BHA FPX 4104 assessment 4 Human Resources: Strategy and Competitive Advantage BHA-FPX4104 Strategic Leadership and Workforce Planning in Health Care ​​​​​​​Human Resources: Strategy and Competitive Advantage

In this analysis, the current workforce will be examined in contrast to future needs, alongside an explication of the ideal staffing plan for the organization based on anticipated requirements. Additionally, measures for evaluating and gauging the success of an implemented staffing plan will be identified. Furthermore, the repercussions for an organization’s future if the workforce fails to adapt and meet the organization’s needs will be elucidated. Finally, an exploration of how human resources can serve as a competitive advantage within an organization will be conducted.

Part 1: Comparison of Current Workforce to Future Needs

Capacity of Current Staffing

The current staffing capacity at SAMC has been strained by its existing staff and leadership. The recent train derailment has exacerbated staffing limitations, particularly evident in the shortage of language interpreters in the emergency room department. The growing number of Limited English proficiency (LEP) patients has compromised the hospital’s ability to deliver optimal care to linguistically diverse patients. For instance, without multilingual nurses, adequate care for the Hmong and Somali communities in the vicinity would be compromised. Insufficient nursing presence in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) during evening and night shifts has also impeded patient care. SAMC operates on a razor’s edge concerning nurse staffing and must develop strategies to address these operational challenges. Failure to rectify nursing shortages would lead to loss of patient revenue to competing hospitals and increased staff turnover.

Moreover, overburdening nurses with high patient ratios would result in longer wait times and diminished care quality, subsequently reducing patient volumes and census in the hospital (Bridges et al., 2019). Research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicates that hospitals with low nurse staffing levels tend to experience higher rates of adverse patient outcomes such as pneumonia, cardiac arrest, and urinary tract infections (AHRQ, 2019). Consequently, neglecting staffing concerns could lead to job-related burnout among healthcare professionals, resulting in suboptimal medical care and decreased patient satisfaction (Heath, 2018).