Staffing Matrix Nursing Unit

Staffing Matrix

Part 1

Various organizations usually use a tool known as Staffing Matrix to determine the level of each nursing unit that is appropriate depending on the census. Therefore, the staffing matrix is used as a guideline to make proper adjustments that consider the needs and acuity of the patient. Subsequently, Nurse staffing is essential in delivering quality services and patient care, and patient outcomes. Matrix staffing has potentially contributed to the organization’s financial status following hospitals’ operational decisions on appropriate staff. For instance, through matrix staffing, some hospitals have managed to set staffing operation margin and return to measure financial profitability. Equally, matrix staffing ensures proper and quality service delivery that attracts many people, thus, good economic performance compared to hospitals losing clients due to inadequate service provision (Bettencourt et al. 2020).

Most hospitals that are investor-owned tend to focus on matrix staffing to maximize profits. At the same time, non-profit owned have also adopted matrix staffing to achieve target profit or surplus. In whichever case, the hospitals attempt to reduce operational costs to perform their various profit goals. Usually, the cost of Labour comprises one of the most significant cost operationalization of the hospitals. Therefore, while making staffing-related decisions, hospitals have to consider the benefits of each staff member and the department and the generated income by each member based on; patients’ illness caseload within the hospital, the severity of their illness, and the level of total return from these patients (Jennifer Dillon, 2020).

On the other hand, hospital departments with a higher number of patients suffering severe illnesses are likely to raise a more significant marginal financial profit from the staff, increasing employment level. However, for the hospitals using the matrix staffing, staffing departments will also rely on levels of return. Lower levels of returns like those linked with the BBA can result in minimal employment levels for some departments within the hospital. For instance, when the obstetric services do not generate adequate profit due to returns from Medicaid or other low-cost payers, the hospital may decide to cut the number of employees within such service areas, reducing the staffing ratio with a decline in profit (Bettencourt et al. 2020).

Part 2

1.What does it mean to have a matrix for nursing care hours?

In most health facilities, the management and nurses may adopt the use of matrix during nursing care hours to achieve patients’ desires and specific organization’s specific unit goal like implementing new nursing bundles. For example, within a dual reporting facility, one nurse can train unit colleagues on how to perform various interventions and the necessary clinical skill set. Subsequently, the other staff members would report to the head or project nurse, who upholds the responsibility for the proceeding training. However, in a situation where there is failure to execute the necessary skills or inability to complete the training, they remain answerable to the management (Najar et al., 2018).

Also, in the nursing care hours matrix, one nurse can create the surgical work plan for the session, new admissions, and training for all the nursing staff based on an individual nurse’s area of expertise. Another nurse may take charge of patients’ complaints investigations and maintain public relations for the organization at a particular session. The third nurse may be responsible for bringing drugs to the patients and ensuring they have taken their appropriate medication. Otherwise, a leading nurse or doctor may be available to oversee all the operations to ensure that everything runs smoothly. As a result, any staff member with a query on a particular area can approach the respective nurse in charge for a speedy response (Najar et al., 2018).

2.Explain how a manager begins to develop an appropriate staffing matrix.

According to some acuity regulations and healthcare accreditation commissions, a staffing plan should address the patient acuity needs. Some laws also require tangible patient-to-nurse ratios. To achieve this, an organization’s manager has to develop a staffing matrix that would respond to the clients’ needs. Thus, the question of what to be measure and the means of translating it into proper matrix staffing. In developing the staffing matrix, the manager must begin by reductions and headcounts and varying dynamic knowledge and skills needed in the organization. The manager has to ask clarifying questions to enable him or her to understand the organization’s desired future state, current status, and how to get the appropriate state of the function. Some of the considerations also include evaluation of targets and functionalities to be accomplished, identifying factors that may influence the staffing matrix, understanding the current status of the administrative staff, and where to start from, envisioning what is precisely needed to be achieved by the staffing matrix. Also is carrying out a gap analysis to evaluate the difference between the current state and the anticipated end state, solution plan development including the skillset of staffs needed at what particular time and place (Hatton et al. 2017).

3.Identify a preferred method of staffing, share why this method is preferred.

One of the most preferred methods of staffing currently is the external recruitment method. External recruitment refers to where the recruiter assesses and evaluates the available pool of job applicants, excluding the current staff, to find any qualified or skilled applicant who can adequately fill and execute the vacancies. The process involves searching outside the existing employee pool. The hiring team from varying backgrounds may expand various personalities within the top-level positions within an organization, establishing a more balanced mechanism. At the same time, external hires avail a better opportunity to bring in a more dynamic team than what an organization could be having already.

Furthermore, an organization can cast a more comprehensive trap through external recruitment methods to recruit a team with the best and current skills and technological level than what the organization has already. When an organization depends solely on the internal recruitment method, such an organization can miss the chance to pick a new team with a new set of skills and ideas. Therefore, one can increase the chances of selecting qualified and experienced candidates (Ahmed et al., 2017).

4.Identify the benefits and risks of using this method to staff nursing units.

Merits

When a hospital recruits externally, there is a higher chance of finding a more skilled nurse into the hospital’s staff nursing units’ team.

Through external recruitment, the staff nursing unit may regain a fresh look, thus becoming more attractive to patients and staying competitive.

The staff nursing unit is likely to get motivated to achieve more with the hope of getting promotional opportunities due to incoming fresh talent.