STAFF
Introduction
Staff
in an expansion of the personality of executive which means more eyes, more ears,
move hands to help the executive in forming and carrying out his plans. The help vendered by the staff is
anonymous. The staff work means the
service of advice or counsel while line work is the function of authority or
command.
MEANING OF STAFFING
Staffing
is the systematic approach to the problem of selecting training, motivating and
retaining professional and non – professional personnel in any organisation. Staffing is a logical operation that consists
of several interdependent action as given below.
1.
Identifying
the type and amount of service needed by agency client.
2.
Determining
the personnel categories.
3.
Predicting
the number of personnel in each job category.
4.
Obtaining
budgeted positions for the number in each job category.
5.
Recruiting
personnel to fill available positions .
6.
Selecting
and appointing personnel from suitable
applicants.
7.
Combining
personnel into desired configuration by cut and shift.
8.
Orienting
personnel to fulfill assigned responsibilities.
9.
Assigning
responsibilities for client services to available personnel.
PHILOSOPHY
OF STAFFING
Nurse
administrators of a hospital nursing department might adopt the following
staffing philosophy.
·
Nurse
administrators believe that it is possible to match employees knowledge and
skills to patient care needs in a manner that optimizes job satisfaction and care
quality.
·
Nurse
administrators believe that the health teaching and rehabilitation needs of
chronically ill patients are so complex.
·
Nurse
administrators believe that a master staffing plan and policies to implement
the plan in all unit should be developed centrally by the nursing heads and the
staff of the hospital.
·
Nurse
administrators believe the staffing plan should be administrated at the unit
level by the lead nurse.
OBJECTIVES
OF STAFFING
1.
Provide
an all professional nurse staff in critical care units, operating room labour
and delivery unit and emergency room.
2.
Provide
sufficient staff to permit a 1:1 nurse patient ratio for each shift in every
critical care unit.
3.
Staff
the general medical, surgical, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and
psychiatric units to achieve 2:1 professional practical nurse ratio.
4.
Provide
sufficient nursing staff in general medical, surgical, obstetrics, pediatric
and psychiatric units to permit a 1:5 nurse patient ratio on a day and
afternoon shift and 1:10 nurse patient ratio on night shifts.
5.
Involve
the head of nursing staff and all the nursing personnel in designing the
departments overall staffing programe.
6.
Hold
each head nurse responsible for translating the department master staffing plan
to sequential eight week time schedules for personnel assigned to her / his
units.
7.
Post
time schedule for all personnel at least eight weeks in advance.
8.
Empower
the head nurse to adjust work schedules for unit nursing personnel to remedy
any staff excess or deficiency accused by census fluctuations or employee
absence.
9.
Inform
each nursing employee that requests for specific vacation or holiday time will
be honoured within the limits imposed by patients care and labour contract
requirements.
10.
Reward
employees for long – term services by granting individuals special time request
on the basis of seniority.
FACTORS INFLUENCING STAFFING
The
factors influencing staffing requirements in the nursing service unit are as
follows.
1. The client to be served
The
client is the most important determinant of nursing personnel requirement. The amount and kind of services required
depend on the type of the client.
2. The
hospital
The
physical setup of hospital also depends on how the clients are grouped
according to nursing care needs.
3.
Policies and compositions of medical staff
The
composition of the medical team and the policies concerning with them also play
an important role.
4. Use
of nursing skills
The
requirement of the nursing personnel is affected by the by the number and type
of health team members and the amount of responsibility to be shouldered in
planning the therapy for each patient and provide care.
5.
Supportive services
The
degree to which supportive services are provided has a significant impact on
requirement for nursing team members.
6. Administrative
Policies
Administrative
policies governing patient and unit management passes leave regulation of
visitors, recording and reporting have impact on staffing.
7.
Presence or absence of clerical assistance
The
clerical responsibilities are taken up by the nursing staff in the absence of a
ward clerk.
8.
Allocation of personnel
The
ethical and professional competency required from individual staff also plays
and important role.
Staffing PATTERN
In
determining the number of nursing service personnel required to staff a patient
unit consideration must be given to the number required on a yearly basis,
weekly basis and daily basis. They are
a.
Computing number of
nurses required on a yearly basis.
1.
Find
the total number of general nursing hours needed in one year. Average patient census x average nursing
hours per patient for 24 hours x days in week x weeks in year.
2.
Find
the number of general nursing hours needed in one year which should be given by
registered nurses and the number which should be given by ancillary nursing
personnel.
a.
Number
of general nursing hours per year x per cent to be given by registered nurses.
b.
Number
of general nursing hours per year x per cent to be given by ancillary nursing
personnel.
3.
Find
the number of registered nurses and ancillary nursing personnel required on a
yearly basis
a.
Registered
nurse hours needed per year divided by hours given per year by one registered
nurse (hours on duty weekly per nurse x weeks on duty during year per nurse).
b.
Ancillary
nursing hours needed per year divided by hours given per year by one person
(hours on duty weekly per person x weeks on duty during year per ancillary
person)
b.
Computing number of
nurses assigned on weekly basis.
1.
Find
the total number of general nursing hours needed in one week. Average patient census x average nursing
hours per patient in 24 hours x days in week.
2.
Find
the number of general nursing hours needed in the week which should be given by
registered nurses and the number which could be given by ancillary nursing
personnel.
a.
Number
of general nursing hours per week x per cent to be given by registered nurses.
b.
Number
of general nursing hours per week x per cent to be given by ancillary nursing
personnel.
3.
Find
the number of registered nurses and ancillary nursing personnel required on a
weekly basis.
a.
Registered
nursing hours needed per week divided by hours on duty weekly per nurse.
b.
