Introduction
This report is aimed at discussing the problems encountered by such an organization as Center Home Hispanic Elderly. In particular, it is necessary to focus on such an issue as understaffing because this difficulty profoundly affects the quality of care provided to elderly people. One should keep in mind that nursing-home can be described as “labor-intensive” organizations, and these facilities are very sensitive to the shortages of employees (Pratt, 2010, p. 141).
Moreover, the administrators of such facilities should focus on such aspects as scheduling, orientation programs for new employees, and hiring healthcare professionals who have the necessary educational or professional background. These precautions can be useful for resolving this problem, and they are primarily related to the field of management. Yet, much attention should also be paid to the ethical standards, established in this medical facility. The administrators should not respond only to governmental fines; instead, they need to concentrate on the well-being of patients as their major priority. These are the main issues that should be discussed in greater detail.
Analysis of the issue
In this case, the shortage of nurses can be attributed to various factors. At first, one should discuss the common causes of this problem. For instance, it is necessary to mention the increasing demand for the services of nurses, and this trend can be partly explained by the fact that the proportion of the elderly population increases (Keenan, & Kennedy, 2003, p. 2). Additionally, one should keep in mind that the percentage of people, who want to become nurses, has decreased during the last three decades. This tendency has emerged because modern-day women have more employment opportunities; in turn, nursing is not one of the career options that they immediately consider (Keenan, & Kennedy, 2003, p. 2).
This factor becomes particularly important at the time when many nurses retire (Keenan, & Kennedy, 2003). Furthermore, it is important to remember their dissatisfaction with the work environment. Much attention should be paid to such aspects as stress, emotional burnout, and lack of promotion opportunities since they make people reluctant to work in medical institutions like nursing homes.
Additionally, it is important to mention that there is a shortage of professionals who have skills in such an area as geriatrics (Pratt, 2010, p. 141). These are some of the main causes that can be identified.
Nevertheless, it is critical to discuss some of the circumstances that are peculiar to Center Home Hispanic Elderly. One should note that this organization serves the needs of the Hispanic people who have specific cultural and linguistic needs (Shelton & Lowenstein, 2012). Overall, such organizations usually find it more difficult to cope with staffing problems because their employees have to meet a slightly different set of requirements. It should be noted that this factor is particularly influential in those urban areas in which there are many minority communities.
One can say that this issue has profound implications for the performance of this nursing home. First, the employees of this organization cannot pay sufficient attention to the needs of patients. There are quantitative indicators that can be useful for measuring the impact of understaffing. For instance, it is possible to speak about nursing hours per resident per day. These data are important because they can be used to determine the average amount of time that a nurse can dedicate to a resident. It should be mentioned that in Center Home Hispanic Elderly, nursing hours per resident per day are much lower than in other facilities of this type (CiteHealth 2010).
This problem results in the dissatisfactions of patients who may complain about various safety issues such as medication errors or pressure sores. One should keep in mind that elderly people should be engaged in physical activities such as walking. It is also necessary to remember that understaffing becomes an urgent problem for Center Home Hispanic Elderly since this nursing home is almost always filled (CiteHealth 2010). In particular, approximately 94 percent of the beds are occupied. In particular, more than 90 percent of its beds are regularly occupied (CiteHealth, 2010). On the whole, these examples indicate that the nursing shortage significantly impairs the functioning of this nursing home. This is why this issue should not be disregarded.
The evolution of the problem
One should keep in mind that this problem began manifesting itself more than eight years ago. For instance, in 2006, this nursing home was criticized due to the medication errors that could profoundly affect the health and life of patients (CiteHealth, 2010). Furthermore, this organization was criticized for its failure to meet the quality standards which were set for such institutions (CiteHealth, 2010; Shelton & Lowenstein, 2012). To some extent, these issues were the consequences of understaffing. Thus, one cannot say that the problem was completely unexpected. However, the administrators of this facility did not identify the root cause of these issues. This was the main mistake made by the administrators of this hospitality. This is one of the arguments that can be put forward.
It should be noted that the employees of this organization have long tried to attract the attention of government officials to the risks of understaffing (Shelton & Lowenstein, 2012). In 2012, this institution was investigated by state inspectors. This home care facility received poor ratings from customers and independent rating agencies (CiteHealth, 2010). Additionally, this nursing home has already paid fines several times.
To a great extent, these events prompted this organization to increase the compensation offered to the personnel. Nevertheless, this approach was not sufficiently addressing this problem because it did not eliminate the main organizational inefficiencies. Furthermore, the strategies for the recruitment of personnel were not improved. Finally, they did not adopt new quality standards and ethical norms which are critical for providing appropriate care to the clients.
