Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies And Practices

Assignment Developing Organizational Policies And Practicescompeting

Assignment: Developing Organizational Policies and Practices Competing needs arise within any organization as employees seek to meet their targets and leaders seek to meet company goals. As a leader, successful management of these goals requires establishing priorities and allocating resources accordingly. Within a healthcare setting, the needs of the workforce, resources, and patients are often in conflict. Mandatory overtime, implementation of staffing ratios, use of unlicensed assisting personnel, and employer reductions of education benefits are examples of practices that might lead to conflicting needs in practice. Leaders can contribute to both the problem and the solution through policies, action, and inaction.

In this Assignment, you will further develop the white paper you began work on in Module 1 by addressing competing needs within your organization. To Prepare: Review the national healthcare issue/stressor you examined in your Assignment for Module 1 (which my issue/ stressor was the critical faculty shortage), and review the analysis of the healthcare issue/stressor you selected. Identify and review two evidence-based scholarly resources that focus on proposed policies/practices to apply to your selected healthcare issue/stressor. Reflect on the feedback you received from your colleagues on your Discussion post regarding competing needs.

The Assignment (4-5 pages): Developing Organizational Policies and Practices Add a section to the paper you submitted in Module 1. The new section should address the following: Identify and describe at least two competing needs impacting your selected healthcare issue/stressor. Describe a relevant policy or practice in your organization that may influence your selected healthcare issue/stressor. Critique the policy for ethical considerations, and explain the policy’s strengths and challenges in promoting ethics. Recommend one or more policy or practice changes designed to balance the competing needs of resources, workers, and patients, while addressing any ethical shortcomings of the existing policies. Be specific and provide examples. Cite evidence that informs the healthcare issue/stressor and/or the policies, and provide two scholarly resources in support of your policy or practice recommendations.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Healthcare organizations are complex systems where multiple competing needs often influence decision-making processes, especially regarding policies that impact workforce management, resource allocation, and patient care. In the context of a critical faculty shortage, these competing needs become particularly pronounced. Leaders must balance the necessity of maintaining high-quality education and training for future healthcare professionals with current operational demands, workforce well-being, and patient safety. This paper explores two core competing needs that impact the critical faculty shortage and evaluates existing organizational policies, critiquing their ethical considerations. Recommendations for policy modifications aim to create a sustainable balance among resources, workforce well-being, and quality patient care.

Competing Needs Impacting Faculty Shortage

The first competing need pertains to resource allocation: universities and healthcare organizations need to invest sufficiently in faculty development and recruitment to ensure a steady pipeline of qualified educators. However, financial limitations often restrict these investments, forcing institutions to prioritize immediate operational needs over long-term faculty development. This creates a trade-off between short-term staffing efficiencies and long-term sustainability. For instance, some institutions resort to hiring adjunct faculty or extending contract renewals, which may compromise the consistency and quality of education (Bambra et al., 2020).

The second need involves workforce well-being and job satisfaction. Faculty burnout, high workloads, and the stressors associated with managing clinical and academic responsibilities threaten faculty retention and well-being. The shortage exacerbates these pressures, leading to attrition and hampering efforts to fill open faculty positions (Gupty & O’Mara, 2021). These competing needs—resource constraints versus faculty well-being—must be navigated carefully to sustain quality education and address the faculty shortage effectively.

Organizational Policy and Its Ethical Considerations

A relevant policy within many healthcare educational institutions involves employing adjunct or part-time faculty to meet staffing demands. This policy aims to reduce costs and increase educational capacity quickly; however, it raises ethical considerations related to quality assurance, equity, and faculty welfare. Resource-wise, relying heavily on adjunct faculty can be financially beneficial but may compromise educational consistency, mentorship, and institutional loyalty (Nelson et al., 2019).

From an ethical perspective, the policy's strengths lie in its flexibility and immediate capacity to address staffing shortages. Nonetheless, challenges arise regarding the fair treatment of adjunct faculty, who often lack benefits and job security, raising questions of distributive justice (Kanter, 2021). Moreover, over-reliance on non-permanent faculty could threaten the ethical obligation to uphold high standards of education and patient safety, as adjuncts might lack institutional support or engagement with organizational values.

Critique of the Policy from an Ethical Perspective

The current policy favors resource efficiency but risks undermining principles of fairness and quality. Ethically, institutions have a duty to ensure equitable treatment of all instructors and to uphold standards that safeguard student and patient safety. An overreliance on adjunct faculty may violate these principles by creating disparities in faculty support, oversight, and professional development opportunities, which subsequently impact educational quality and, by extension, patient care (Fletcher et al., 2020).

Furthermore, this policy may neglect the ethical imperative of promoting faculty well-being by subjecting adjuncts to job insecurity and insufficient institutional support. Ethical principles such as beneficence and justice demand that organizations consider the holistic welfare of faculty alongside operational needs.

Recommendations for Policy and Practice Improvements

To strike a balance between resource constraints, faculty well-being, and educational quality, a multifaceted policy approach is recommended. Firstly, developing a sustainable faculty recruitment and retention plan that includes competitive compensation, professional development opportunities, and pathways to tenure can mitigate burnout and attrition (Bambra et al., 2020). Such a strategy aligns with ethical imperatives to promote beneficence and justice by supporting faculty welfare.

Secondly, restructuring the reliance on adjunct faculty by incorporating more full-time clinical educators can improve consistency and mentorship. Policies that incentivize faculty stability—such as tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees or hiring bonuses—address resource allocation issues while promoting ethical standards related to educational quality and fairness.

Thirdly, implementing transparent criteria for faculty evaluation and workload distribution ensures fairness and supports organizational accountability (Nelson et al., 2019). Such practices promote an ethical environment that values transparency, fairness, and the professional growth of educators.

By adopting these policy modifications, organizations can better navigate competing needs, foster an ethical organizational culture, and strengthen the capacity to address the faculty shortage sustainably.

Conclusion

Managing competing needs in healthcare education requires deliberate policy adjustments that balance the demands for resource efficiency, faculty well-being, and quality education. Ethical considerations must underpin these policies to ensure fairness, transparency, and a commitment to high standards. Through strategic investment in faculty development, restructuring reliance on adjuncts, and promoting equitable evaluation practices, healthcare organizations can better address the critical faculty shortage while maintaining ethical integrity and organizational sustainability.

References

• Bambra, C., Egan, M., & Petticrew, M. (2020). Addressing workforce shortages: Innovative workforce strategies in healthcare. Health Policy and Planning, 35(8), 950–959.
• Fletcher, K. E., Pappas, S. F., & Lobb, R. (2020). Ethical considerations in faculty employment policies: Balancing quality and fairness. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(3), 139–145.
• Gupty, S., & O’Mara, A. (2021). Faculty burnout and retention in nursing education. Nursing Outlook, 69(4), 382–390.
• Kanter, M. H. (2021). Ethical challenges in faculty employment practices. Academic Medicine, 96(4), 501–506.
• Nelson, J., Adams, J., & Nguyen, T. (2019). Academic workforce policies and ethical standards: A review. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 11, 1–10.