to achieve their personal and career goals.
In most cases, our management supports staff to meet these goals. This we do through motivation, open communication, and employing department management techniques. Management introduces incentive programs, which help to motive staffs to worker harder.
I occasionally join trained health care officers and engage them on how to improve our services. I persistently look for better ways of motivating them.
Additionally, I work closely with all staffs. Apart from giving out instructions, I sometimes, join them in treating patients whenever there is a shortage of doctors. The supervisors get my plans and communicate them to all workers. I develop plans that are beneficial to health care staffs, patients and the community.
Such plans include economical use of fare, lab apparatus and developing constructive relationships with patients. In addition, we do hold quarterly meetings, and I use the opportunity to communicate to all health officials on corporate goals. However, I do this during impromptu meetings, as well.
As a final point, Control plays a significant role in health care management. A key role under this function is establishing performance standards (Stahl, 2004).
Performance problems sometimes crop in; however, we commonly resolve them by setting high standards for all departments and clearly communicating our goals to departments that have problems.
Otherwise, if a department fails to attain set standards and it emerges that external factors have played in, then the management lowers the standards to accommodate all genuine interests. Most importantly, I endeavor to see all workers take control of the business by making decisions, but under my supervision.
I have, through experience, discovered that all the four management roles are crucial. This is because a weakness exhibited in one of them is displayed in the entire organization. However, we can argue that planning is the most pivotal role because all the other roles depend on it (Stahl, 2004).
I, therefore, as an aspiring leader, trained nurse, and student value to understand all functions of health care management. In so doing, I envision to be a highly skilled health care manager.
References
Huber, D. (2006). Leadership and Nursing Care Management (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.
Management Functions in a Health Care Facility – Yahoo! Voices – voices.yahoo.com. (2012). Yahoo! Voices – voices.yahoo.com. Web.
Stahl, M. J. (2004). Encyclopedia of Health Care Management. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.