Method of Obtaining Necessary Approval and Securing Support - Essay Example

? Developing and Implementation Plan Developing and Implementation Plan Method of obtaining necessary approval(s) and securing support from your organization's leadership and fellow staff Hospitals, like other organizations, have an executive branch headed by a chief executive officer in charge of the healthcare system who has the responsibility of overseeing all of the hospital’s comprehensive operations. It is the approval of these executives that should be sought in the endeavor to secure support for initiating stress management programs for nurses. A hospital’s chief executive officer is the final authority in decision-making in regards to the programs that will be adopted by the hospital (Park, Wilson and Lee, 2004). To convince hospital executives of the importance of adopting stress management progams, the proposal first has to show how the stress management program will relieve some of their concerns about the hospital For example, the association between less stress in the student population and reduced incidences of errors will show the hospital executives how they stand to benefit through fewer lawsuits or claims of unprofessional behavior if they agree to the implementation of stress management programs. It is also very important to show how, in the recent past, there are medical institutions that have successfully implemented stress management programs. Researching about stress management for hospital workers shows the hospital executives that the implementation of such programs within their own organizations could be successful while also bringing many benefits (Sohn, Kim, Kim and Han, 2006). When presenting a proposal on implementing stress management plans, it is also important to include a plan with a practical program that could be implemented immediately. This shows the executives that this will not simply be another program that they are tasked with overseeing and constructing, and which, should it fail, will negatively affect their standing in the medical community (Vahey, Aiken, Sloane, Clarke and Vargas, 2004). Description of current problem, issue, or deficit requiring a change Health care occupations such as nursing have long been known to cause a lot of stress for nurses as well as other medical practitioners. In addition, these jobs also cause a lot of psychological distress because nurses are constantly dealing with death or illness in their patients; many of whom they develop close relationships with (Murphy, 2003). In medical institutions, nurses have to deal with work overload, other people’s pain and distress, the absence of role clarity when tackling infectious diseases and time constraints, particularly in incidences when there are nurse shortages. Such stressors physically and psychological affect nurses so deeply that their discharge of their duties is affected (McCauley and Irwin, 2006). Stress can result in common absenteeism in the nursing workforce, medical errors, and poor turnover. Moreover, worker-focused or organizational interventions can be quite effective in reducing stress among medical workers. Many hospitals at present incorporate stress relief programs for nurses that include meditation programs (Rambaldini, Wilson, Rath, Lin, Gold, Kapral and Straus, 2005). Moreover, these are rarely effective because they can only reduce stress on a temporary basis. The best solution, though, is one that combines both organizational and worker based components as these both include short-time and long-term treatment and prevention components (Mackay, Cousins, Kelly, Lee and McCaig, 2004). Hospitals should also seek to incorporate regular physical and psychological check-up programs for their workers. Hospitals should also coordinate programs that allow for frequent sabbatical leaves which allow nurses to engage in personal stress relief methods. There are other ways in which hospitals can assist in the relieving of the occupational stress that regularly affects nurses. For example, hospitals can seek to ensure that every nurse’s workload is in line with his or her capacities and that he or she has adequate resources to fulfill the job (Piko, 2003). One of the common frustrations faced by nurses is when they have to treat patients with inadequate resources. It is also important for hospital authorities to ensure that they clearly define the responsibilities of every medical worker so that the nurses do not frustrate each other by interfering with each others’ operations (Hawryluck, Gold and Robinson, 2004). Nurses should also be given opportunities to engage in decision-making; particularly in matters concerning their work schedules. Nurses also handle stress better when they are given opportunities to communicate with fellow workers about issues that affect them. Hospital authorities can also seek to ensure that nurses have many future employment prospects that keep them motivated in their present jobs. Detailed explanation of proposed solution (new policy, process, procedure, or education to address the problem/deficit) Successful hospital stress intervention programs for nurses ought to have some things in common (Hoffman and Scott, 2003). For example, it is important for them to involve nurses in all the phases of intervention by equipping them with the authority to develop evaluate and implement the stages of the program with the backing of the hospital’s top management. Stress management programs should also encourage periodic evaluations of the program that provides stress intervention (Cousins, Mackay, Clarke, Kelly, Kelly and McCaig, 2004). Another category of intervention program that has in the past been proved to be effective in tackling stress among health care workers is the development and appliance by medical workers of directives such as effecting changes in skill development or work methods to lessen excessive demands. All these tactics in stress management can only be implemented with the support of hospital authorities, though. Rationale for selecting proposed solution Nursing calls for medical workers to portray specific behavior in a work setting in spite of the issues they may be dealing with in their personal lives. They have to present a cheerful and supportive front to workers even when they are exposed to danger, when dealing with violent or ungrateful patients, or when having problems with hospital authorities (Maunder, Hunter, Vincent, Bennett, Peladeau, Leszcz, Sadavoy, Verhaeghe, Steinberg and Mazzulli, 2003). Many times, nurses have no one to speak with about the things that they encounter in their hospital rounds. As any human being, they are psychologically affected when they witness young children suffering from maladies, or are constantly exposed to the deaths of patients that they liked. Presenting a cheerful front when dealing with such issues can cause nurses to develop a Hero complex, which is not constructive for their psychological wellbeing (AbuAlRub, 2004). This is why nurses have to learn how to recognize the incidence of stress among in fellow colleagues or even themselves. Stress can cause nurses to seem distant, unfocused, short-fused, or even distraught. In such circumstances, even cooperation among team members will be affected. Stress programs will help nurses to become motivated and retain their proficiency in the workplace. With stress levels under control, there is less of chance of hospitals witnessing decreased productivity as a result of lack of communication, ethical issues, poor time management, and poorer performance. Stress programs also allow deadlines to be met as all nurses’ work in keeping with time constraints (Bourbonnais, Brisson, Vinet, Vezina, Abdous and Gaudet, 2006). They also reduce the chances of hospitals being sued for malpractice due to ethical concerns. Errors in medical circles usually take place in times of high stress. In stress programs, addressing the different issues concerning ethics allows for nurses to be able to understand what is considered as being unethical by the hospital and seek ways of ensuring that they do not engage in it even when stressed (Carr, Gareis and Barnett, 2003). Another reason why stress management programs are beneficial is that they allow for team unity in instances where a hospital’s medical workers are involved in joint efforts to realize certain objectives. Description of implementation logistics Apart from implementing actual stress relief practices such as meditation and instituting changes that ease the working schedule of nurses, there are other changes that ought to be made to lessen the possibilities of stress provocation. After the specific proposals for stress management interventions are given to a hospital’s management and approved of, different measures have to be implemented to realize them. For example, if there are changes made for the roles of different nurses, new guidelines first have to be drawn up for the re-training of different workers (Blau, Tatum and Ward-Cook, 2003). There are also changes that have to be made in the management of patient transfer. It may be necessary to re-draw standby rosters and timetables so as to delegate more responsibility to the hospital wards while administrative duties are delegated to workers in the night shifts in order to further ensure efficiency. There should also be changes like installing additional bed tables, providing better lighting, and ensuring that there is better online access of lab results that are to improve the general working conditions of nurses. Hospitals should also provide, along with stress management classes and progressive muscle relaxation, sessions in which nurses are taught about conflict management, communication strategies, dealing with patient deaths, and handling violence in the workplace. 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