NURS 6221: Managing Human Resources | Week 1

Human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.

—Sir Ken Robinson

Human resource management is one of the more important and complex responsibilities of nurse managers. When nurse managers effectively support and develop staff members, operational and financial activities run more smoothly. However, managing a diverse workforce within a highly complex health care environment produces significant challenges.

Understanding the principles that underlie human resource management will help you more effectively manage the most important asset in health care: the people who provide or support the provision of patient care.

This week, you explore the roles human resource professionals fulfill in health care settings. Furthermore, you examine how these roles differ from those of the nurse manager.

Learning Objectives Week 1: The Nature of Health Care HR Management Assignment – NURS 6221

Students will:

• Differentiate between the role of human resource professionals and nurse managers

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Lussier, R. N., & Hendon, J. R. (2018). Human resource management: Functions, applications, & skill development (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

• • Chapter 1, “The New Human Resource Management Process” (pp. 2–37)Chapter 1 provides an introduction to human resource management (HRM). It overviews the various disciplines of HRM, as well as the roles and skills that HRM professionals fulfill within organizations. This chapter also highlights why line managers should be aware of basic HRM functions.

• Chapter 2, “Strategy-Driven Human Resource” (pp. 38-73)This chapter covers the importance of strategic planning and organizational structure. It also overviews organizational culture and strategic measurement tools.

International Counsel of Nurses. (2011). International Centre for Human Resources in Nursing. Retrieved from http://www.icn.ch/pillarsprograms/international-centre-for-human-resources-in-nursing-ichrn/

The International Centre for Human Resources in Nursing (ICHRN) aims to address common health care challenges such as budget cuts and underemployment of nursing personnel by integrating meaningful data and best practices into health care settings. The ICHRN website provides nurse administrators with an online resource that assists them in HR-based endeavors.

Required Media

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2006). Survey on HR [Interactive Media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Before reading this week’s Learning Resources, take this survey to determine how much you already know about the role of HR. In addition, review this week’s Discussion and think about how you will use the results from this survey in your Discussion posting.

Note: Please click on the following link for the transcript: Transcript (PDF).

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Introduction to healthcare human resource management. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 5 minutes.

This week’s presenters introduce how managers can partner with human resource professionals to better manage the people and processes of their setting.

Discussion: The Role of HR in Health Care Settings

Janet has been working as a nurse manager for a little over six months. Since she took this position, nurses have asked her a variety of questions related to paid leave, health insurance coverage, retirement plans, and other important issues. Each new question causes Janet to wonder whether she is providing her staff with sufficient information. Janet realizes that she needs help answering these questions, and she is curious to see if she can enlist the assistance of someone in the Human Resources department. Despite her experience as a nurse and as a nurse manager, Janet is not sure what kind of support HR can provide, nor how and when she should request their help.

Nurse managers may be uncertain about the roles that HR plays in health care organizations. In addition, many managers are unclear about how HR can support them with the staff function of their managerial responsibilities. As a nurse manager, what questions might you have about HR’s role? Furthermore, how have your previous experiences impacted your perceptions?

To prepare

• Reflect upon the role HR has played in your current organization or one with which you are familiar. What interactions have you noticed between HR professionals and other staff in this setting? How do these interactions compare to those of nurse managers and staff that you have observed?
• Complete the media survey, “Survey on HR,” found in this week’s Learning Resources. Though this survey is not graded, take careful note of the questions asked and the correct answers.
• Review Chapter 1, “The New Human Resource Management Process” in the course text, Human Resource Management: Functions, Applications, & Skill Development, as well as this week’s media, “Introduction to Healthcare Human Resource Management.”
• Consider how your perceptions of HR are similar to or different from the roles of HR described in the Learning Resources. How does the role of HR differ from that of a nurse manager?

By Day 3

Post a description of your media survey experience, including your survey results and your reactions to the survey. Explain at least two perceptions that you held regarding the role of HR compared to the role of the nurse manager. Describe how these perceptions were similar to or different from the roles outlined in the Learning Resources. Without identifying individuals or organizations, support your response by briefly describing experiences that may have influenced your perceptions.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days using one or more of the following approaches:

• Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background information or research.
• Share an insight from having read a colleague’s posting, synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
• Validate an idea with your own experience and additional resources.
• Week 1: The Nature of Health Care HR Management Assignment – NURS 6221

ADDITIONAL INFO 

The Nature of Health Care HR Management

Introduction

Health care is responsible for a third of the nation’s gross domestic product, which means that it’s imperative that you employ the best people possible. HR managers in health care have a unique set of challenges and responsibilities that require them to have specialized knowledge in several areas. This guide will help you understand what makes up a good HR manager in health care, along with tips on how you can learn about and implement best practices!

The Nature of Health Care HR Management

Health care HR management is a key component of the health care industry. As such, it requires specialized knowledge and skills that are not often found among individuals within the field. A successful HR manager must have strong analytical, interpersonal and organizational skills to successfully manage an organization’s human resources. The job also requires legal expertise and financial acumen to understand how laws apply to organizations operating in this sector.

In addition to providing guidance on employee relations issues like hiring practices or disciplinary actions taken against employees who violate company policy or procedures, an effective health care HR manager will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations by ensuring all necessary documentation is maintained throughout their tenure as an employee (or contractor) at whichever facility they work at throughout their career path prior to becoming hired into full time positions within those companies’ leadership teams!

