Healthcare Management and Human Resources

Posted: January 11th, 2024

Healthcare Management and Human Resources: A Vital Connection

Healthcare management is a complex and dynamic field that requires effective leadership, planning, and coordination of various resources and processes. One of the most important resources in healthcare management is human resources, which refers to the people who work in healthcare organizations, such as doctors, nurses, administrators, technicians, and support staff. Human resources are essential for delivering quality care to patients, ensuring patient safety, improving organizational performance, and achieving strategic goals.

However, managing human resources in healthcare is not an easy task. Healthcare managers face many challenges and issues related to human resources, such as:

– Recruiting and retaining qualified and motivated staff in a competitive and demanding market
– Developing and implementing policies and procedures that comply with legal and ethical standards and promote diversity and inclusion
– Providing adequate training and development opportunities for staff to enhance their skills and competencies
– Evaluating and rewarding staff performance and addressing performance issues
– Managing staff conflicts and grievances and fostering a positive work environment
– Aligning staff roles and responsibilities with organizational vision, mission, values, and objectives
– Balancing staff workload and well-being with organizational productivity and efficiency
– Adapting to changing workforce needs and expectations in response to technological, social, economic, and environmental factors

To address these challenges and issues, healthcare managers need to adopt a strategic approach to human resources management that integrates human resources practices with organizational goals and strategies. This approach involves:

– Conducting a comprehensive analysis of the current and future human resources needs of the organization
– Developing a human resources plan that outlines the objectives, actions, timelines, and indicators for achieving the desired human resources outcomes
– Implementing the human resources plan through effective communication, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation
– Reviewing and revising the human resources plan as needed based on feedback, results, and changing circumstances

By applying this approach, healthcare managers can ensure that they have the right people in the right place at the right time to deliver quality care to patients and achieve organizational excellence.

References:

– Al-Sawai A. Leadership of healthcare professionals: where do we stand? Oman Med J. 2013;28(4):285-287. doi:10.5001/omj.2013.79
– Armstrong M. Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice. 14th ed. London: Kogan Page; 2017.
– Borkowski N. Organizational behavior in health care. 4th ed. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2020.
– Dessler G. Human resource management. 16th ed. Boston: Pearson; 2019.
– Mathis RL, Jackson JH, Valentine SR, Meglich PA. Human resource management. 16th ed. Boston: Cengage Learning; 2019.