Critical Thinking: Organizational Change and Workforce Management (150 Points)

Saudi Hospital System (SHS, a fictitious organization) has been facing many serious issues including leadership problems, staffing deficiencies, and financial hardship. Challenges include:

• High      staff turnover, which doubled to 20% in the past two years, is expected to      rise.
• SHS      is in the process of implementing complex and expensive multi-year      healthcare information systems such as Electronic Health Record and other      critical-need clinical information systems.
• SHS      is facing significant competition from other local healthcare facilities.

Last year, a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was hired. He identified the current organizational culture as apathetic, leaderless, and resistant to change. He also noted that the staff was under stress, resisting teamwork, accepting mediocrity, and compromising patient safety values and industry best practices. The CEO noted that critical human resources functions were broken and that financial performance was suffering. He attributed this to a variety of process issues as well as to the lack of focus on the core business of patient care.

In response, he decided to implement the following strategies:

• change      the organizational culture
• improve      human resources and workforce practices and outcomes
• ensure      the organization’s solvency and financial viability in the long run
• cut      costs across the board, including implementing a labor-reduction strategy      (salary and benefits), with an aggressive timeline to turn around the      financial bottom line.

Within a few months after these strategies were implemented, the SHS started to show less of a financial loss and seemed to stabilize financially. The morale of the staff, however, took a significant hit in the wrong direction. Staff turnover increased as the sense of job security decreased and as an increasing number of valued and critical staff in all areas left. Soon, SHS experienced an increase in patient complaints and lowered customer service, with signs of impact on clinical patient outcomes.

Now the CEO wants to create a dynamic long-term organization and human resources strategic plan to put SHS on the right track. To formulate and implement this plan, the CEO hired a well-known consultant who is tasked with performing a system-wide organization and human resources assessment.

Within the scope of this assessment is the development and formulation of a multilevel strategic program. This new program is to be implemented system-wide with the goal of helping SHS leaders to understand the link among finances, employee morale, human resources functions, and patient satisfaction. The end goal of this assessment is to create a culture of accountability; to shift the culture to one of services after two years; to attract, hire, and retain quality staff; and to implement best practices in workforce management. 

Assume that you are the consultant whom the CEO hired to do this assessment project. Your main task is to identify the key components involved in changing the organizational culture and to identify the steps needed to generate sustainable change. Here are the deliverables that the CEO wants to see from you:

1. Develop a comprehensive organization and human resources strategic plan. The plan has two major sections: Organization Development and Human Resources.  The CEO expects you to create your plan using benchmarking and by integrating human resources and organization development best practices from other healthcare organizations, as well as from other industries.

2. The Organization Development section will address the following items:

· Workplace communication

· Motivation

· Conflict Management.

3. The Human Resources section will address the following items:

· Organizational and human resources systems that need to be in place to effect positive organizational outcomes

· Performance management system

· Process of training and development and the contribution to the organization’s bottom line

· Key action steps required to develop the plan.

Your well-written paper should meet the following requirements:

• Be      6-8 pages in length, not including the required cover and reference pages.
• Formatted      according to Saudi Electronic University and APA writing guidelines.
• Provide      support for your statements with in-text citations from a minimum of six      scholarly articles from peer-reviewed journal articles.

  

Antimicrobial agents are essential components in the treatment of various bacterial infections as they help to kill or prevent the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. Prior to the discovery of antimicrobial agents, treatment options for patients with bacterial infections were limited. For many patients, treatment often resulted in the amputation of limbs or even death. Today, treatment options for bacterial infections typically have a more positive prognosis. Due to the various types of infections presented in patients, it is essential to be able to identify the underlying cause of the infection—whether bacterial or viral—before recommending drug treatments. This will help you identify whether or not an antimicrobial agent would be appropriate and which specific agent would target the infection. In this Assignment, you consider the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents for infections.

To prepare:

• – Review this week’s media presentation      on principles of antimicrobial therapy, as well as Chapter 8 of the      Arcangelo and Peterson text.
• – Consider the categories of      antimicrobial agents.
• – Think about differences between viral      and bacterial infections.
• – Reflect on why proper identification      of the infection is key to selecting the proper antimicrobial agent.

POST a 2- to 3- page paper that addresses the following:

• – Describe the categories of      antimicrobial agents.
• – Describe differences between viral      and bacterial infections.
• – Explain why proper identification of      viral and bacterial infections is key to selecting the proper      antimicrobial agent.

This work should have Introduction and conclusion

– This work should have at 4 to 6 current references (Year 2012 and up)

– Use at least 3 references from class Learning Resources

The following Resources are not acceptable:

1. Wikipedia

2. Cdc.gov- nonhealthcare professionals section

3. Webmd.com

4. Mayoclinic.com

Required Readings

Arcangelo, V. P., Peterson, A. M., Wilbur, V., & Reinhold, J. A. (Eds.). (2017). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach (4th ed.). Ambler, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

