March 20, 2012 Class

We continued the discussion in this class about the hiring and firing process. This time though we also spent a significant amount of time talking about the challenges of staffing. This was a real eye opener into what a manager goes through when staffing the floor. Later when taking an exam for this course, I was able to apply what I learned as I did a "fake" schedule for a medical surgical. There is a lot to take into account when staffing. Full time people obviously must be staffed first in order to attempt to help them get the hours needed for benefits. Maternity leave, vacation, etc... through wrenches into the schedule. The nice thing about healthcare is the PRN staff. Those PRN staff can help fill holes when necessary. This class discussion was really interesting to me, as I will soon start my first hospital job. It was interesting to hear how different floors, hospitals, etc... handle scheduling and staffing issues. It seems to me that managers have to deal with staffing and spend a great deal of time on it.