This paper presents a strategic plan for Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), the largest and most modern healthcare facility in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It begins with a situational analysis describing the hospital's background and its current nursing staff shortage. The paper then outlines SKMC's mission, vision, values, and objectives before conducting a SWOT analysis to identify internal and external factors affecting recruitment. Finally, it proposes a range of strategies — including job advertisements, enhanced employee benefits, cultural incentives, training programs, job fairs, and financial rewards — to attract and retain qualified nursing personnel.
The situational analysis is the first step in elaborating a strategic plan. It involves briefly describing the organization being analyzed, its current environment, and its future possibilities for action.
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is a healthcare facility situated in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Endowed with advanced medical equipment and highly qualified physicians, SKMC aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. According to the hospital's chief executive officer, SKMC treats the vast majority of diseases and conditions, basing its activity on the principle of maximum patient satisfaction.
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is the largest and most modern medical care facility in the UAE. In the relatively short period since it opened in February 2000, it has managed to significantly improve the lives of UAE citizens. In the recent past, citizens of the UAE often traveled abroad — to the United Kingdom or the United States — to receive healthcare. However, with the opening of SKMC, more services and complex care can now be provided within the country, as noted by the International Hospital Recruitment Center of Canada.
The most important departments within the hospital include: Admissions and Registration, Information Technology, Anesthesia, Internal Audit, Biomedical Engineering, Cardio-respiratory, Clinical Dietetics, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Intensive Care, Security, and Surgery.
A significant issue identified in this situational analysis is the current problem facing SKMC. A common challenge for newer hospitals is a shortage of qualified personnel, and SKMC is no exception. During the past few years, the hospital has undergone major changes to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve the quality of patient care. However, the strong emphasis placed on cost reduction and the recruitment of highly specialized physicians diverted management's attention from the nursing staff. Nurses felt that their treatment was unfair and began leaving their positions, leaving SKMC in a nursing staff crisis.
Mission: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is committed to providing internationally accredited, quality healthcare in a compassionate and culturally sensitive manner. In other words, the mission of SKMC is to offer the highest quality medical care at an international level, promoting both attentiveness and compassion toward patients while respecting the culture of the Arab Emirates and the backgrounds of those receiving care.
Vision: SKMC will provide evidence-based best practice through an international team of qualified professionals, incorporating an appreciation for cultural diversity in a caring environment. This means that Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is committed to delivering the highest quality services and medical care, with procedures performed by physicians of international standing and extensive expertise in their fields.
The values promoted by SKMC are summarized in the acronym PRACTICES, which stands for: Professionalism, Respect, Accountability, Compassion, Teamwork, Integrity, Community, Education, and Safety.
While the overarching goal of SKMC is to offer the best possible medical care to citizens of the United Arab Emirates as well as to international patients, the current operational objective is to overcome the nursing staff crisis through new recruitment and hiring initiatives.
A SWOT analysis is a process through which management can identify the internal and external factors that influence an organization. Internal factors refer to the organization's strengths and weaknesses, while external factors refer to the opportunities and threats presented by the environment. In this case, the main purpose of the SWOT analysis is to identify the factors that might influence SKMC's ability to resolve its nursing staff crisis.
The strengths of SKMC refer to the internal factors that would benefit the process of recruiting and hiring new nursing personnel. Chief among these is the hospital's reputation and the nature of its work. Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is internationally renowned for the high quality of its services, and working at this institution represents an immense opportunity to learn alongside some of the best medical personnel in the UAE.
Another internal advantage is the hospital's policy regarding its employees. Medical staff at SKMC are respected and accommodated in accordance with their own culture and religious convictions, without discrimination.
A further strength is the hospital's coverage of certain living expenses for employees. SKMC provides housing for both single and married employees, with the stipulation that single employees share rooms with same-sex colleagues. The hospital also covers part of living expenses, including furniture allowances, water and electricity, telephone allowances, transportation, and educational allowances. An additional benefit considered a strength is the 42 days of annual leave granted to all employees.
Among the internal factors that may deter prospective employees is the relatively limited living expense coverage. All covered expenses are subject to fixed budget caps, which generally address only minor costs. For instance, telephone expenses are covered only for local calls — an allowance of little use to foreign employees. If an employee based abroad wishes to make international calls, they must install a separate telephone line and bear all associated costs.
Additionally, while the availability of housing is an advantage, the actual facilities are designed only to ensure minimal necessities and are far from luxurious. All SKMC housing is furnished with essential items. These furnishings may not suit every individual's preferences or tastes, but are considered adequate.
Two key external opportunities make SKMC an attractive workplace. The first is the relative scarcity of other major medical facilities in the region, which makes SKMC the most developed hospital in the area and a desirable employer for Arabian medical personnel. The second is the hospital's location in the heart of the United Arab Emirates — a setting that may appeal to some international professionals seeking a first-hand experience of Arabian culture and lifestyle.
However, as noted in the opportunities section, the hospital's location can also be perceived as a threat. Some foreign candidates may view the UAE as an unattractive or unsafe region, and this perception may discourage them from applying for positions at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
Furthermore, in keeping with Arabian customs and culture, all SKMC employees are required to adhere to a strict dress code, which may be an additional deterrent for some prospective international hires.
"Six strategies to resolve the nursing staff shortage"
"Summary of findings and strategic recommendations"
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