• Chapter 8, “Principles of      Antimicrobial Therapy” (pp. 111-134)
       This chapter covers factors that impact the selection of an antimicrobial      treatment regimen. It also examines the clinical uses, adverse events, and      drug interactions of various antimicrobial agents such as penicillin.
• Chapter 12, “Fungal Infections      of the Skin” (pp. 163-196)
       This chapter explores the pathophysiology of several fungal infections of      the skin as well as related drug treatments and examines the importance of      patient education when managing these infections.
• Chapter 14, “Bacterial      Infections of the Skin” (pp. 181-196)
       This chapter begins by examining causes of bacterial infections. It then      explores the importance of selecting an appropriate agent for treating      bacterial infections.
• Chapter 32, “Urinary Tract      Infection” (pp. 519-526)
       This chapter covers drugs used to treat urinary tract infections and      identifies special considerations when treating geriatric patients,      pediatric patients, and women.
• Chapter 35, “Sexually      Transmitted Infections” (pp. 512-535)
       This chapter outlines the causes, pathophysiology, and drug treatment of      six sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea, syphilis, and      human papilloma virus infection (HPV). It also examines the importance of      selecting the proper agent and monitoring patient response to treatment.
• Chapter 49, “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” (pp.      843-860)
       This chapter presents the causes, pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria,      and prevention methods for HIV. It also covers various methods of drug      treatment and patient factors to consider when selecting, administering,      and managing drug treatments.

Krummenacher, I., Cavassini, M., Bugnon, O., & Schneider, M. (2011). An interdisciplinary HIV-adherence program combining motivational interviewing and electronic antiretroviral drug monitoring. AIDS Care, 23(5), 550–561.

This article analyzes medication adherence in HIV patients and examines factors that increase adherence as well as factors that contribute to termination or discontinuation of treatment.

Drugs.com. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.drugs.com/

This website presents a comprehensive review of prescription and over-the-counter drugs including information on common uses and potential side effects. It also provides updates relating to new drugs on the market, support from health professionals, and a drug-drug interactions checker.

Scourfield, A., Waters, L., & Nelson, M. (2011). Drug combinations for HIV: What’s new? Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy, 9(11), 1001–1011.

Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article examines current therapies and strategies for treating HIV patients. It also examines factors that impact selection of therapy, including drug interactions, personalization of therapy, costs, management of comorbidities, and patient response.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Antimicrobials. Baltimore, MD: Author.

This media presentation outlines principles of antimicrobial therapy 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.

Mayer, K. H., & Krakower, D. (2012). Antiretroviral medication and HIV prevention: New steps forward and New Questions. Annals of Internal Medicine, 156(4), 312–314.

Please reply to this discussion with one reference. 

The theory-practice gap is something that nurses encounter as they enter practice. A way that graduate education is working to bridge this gap is through middle-range theories and the doctor of nursing practice degree (Butts & Rich, 2017). Middle range theories and doctorate level nursing practice are attempting to cover the components missing from theory but used in everyday nursing practice. Since doctorate level nurses are very familiar with theory and have clinical expertise to understand the missing parts from theory needed for practice (Butts & Rich, 2017). Doctorate prepared nurses are also able to assist other nurses with this gap in knowledge to improve their practice (Butts & Rich, 2017). 

     I believe that the gap between theory and clinical practice is there and that it is the duty of practicing nurse clinicians to help bridge this gap. In a study by the International Journal of Caring Sciences, it was found one way to help close this gap was by the use of nursing clinical instructors (Akram, Mohamad, & Akram, 2018). These clinical instructors help students in clinical rotations understand the differences between theory and everyday practice (Akram, Mohamad, & Akram, 2018). It is important while nurses are in a student role to differentiate between theory that exists in a perfect world and actual real-world practice. Another important aspect is to ensure that these clinical instructors create an environment conducive to learning and stay up-to-date with the latest in policy and healthcare trends (Akram, Mohamad, & Akram, 2018). 

     Understanding theory and the impact it has on the nursing discipline is imperative in advancing nursing practice. Theory gives the basis for nursing practice and for nurses to be able to have a solid basis of practice they should understand theory (Butts & Rich, 2017). Nursing theory also helps nurses understand their assumptions, develop critical thinking skills and improve the ability to analyze complex situations (Ahtisham, & Jacoline, 2015). I believe that although many of the theories we study were formed in the past, they still have relevance to nursing practice today and help nurses advance their practice and develop the skills needed to thrive in the nursing profession. 

References

Ahtisham, Y., & Jacoline, S. (2015). Integrating Nursing Theory and Process into Practice; Virginia’s Henderson Need Theory. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2), 443–450. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=102972280&site=eds-live

Akram, A. S., Mohamad, A., & Akram, S. (2018). The Role of Clinical Instructor in Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice in Nursing Education. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(2), 876–882. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=131851628&site=eds-live

Butts, J. B. & Rich, K. (2017). Philosophies and Theories for Advanced Nursing Practice, Third Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://9781284143010

I have all of these assignments that are due every week and go adding up to the big paper that is due at the end. I was given the topic of Palliative Care/ End of life. I basically have to come up with a new study based on my topic playing the role of a psychiatrist. So pretty much the whole research has to be done from the viewpoint of a psychiatrist in palliative care/end of life. I am attaching the instructions and the rubric with examples. I need the 2 assignments before Saturday. The first one is just research but from journals and databases only. Must be APA and everything has to be cited correctly. The second one is basically the same but just making it in paragraph form. The documents attached will explain everything. Would appreciate any help thank you.