Biomedical subjects

Sandra K Collins

Publications and source records attributed to Sandra K Collins.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Valuable human capital: the aging health care worker.

With the workforce growing older and the supply of younger workers diminishing, it is critical for health care managers to understand the factors necessary to capitalize on their vintage employees. Retaining this segment of the workforce has a multitude of benefits including the preservation of valuable intellectual capital, which is necessary to ensure that health care organizations maintain their competitive advantage in the consumer-driven market. Retaining the aging employee is possible if health care managers learn the motivators and training differences associated with this category of the workforce. These employees should be considered a valuable resource of human capital because without their extensive expertise, intense loyalty and work ethic, and superior customer service skills, health care organizations could suffer severe economic repercussions in the near future.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Micromanagement--a costly management style.

Micromanagement can be advantageous in certain short-term situations, such as while training new employees, increasing productivity of underperforming employees, controlling high-risk issues, and when there can be no question of who is in charge. However, the costs associated with long-term micromanagement can be exorbitant. Symptoms such as low employee morale, high staff turnover, reduction of productivity and patient dissatisfaction can be associated with micromanagement. The negative impacts are so intense that it is labeled among the top three reasons employees resign. Ultimately, micromanagement leads to decreased growth potential in a department. Managers who put too much emphasis on daily operational details can miss the broader picture and fail to plan for departmental expansion. Eventually, many micromanagers find themselves at considerable risk of burnout. Changing behavior associated with micromanagement can be a lengthy and difficult process. As with most problems, the first step is to realize that there is behavior that needs to be changed and to understand how it negatively impacts the department. Conducting a self-assessment of one's leadership style can be advantageous in this process. The true task is to find a balance between effectively performing daily obligations and strategically planning for the future. This task typically involves proper delegation of duties, and that in itself is a difficult challenge. Proper delegation of tasks may be the primary key to combating micromanaging behavior, however, some other suggestions include: 1. Develop a vision of what the department will look like in the future. 2. Hire people with the right skills for the job. 3. Develop a policy and procedures manual. 4. Develop solid lines of communication between managers and subordinates. 5. Expect some employee errors. Mistakes are an important process in the learning experience and should be viewed as a training expense. Employees who are allowed to be self-directed will be motivated to be more productive. Staffing issues such as low morale and high turnover will decrease; patient satisfaction will increase simultaneously.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Time: a vital resource.

Resolving problems with time management requires an understanding of the concept of working smarter rather than harder. Therefore, managing time effectively is a vital responsibility of department managers. When developing a plan for more effectively managing time, it is important to carefully analyze where time is currently being used/lost. Keeping a daily log can be a time consuming effort. However, the log can provide information about ways that time may be saved and how to organize personal schedules to maximize time efficiency. The next step is to develop a strategy to decrease wasted time and create a more cohesive radiology department. The following list of time management strategies provides some suggestions for developing a plan. Get focused. Set goals and priorities. Get organized. Monitor individual motivation factors. Develop memory techniques. In healthcare, success means delivering the highest quality of care by getting organized, meeting deadlines, creating efficient schedules and appropriately budgeting resources. Effective time management focuses on knowing what needs to be done when. The managerial challenge is to shift the emphasis from doing everything all at once to orchestrating the departmental activities in order to maximize the time given in a normal workday.

Appointments and Schedules↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Employee retention: an issue of survival in healthcare.

Successful healthcare organizations emphasize attracting human resource assets and aggressively seek to resolve and prevent high employee turnover. Understanding the key components surrounding the importance of measuring employee turnover, learning how it affects patient care, and realizing what is needed to retain quality employees is central to the resolution. Measuring employee turnover in a healthcare department is fundamental to the success of the organization and the quality of care it delivers. Some studies indicate the cost of turnover can average 150% of the employee's annual salary. Furthermore, when employees leave, their duties are shifted to the remaining personnel who feel obligated to shoulder the additional burden. The most important impact of employee turnover may be the effect on patient care. Generally, all patients prefer to be cared for by the same members of a healthcare team each time they require treatment. This involves building relationships between the patients and their respective healthcare organizations. These relationships are important to the success of the facility, especially in cases where the same treatment/care can be received elsewhere. Creating an organizational environment that is dedicated to the retention of talented personnel is the first step in reducing employee turnover. Determining why employees are leaving an organization is an important part of developing an effective strategy. One way this information can be obtained is by conducting detailed exit interviews. Organizations should focus on the following issues in order to maintain their qualified workforce in the long term: communication; decision making; compensation, benefits, and career development; recruitment; appreciation and understanding; and management.

Humans↗