This issue should be discussed in connection with social and economic factors affecting the functioning of this organization. At first, one should speak about such a tendency as the growing proportion of the Hispanic population of Chicago as well as another part of the United States. Yet, at the time, researchers focus on the shortage of Hispanic nurses in various medical organizations (Jeffreys, 2010).
These professionals can be critical for the ability of healthcare institutions to meet the needs of thousands of people who may not be able to speak English (Jeffreys, 2010). This is one of the factors that contribute to the problems encountered by Center Home Hispanic Elderly. One can conjecture that the influence of this factor will not decrease in the future.
As it has been said before, the nursing profession does not appeal to many people who may seek to find more gainful employment. Therefore, nursing homes and other medical organizations find it more difficult to recruit a sufficient number of workers. Thus, one can say that social and economic factors are critical for understanding the origins of the problem. To a great extent, these elements of the external environment intensify this problem, and their impact cannot be controlled. Yet, some strategies can mitigate the impact of these forces. More importantly, some of these interventions do not necessarily require additional expenses.
Additionally, it is important to pay close attention to the impact of the regulatory environment on this issue. One should keep in mind that these organizations are tightly monitored by the state. In particular, they have to comply with various standards set by Medicaid and Federal Medicare. To some degree, the regulatory environment is one of the forces prompting nursing homes to respond to quality concerns.
Much attention should be paid to the adoption of the Nursing Home Care Act containing several important provisions that affect the work of such organizations. For example, one can speak about the minimum requirements for nursing home staffing (Illinois General Assembly, 2010). Such institutions must ensure that medical workers can spend at least 3.8 hours for the needs of a resident (Illinois General Assembly, 2010).
Therefore, the administrators of this organization are supposed to meet more stringent requirements. Apart from that, it is important to mention they need to pay more attention to the screening procedures which are vital for identifying potential health problems that can influence the wellbeing of the client (Illinois General Assembly, 2010). This task can become particularly difficult for this nursing home which is adversely affected by understaffing. Nevertheless, one can say that current regulations can be one of the forces which make the management take more active steps to address this problem. Thus, the impact of the regulatory environment is beneficial.
Organizational complexities
It is also critical to examine the organizational peculiarities of Center Home Hispanic Elderly since these details are vital for understanding the functioning of this institution. First, one should keep in mind that a nursing home is a private for-profit organization. This facility is not a part of any hospital or a retirement community. This issue is important for discussing the operations of this organization because it indicates that this facility needs to target a specific group of people.
Secondly, unlike nursing homes located in hospitals, this organization does not have a diverse workforce. It should be noted that healthcare professionals working in a hospital have the resources and skills to treat various diseases. In contrast, Center Home Hispanic Elderly does not have this opportunity. Additionally, the structure of this organization does not incorporate the board of directors. In turn, the administrators of the organization concentrate on the interests of owners. In turn, such an issue as social responsibility can be overlooked. The increasing number of complaints about the quality of services confirms this argument.
This is one of the challenges that should be taken into account. The main problem is that this institution responds primarily to the problems identified in the course of governmental inspections. The key issue is that the administration of this organization takes corrective steps only in those cases if fines are imposed. Nevertheless, they do not try to eliminate the underlying cause of medication errors or safety problems. In other words, they do not attempt to reduce understaffing. This is the main organizational complexity that should be taken into consideration.
Alternative plan
Overall, it is possible to argue that this issue can be discussed as the problem related to management which is one of the main concepts discussed during the course. One should bear in mind that the problem of understaffing is of great concern to many professionals working in healthcare. One can offer various interventions that can be useful for the needs of this organization. At first, they need to implement orientation programs for nurses.
This intervention is necessary because many new hires may quit their job if they are not supported by mentors or co-workers at the beginning of their career in the organization. As a rule, people, who cannot rely on the support of colleagues, quickly become dissatisfied with their work. This is one of the pitfalls that should be avoided. In turn, the proposed strategy can increase the efficiency of their recruitment practices. This is one of the points that can be made.
Secondly, hospital administrators should pay close attention to absenteeism. They need to make sure that medical workers provide clear and specific reasons for being away from work. Moreover, it is important to make sure that some nurses remain on call. This precaution is important for ensuring that the risks of understaffing are reduced. This intervention can be particularly beneficial at the time when a medical worker has to be absent due to illness or some unforeseen circumstances. The problem of understaffing can be addressed if the administration makes efficient use of the available resources. Thus, the knowledge of management can be of great use in this case.