Culture, Diversity, and International Dimensions in Health Care

Diversity is the key to success in the health care industry. It’s important to understand and respect diverse cultures, as well as how they can be used as a strength in your organization.

In this section we’ll discuss some of the most common challenges that exist for HR managers in health care:

• Cultural differences between employees and employers (i.e., “American” vs “Chinese”) – This can be very difficult because it requires patience on both sides of the equation; however, understanding how these differences affect each individual person will help you create an environment where everyone feels comfortable working together efficiently and effectively.

• A lack of understanding among members within teams that may lead them not realize their own needs when it comes time for team building exercises or brainstorming sessions – This happens most often when people have similar backgrounds but live in different countries where they don’t understand what constitutes normal behavior among native English speakers living here!

Health Care Strategies and Workforce Planning

• Strategic workforce planning is an integral part of the HR management process. It’s important to plan for your future needs and ensure that you have a clear structure in place to meet them.

• The need for strategic workforce planning stems from the fact that health care organizations are constantly evolving, changing their business model or expanding into new markets. As such, it’s critical that managers understand how their current strategies will affect their employees’ employment status in five years—and beyond!

• To ensure success with this crucial task, companies must have a thorough understanding of what they need from their employees today (i) so they can provide them with excellent customer service; (ii) so they can maintain quality levels; (iii) so they can recruit top talent; and finally (iv) because there may be opportunities outside of traditional career paths available within this field which require different skillsets than those traditionally associated with healthcare professionals

HR Job Design and Analysis

HR professionals are responsible for the design and implementation of health care organizations’ human resource functions. They employ a combination of skills, knowledge, and experience to ensure that the organization’s mission is accomplished within ethical boundaries.

The primary responsibility of an HR manager is to create jobs that promote productivity while optimizing employee satisfaction. This means creating a well-balanced work environment that encourages employees to perform at their best while also providing them with opportunities for professional growth and development.

There are four basic categories into which most HR job designs fall:

• Job Design – A description of what should be done by an employee in his or her position (e.g., “The person in this role will provide customer service support”).

• Job Analysis – A detailed analysis of how positions fit together so they can be combined into larger units such as teams or departments (e.g., “This department supports all sales efforts from our front desk staff”).

Recruitment and Selection

The recruitment process is essential to the health care industry and its employees. It ensures that you have the right people on board, which will lead to more satisfied customers and better quality patient care.

The difference between recruitment and selection is that selection refers to hiring someone for a specific job role, while recruitment can mean any activity related to hiring new employees or looking for potential candidates who may not fit into your current needs. The recruiter plays a key role in both processes as they’re responsible for finding talent within their organization as well as bringing them together with potential employers so they can learn more about each other’s culture before making any decisions about whether or not it makes sense for them both working together long term!

Performance Management and Appraisal

Performance management and appraisal are two different processes that employers use to evaluate the performance of their employees. Performance management is a process of managing the performance of employees, while appraisal is a process of evaluating the performance of employees.

Performance management includes development, coaching and feedback in order to improve an employee’s skillset and create a more effective team member. Appraisal on the other hand focuses on evaluating an employee’s strengths and weaknesses as well as identifying opportunities for improvement within their current position or within other areas within an organization (i.e., organizational culture).

Training, Orientation, and Coaching

Training and orientation are important for new employees. New employees should be trained on the job, but also receive training in their specific roles. Training can be conducted through seminars or workshops, or it can be done through one-on-one coaching sessions with an experienced manager who has been there before you. Orientation is essential to help new hires understand what they need to do each day on the job and how best to perform those duties. Coaching helps provide guidance and feedback on performance issues that arise with employees during their first few months at work—such as miscommunication between departments (because one department does not understand another), poor documentation practices (e.g., not entering data into systems properly), lack of communication between teams within an organization (for example: “I’m writing up an article about this project; could someone confirm that we have all gathered input from our stakeholders?”), etcetera…

Rewards System Design

The rewards system design is a key component of HR management. Health care organizations use different types of reward systems, including intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

In an intrinsic reward system, employees are rewarded for their performance on the job through things like:

• A verbal pat on the back from a supervisor;

• A well-deserved raise or bonus;

• The feeling that they have done good work and can look forward to continued success at work;

Employee Relations and Labor Relations Strategy

Employee relations and labor relations strategy are important in the health care industry because of the high level of employee turnover. The need to maintain good relationships with employees is paramount in order to ensure they stay productive, loyal and happy.

The company’s overall financial success depends on its ability to attract and retain talent at all levels, including front line staff members, management and higher-level executives.

Human Resources Management is integral to the health care industry.

Human resources management is integral to the health care industry. It provides a framework for managing the people and processes that are critical to an organization’s success. Health care organizations need human resources management because they have thousands of employees, many of them working together in complex settings with multiple stakeholders.

Human resources management has been used successfully by health care organizations around the world since its introduction in 1910 by Henry Gantt, who was appointed head of his father’s manufacturing company where he began developing systems for employee scheduling based on skill sets rather than geography or seniority level (Gantt et al., 2010). Since then it has evolved into a strategic tool for ensuring quality patient outcomes while improving productivity through proper staffing levels and reducing costs through better utilization rates (Klein & Simonsohn 2009).

Conclusion

Health care is an industry that has a lot of moving parts, so it’s important to keep up with all of them. That’s why we designed this guide for you—to help you not only understand the nature of health care HR management but also learn how to implement it in your organization. We hope you find our recommendations useful and helpful as the industry continues its move forward!