NLM 5 - Staffing

Staffing

involves acquiring, deploying, and retaining workforce

right people in the right roles

staffing main goal

manpower planning, recruitment, selection, training and development, performance appraisal, compensation and benefits, employee relationship

6 Key Aspects of Staffing

Manpower Planning

assessment of current and future needs based on the organizational objectives

Recruitment

attracting qualified candidates through various channels

Selection

involves evaluating and choosing the best candidate

Performance Appraisal

regularly assess employees performance in order to ensure that they meet the standards and what they need to improve

compensation and benefits

offer competitive salaries to attract and retain employees

continuous process, people-centric, systematic approach, dynamic environment, interrelated with other function

characteristics or nature of staffing

fill organizational role, enhance productivity, employee development, maintain workforce stability, achieve organizational goals

five purpose of staffing

patient complexity and acuity, patient volume, skill mix and expertise, physical layout of unit, availability of support services

five factors that influence nursing staffing

build relationship with nursing schools, use multiple channels, detailed job descriptions, showcase organizational appeal

four best practices for effective recruitment

structures interview process, preliminary screening, skills assessment, reference checks, cultural fit

five best practices for effective staff selection

preliminary screening

for filtering unqualified candidates

reference check

contacting previous employers to evaluate candidate

simulation based training

provide nurses with realistic scenarios where they can practice clinical skills without the risks for patients

e-learning modules

helps accommodate different learning styles and schedules

leadership development

helps nursing staff to be prepared for advance roles and responsibilities

needs assessment

an assessment identifying specific training needs to tailor training program

fixed staffing

(pattern) assign a number of nurses on a shift without consideration of the patient volume

flexible staffing

(pattern) adjust number of nurse to accommodate more volume

block scheduling

(pattern) nurses work in a pattern of shifts

rotating shifts

(pattern) nurses alternate between days, morning, afternoon, and night - no work life balance

self-scheduling

(pattern) not common in the PH, more common in nurse practitioner, promotes work life balance

centralized scheduling

a central office manages all departments/units

decentralized scheduling

individual units handles there own scheduling

pattern scheduling

staffs commit to a repeating scheduling

variable staffing

adjust staffing levels based on real-time patient needs

assess patient acuity, monitor workload, promote work-life balance, engage staff in scheduling, continuous evaluation

five best practices for staffing pattern and scheduling

job description

document that outlines responsibilities, qualifications, and expectation for a specific role within an organization

working condition

give information about the working environment (work hours, psychosocial demands)

job title, job summary, list of duties and responsibilities, qualifications, working conditions, reporting structure, salary/benefits

seven components of job description

job summary

brief overview of the roles and primary purpose of the job

job analysis

process of systematically studying a job to determine its responsibilities

the foundation for creating job descriptions

data collection, task identification, skill and competency analysis, job context, documentation

five key steps for job analysis

(document in a job analysis report)

workload distribution, resource scarcity, interpersonal issues, ethical dilemmas, power and hierarchical issues

five conflicts in nursing staff

open communication, structured mediation, empathy and understanding, clear policies and procedures, regular meetings, train conflict resolution, flexible scheduling, supportive leadership

eight ways to manage nursing staff conflicts

mediation (use third party)