Furthermore, the experience of effective nursing homes suggests that the classification of residents can also be useful for ensuring that each of them receives appropriate treatment. Residents, who have similar health problems, should be grouped (George & Kindred, 2010, p. 56). In this way, medical workers can make sure that every patient receives the attention that he/she needs. This strategy can be useful for minimizing the risk of pressure sores which pose a serious threat to many elderly people. The main advantage of this intervention is that it helps medical workers minimize the consequences of understaffing.
Moreover, this organization should hire nurses who have at least a Bachelor’s degree. People with this educational background are more prepared for work in nursing homes. Additionally, the administrators of this facility need to hire professionals who have experience of working with vulnerable adults (Pratt, 2010, p. 141). These people are more aware of challenges that can be encountered by medical professionals who interact with vulnerable adults.
Admittedly, this step can result in extra expenses; however, this safeguard is important for reducing the dissatisfactions of clients whose loyalty is instrumental for the long-term sustainability of this organization. Overall, the administration of this nursing facility should take into account that this problem can become even more acute in the future if no steps are taken. The problem is that medical workers, who continuously experience excessive workload, may eventually quit their job and search for a different job (Pratt, 2010). This is one of the pitfalls that should be avoided.
Admittedly, other strategies can be useful for reducing the problem of understaffing. Nevertheless, they are primarily the domain of the government. It is possible to speak about the policies which are needed for increasing the number of Hispanic nurses. Moreover, researchers pay close attention to the education of nurses or people’s attitudes towards nursing. Nevertheless, these factors are not directly dependent on the administrators of Center Home Hispanic Elderly. Thus, one cannot say that they bear sole responsibility for the resolution of this problem.
Still, these interventions can be successfully implemented provided that this organization adopts new ethical standards that can be critical for its sustainability in the future. In particular, they should regard the well-being of clients as their topmost priority. They should take necessary safeguards as soon as a certain problem manifests itself without waiting for the inspections of governmental institutions. Therefore, in this case, one can speak about the paradigmatic change in the operations of this nursing facility. This change in the attitudes and values of the administrators is the necessary condition for improving the work of this medical facility that currently has to cope with considerable difficulties.
The measurements of efficiency
Overall, the main outcome that should be attained is the improvement in the quality of patient care. Furthermore, much attention should be paid to the ability of a company to meet the standards incorporated in the Nursing Home Care Act. The implementation of this plan will have significant systemic implications. In particular, they need to focus on quality monitoring which is critical for the satisfaction of residents. By adopting this approach, they can identify and eliminate safety issues at early stages. These are the main benefits that can be distinguished.
Various measurements can be used to determine if the objectives of the organization were properly achieved. For instance, one should speak about the average number of nursing hours per resident per day. They should carefully monitor the number of medication errors because this indicator can throw light on the efficiency of the programs developed by medical workers. Apart from that, the administrators of this facility should consider the results of patients’ surveys. They can throw light on the positive or negative impacts of interventions carried out by the management. The administrators of this facility should regard the opinions of patients as the main criterion according to which the performance of this organization should be assessed. This is the main detail that should be singled out.
Conclusion
On the whole, this discussion indicates that understaffing can be a significant problem for nursing homes. Center Home Hispanic Elderly is only one of the organizations that are profoundly affected by lack of personnel. Among the main effects of understanding, it is possible to distinguish medication errors and the failure to support the physical activities of residents. Apart from that, it is critical to remember the increasing number of clients’ complaints.
This issue can be properly addressed provided that the management can design an effective recruitment program. Furthermore, much attention should be paid to the orientation of new employees. Yet, more attention should be paid to the ethical responsibility of this institution that should attach more importance to the opinions of clients, instead of only responding to the fines of governmental institutions. These are the main aspects that can be distinguished.
Reference List
CiteHealth. (2010). Center Home Hispanic Elderly North. Web.
George, W., & Kindred, N. (2010). Kent Thiry: “Mayor” of DaVita. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Publishing.
Illinois General Assembly. (2010). Illinois Compiled Statutes. Web.
Jeffreys, M. (2010). Teaching Cultural Competence in Nursing and Health Care: Inquiry, Action, and Innovation. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Keenan, P., & Kennedy, J. (2003). The Nursing Workforce Shortage: Causes, Consequences, Proposed Solutions. Web.
Pratt, J. (2010). Long-Term Care: Managing Across the Continuum. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Shelton, D., & Lowenstein, J. (2012). Staff, family say Latino nursing home unsafe. Chicago Tribune. Web.