Ancillary
nursing personnel nursing hours needed per week divided by hours on duty weekly
per ancillary nursing employee.
c.
Computing number of
nurses required on daily basis
1.
Find
the fraction of the registered nurse and ancillary nursing personnel regularly
assigned to the unit on a weekly basis who are on duty daily. Days working each week divided by total days
in week.
2.
Find
the number of registered nurses and the number of ancillary nursing personnel
on duty daily.
a.
Number
of registered nurses assigned to the unit weekly x fraction of registered nurse
personnel on duty daily.
b.
Number
of ancillary nursing personnel assigned to the unit on weekly basis x fraction
of ancillary nursing personnel on duty daily.
One
method for determining the nursing staff of a hospital
To determine the number of nursing staff for
staffing a hospital involves establishing the number of work days available for
service per nurse per year. This
information is obtained by subtracting holidays, days off, average number of
days of sickness and absence for other reasons from the total days of the year.
Example
Analysis of how the days are used:
Days in the year 365
Days off 1 day / week 52
Casual leave 12
Privilege leave 30
1 Saturday / month 12
Public Holidays 18
Stick leave 08
Total non working days 132
Total working days per nurse per year 233
The
average number of sick / maternity leave days taken can be obtained from
administrative records. In a document
issued by the Ministry of Health at the
Example:
To
show the amount of nursing time available in a hospital with 20 nurse and 100
patients, i.e., ratio of 1:5 (This is exclusive of administrative, teaching and
departmental nursing staff).
1.
Nurse = 233 working days per year
20 nurses = 233 x 20 = 4660 working days per
year
To complete the number of nurses available per
day, divide 4660 by the number of days in the year
Rounded
off to 13
If the 13 nurses each work an eight hour day,
they may be assigned as follows
Day Shift 6
Evening 4
Night shift 3
13
This would show the following ratio of nurses
to patients:
Day shift 6 nurses per 100 patients or 1:17
Evening shift 4 nurses per 100 patients or 1:2
Night Shift 3 nurses per 100 patients or 1:33
From this the average amount of time available
per patient within a 24 hour period may be computed as follows
Day shift ratio 1:17
Minutes available 1 x 8 x 60 = 480 /
17 = 28 minutes
12
seconds
Evening shift ratio 1:25
Minutes available 1x8x60=480/25=19 minutes 12 second
Night shift ratio 1:33+
Minutes available 1x8x60=480/33=14 minutes 30 second
Time available per patient
In 24 hours period = 61 minutes 54 seconds.
Factors of staffing
Important factors of staffing
a.
Quality and quantity
of nursing personnel
b.
Utilization
c.
Other factors
c) OTHER
FACTORS
i) Acutely
ill
Where
the life saving is the priority or bed ridden condition which might required
8-10 hours per patient per day.
ii)
Moderately ill
In
this case 3-5 hours per patient per day are required in 24 hours and the nurse
patient ratio 1:3.
iii) Mildly
ill:
In
this case 1-2 hours per patient per day and for such patients 1:6 or 1:10 nurse
patient ratio is to be adequate.
RECRUITMENT
Definition
Recruitment
is a process, of securing applicants to fill vacant positions. It cares both the filling of new and
replacement of previously established posts which fall vacant.
Recruitment
policy
The recruitment policy includes
·
Discovery
and cultivation of the employment market for posts / marketing a job in the
public or private services.
·
Use
of attractive recruitment literature and publicity.
·
Use
of scientific tests for determining abilities of the candidate.
·
Tapping
capable candidates from within the services.
·
Placement
programme which assigning the right man to the right job.
·
A
follow up probationary programme as an integral part of the recruitment
process.
Recruitment
methods
Health
agencies use multiple to recruit needed employees as follows
Advertising
By
giving advertisement in newspaper of local, regional, national and
international levels and also journal advertisement. The advertisement should be designed in such
way that arouses the interest of postential candidate. The media of advertisement should be selected
carefully. It is always better inserted
in a newspaper or journal.
Career day
programmes
In
some places nursing schools and collages herd annual career day programmes
during which recruiting officers from local health agencies inform senior
students about employment opportunities in those organizations.
Open
House
It
is showcase of the opening of a new service of educational progrmame. If health agency is well organized and their
setting will be attractive to idealistic, service oriented nurses.
Employee
referrals
Is
the method in which the present staff recruit their nurse acquaintances i.e,
recruiter who wishes to fill positions in a particular nursing unit should ask
employees in the unit to recruit nurses with whom they have worked comfortably
in other settings.
Selection:
The
steps which constitute the employee selection process are the following.
·
Interview
by personnel department.
·
Pre-employment
tests.
·
Interview
by department head.
·
Recision
of administrator to accept or reject
·
Medical
examination
·
Check
for references
·
Issue
of appointment order
Interviewing
Interviewing
is the main method of appraising an applicant’s suitability for a post.
Pre
employment interviewing
These
tests include
1.
Tests
in general ability – intelligence tests.
2.
Test
in specific ability – aptitude tests
3.
Tests
for achievement trade tests
4.
personality
tests
Orientation
Orientation
is the process of acquainting a new worker with the work environment so that
she or he can relate quickly and effectively to new surroundings.
Promotion
The
term promotion refers to a change for better prospects from one job to another
job deemed by the employer.
CONCLUSION
Staffing
should reflect that the planning has taken all the local factors affecting
staffing in relation to the quality and quantity of personnel optimum
utilization of available nursing personnel needs high level of wisdom, problem
solving and human relations skills and above
all a cool mind. After all there
is some limit to human endurance. To
rectify the anomaly, the political will is the need of the day.
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