Staffing and Scheduling

• What is a special important phase of the management process in healthcare organizations?

  Staffing
• Why is staffing crucial in healthcare organizations?

  Because these organizations are labor-intensive
• How many hours a day are many healthcare organizations usually open?

  24 hours a day
• What is a characteristic of client demands in healthcare organizations?

  Client demands and needs are often variable
• What is necessary for setting long-term goals in a laboratory?

  Determining the number and types of personnel needed
• What must a large workforce in a laboratory reflect?

  An appropriate balance of highly skilled professionals and ancillary support workers
• What does the term 'ancillary' refer to in a healthcare context?

  Support provided to primary activities of the organization
• What are examples of ancillary departments in healthcare organizations?

  • Laboratory department
  • Pharmacy department
  • Radiology department
  • Nutrition and dietetics
  • Health information management
• Why is finding the "right fit" for staffing critical in healthcare?

  Based on education, specific technical skills, and experience
• What are the key components of job design in healthcare management?

  • Job Design
  • Job Description
  • Job Specification
  • Job Scheduling
• What is job design also referred to as?

  Work design or task design
• What does job design relate to in human resource management?

  Specification of contents, methods, and relationships of jobs
• What does job design help to determine?

  What tasks are done, how they are done, how many tasks are done, and in what order
• What are the core job dimensions in job design?

  • Skill variety
  • Task identity
  • Task significance
  • Autonomy
  • Feedback
• What does skill variety refer to in job design?

  The range of skills and activities necessary to complete the job
• How does high skill variety affect an employee?

  It leads to better motivation and enhanced skills
• What does task identity measure?

  The degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
• What does task significance look at?

  The impact and influence of a job on the organization
• What does autonomy describe in job design?

  The amount of individual choice and discretion involved in a job
• What does feedback measure in job design?

  The amount of information an employee receives about their performance
• What are the critical psychological states resulting from core job dimensions?

  • Experienced meaningfulness of the work
  • Experienced responsibility for the outcomes of work
  • Knowledge of the actual results of the work activity
• What does experienced meaningfulness of the work refer to?

  The extent to which people believe their job is meaningful and valued
• What does experienced responsibility for the outcomes of work indicate?

  The extent to which people feel accountable for the results of their work
• What does knowledge of the actual results of the work activity measure?

  The extent to which people know how well they are doing
• What are the techniques of job design?

  • Work simplification
  • Job rotation
  • Job enlargement
  • Job enrichment
• What is work simplification in job design?

  The job is simplified by breaking it down into small subparts
• What is a disadvantage of work simplification?

  Workers may feel boredom and tend to remain absent frequently
• What is job rotation?

  A job design process by which employee roles are rotated
• What is a disadvantage of job rotation?

  Frequent shifting across jobs can cause interruption in job routine
• What does job enlargement involve?

  Adding more tasks to a job
• What is job enrichment?

  Increases employees’ autonomy over their work
• What should job descriptions be based on?

  Competency-based and reflect any skills needed
• What may vary in job descriptions depending on the laboratory?

  The requirements for each staff position
• What are the classifications of job duties within a job description?

  • Basic core task
  • Advanced technical skills
  • Supervisory responsibility
• What should job descriptions lay out?

  • All activities and tasks to be performed
  • Responsibilities for conducting testing and implementing quality systems
  • Reflect the employee’s background and training
  • Be kept current and available for all laboratory personnel
• What are the five key sections common to most job descriptions?

  • Job title
  • Minimum qualifications and desired worker skills
  • Job duties
  • Responsibilities and accountability
  • Job relationships
• What are the criteria for job description attributes?

  • Regulatory
  • Certification
  • Education
  • Training
  • Experience
  • Physical demands
  • Skills, abilities, knowledge base
  • Work environment
• What does regulatory criteria in job descriptions refer to?

  State or federal laws mandating qualifications and licensure
• What does certification in job descriptions indicate?

  Voluntary action declaring that an individual has passed an accredited examination
• What do educational requirements in job descriptions relate to?

  Academic degrees and/or specific coursework