Discussion Board Roles and Functions in Staffing Response
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Using the information discussed in Chapter 17 and outside references, respond to the following questions.
1. How can appropriate staffing levels for adequate patient care be determined?
2. What is an FTE? How are required FTE’s determined for staffing a nursing unit 24/7?
3. Is self-scheduling an attractive method for nurse staffing? Give the pros and cons.
4. Discuss the need for supplemental staffing and possible alternatives.
Instructions and Guidelines
To receive full credit for the task assignment:
1. The initial post should contain rationales that reflects the readings and the other references used.
2. Cite the references in correct APA format. Give the full APA references at the end of the posts. Correctly cite the chapter reference as well as the additional references used.
3. At least one journal reference published within the last 5 years must be used in addition to the text book. More than one is encouraged. No websites, blogs, etc. are to be used.
4. Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Do not write in first person. The writing is to be scholarly and professional. Do not write “I agree”, “I enjoyed your post”, or “In my opinion” as this is a professional writing assignment.
5. The response to each question is to be 200 to 400 words (not including title and references).
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Roles and Functions in Staffing Response
Roles and Functions in Staffing Response
1. How can appropriate staffing levels for adequate patient care be determined?
The nursing care hours or NCH per patient day (NCH/PPD) formula is the standard one to calculate the staffing needs, and yet the acuity of patients still needs to be factored into this formula (Huston, 2023). In order to eliminate this drawback, the patient classification system (PCS) was created. Patients of PCS attend the group depending on their specific characteristics that measure acuity, through which staffing mix for better patient care can be determined (Huston, 2023). There is growing evidence that lower RN hours in the new model of NCH/PPD model are negatively linked to patient outcomes, including increased fall rates, fatality cases, and dissatisfaction levels (Huston, 2023).
2. What is an FTE? How are required FTEs determined for staffing a nursing unit 24/7?
FTE, which is full-time equivalent, is the number of hours for which a full-time employee is scheduled to work per week (Huston, 2023). In hospitals, 36 hours is the time an FTE spans. To come up with the required number of DTR for staffing a nursing unit for 24 hours, managers first calculate total nursing care hours in 24 hours using the NCH/PPD formula. Next, they divide the nursing hours worked per day by the number of patients on the census to calculate the needed staffing per day (Huston, 2023).
3. Is self-scheduling an attractive method for nurse staffing? Give the pros and cons.
Self-scheduling can be an attractive method for nurse staffing, as it allows nurses within a unit to create their schedules rather than having management do it (Huston, 2023). The pros of self-scheduling include the ability for employees to arrange their schedules to meet their personal needs and preferences. However, the cons include the difficulty in implementing self-scheduling, as employees may prefer to avoid working weekends or holidays.
4. Discuss the need for supplemental staffing and possible alternatives.
There is always a need for supplemental staffing or alternative approaches to ensure adequate nurse staffing. Supplemental staffing can come from float pool nurses or per diem nurses (Huston, 2023). Float pool nurses are highly skilled healthcare professionals who are trained to work in multiple units and departments, providing a flexible workforce that can adapt to various patient populations and care needs (Huston, 2023). Per diem nurses, on the other hand, may bring risks to patient safety as they are only sometimes present and may need more familiarity with the unit.
References
Huston, C.J. (2023): Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application (11th edition). ISBN: 978-1-9752-1513-2