Replies of at least 450 words. Each reply must incorporate at least three scholarly citation(s) in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. In addition, the student must integrate a minimum of two citations of scriiptural support as well as the course textbook (Buchbinder, S.B. & Thompson, J. M. (2010). Career opportunities in health care management. (1st ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. ISBN: 9780763759643) in each post/reply.
Discussion 1:
After reading the profiles of the healthcare administrators provided in Chapter 4 of the course text as well as reviewing the challenges and changes described in Chapter 5, please respond to the following:
Discuss the key themes discovered among the profiles of the healthcare administrators/managers.
Evaluate the growth/changes described in healthcare management. What will be the impact on the health system (both direct and non-direct) of these changes?
Key Themes
[Key themes reflect interest in the profession and satisfaction; the role of mentors; variation in preparation, experiences, and roles; and challenges faced by healthcare managers.
Interest in the Profession and Satisfaction: beyond the larger objectives of helping others, healthcare managers see immense satisfaction in their individual roles and day to day task completion.
Roles of Mentors: a variety of individuals-peers, bosses, professors, parents, professional colleagues, and preceptors-have been significant sources of influence and have contributed to personal managerial success.
John 15: 5 “ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Everything a manager allows their employees to do or don’t do is a reflection of them because they are the ones who set and enforce the standard of an organization. So if the employees see the manager just doing the right thing you can expect them to follow suit. So as managers we have to set the standard and make sure we follow them so that those that fall under us can follow too. We live in a society that do as you do and what you say.
“The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors influencing the growth of healthcare virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) through a seven-year longitudinal study conducted using metrics from social-network and semantic analysis. By studying online communication along the three dimensions of social interactions (connectivity, interactivity and language use), the authors aim to provide VCoP managers with valuable insights to improve the success of their communities. The study provides useful recommendations for setting up and nurturing the growth of professional communities, considering, at the same time, the interaction patterns among the community members, the dynamic evolution of these interactions and the use of language. New analytical tools are presented, together with the use of innovative interaction metrics, that can significantly influence community growth, such as rotating leadership” (Antonacci, G., Fronzetti Colladon, A., Stefanini, A., & Gloor, P, 2017).
Variation in Preparation, Experience, and Roles: For managers there are differences in organizations, roles within those organizations, prior work experiences, and educational preparation. There are different paths to the type of career in healthcare management that may interest you.
Challenges Faced by Healthcare Managers: Managers face significant professional challenges coming from internal and external organizational environments]( Buchbinder, Sharon Bell., and Jon M. Thompson, 2010) .
Growth Areas for Healthcare Management
“These areas include long-term care, elder care, and geriatrics; information technology and data management; Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health programs; consulting; performance improvement/quality/patient safety; primary care/ambulatory care; clinical leadership; and reimbursement management in insurer/managed care organization” (Buchbinder, Sharon Bell., and Jon M. Thompson. 2010).
“Human resource management (HRM) researchers have shown that rapid-growth organizations face HR challenges that vastly differ from their low-growth counterparts. These include acquiring and retaining key talent, and adapting the mind-set of the employees as the organization expands in size and scope. However, there is a paucity of research that examines the HRM challenges faced by rapidly growing organizations in dynamically growing sectors in emerging economies, particularly healthcare” (Srinivasan, V., & Chandwani, R, 2014).
“These positions require more than technical, interpersonal, and communication skills. Managers must be able to get things done through other people and provide their subordinates with the tools, resources, and support to be successful. Making the transition from engineer to manager involves less doing and more delegating and requires motivation, training, coaching, and evaluation skills.1,2 Managers need to understand how their functional areas and those of others in the organization help the organization meet its goals. Knowledge of basic business functions such as accounting, marketing, and finance and an understanding of organizational behavior are also important” (Goldberg, J. R, 2013).
“While there are no guarantees, there are approaches that improve the odds of success—and personal satisfaction with the decisions made along the way. These approaches require a fresh approach to planning your career advancement. The process starts with identifying the content of the “three circles” that constitute your individual definition of career success: compensation, job satisfaction, and lifestyle expectations. In making choices and evaluating the outcomes, keep your horizons short. Think in terms of three years. The market is too unpredictable for lo-year (or even five-year) plans, and focusing too far out can result in missed opportunities” (North, M, 2008).
James 4:17 states, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin”, and I believe this best represents the role of a medical director. The medical director oversees all services provided and if he fails to supervise and does the wrong thing, they are going against God and it is a sin against him. While there is a lot responsibility on the medical director, they must remain steadfast and carry out care the right way and Christian way that God would be pleased with. Manager have to be held to a higher standard and responsibility level over our workers, so that they can we what we do and what to become like us and do the right thing even when nobody is looking or we think nobody is looking. Being a mentor to somebody and guiding them in the right direction that is best for them and pushing them to reach new heights in their careers as well as in their personal life is important.
With this career field and changes coming to the healthcare industry as a whole I think it important to be grounded to know what is expected of you as a leader and a manager and what is needed for you to go to the next level if you so choose to. And it’s important to know what companies are looking for in those position to set yourself apart from your peers and to know that you are qualified to do the job and are the right fit and person for it as well. Whether it be with education or certificates but to never stop growing and improving yourself as a person and for your career goals that you set for yourself and making them realistic and achievable is the right path. So whether a person goes to a direct or non-direct healthcare facility it doesn’t matter because a lot of the expectations, standards and skillset are the same for managers.
Reference
Antonacci, G., Fronzetti Colladon, A., Stefanini, A., & Gloor, P. (2017;2021;). It is rotating leaders who build the swarm: Social network determinants of growth for healthcare virtual communities of practice. Journal of Knowledge Management, 21(5), 1218-1239. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-11-2016-0504
Buchbinder, Sharon Bell., and Jon M. Thompson. Career Opportunities in Health Care Management : Perspectives from the Field. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2010. Print.
Goldberg, J. R. (2013). The healthcare technologies management program: Preparing biomedical and clinical engineers for career advancement. Journal of Clinical Engineering, 38(4), 168-174. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.JCE.0000434276.21575.07
North, M. (2008). The three circles of career advancement. Healthcare Financial Management, 62(1), 110-112.
Peterson, E. H. (2002). The Message Bible. Tyndale House Publishers Inc.
Srinivasan, V., & Chandwani, R. (2014). HRM innovations in rapid growth contexts: The healthcare sector in india. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(10), 1505-1525. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.870308
Discussion 2:
In the book of Matthew 20:26, it is said that “[y]et it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26 NKJV – – Bible Gateway). In order for us to be great healthcare managers or leaders, God says that we must be the servant first in which to serve others as well as serve under others. For an individual to become efficient in a field of work, they must put the time into their education into that field as well as be open to guidance in the hopes of becoming success in that position one day. Lukich (2020) depicts that “[h]ealthcare organizations are a crucial part of society as they are responsible for the health and well-being of the communities they serve.”
In the text by Buchbinder and Thompson (2010), the authors provide numerous profiles depicted by various managers in both direct and non-direct healthcare management. Through analysis of each profile given, the authors point out that there are several key themes that each of the profiles entailed. These key themes are labeled as: Interest in the Profession and Satisfaction; Role of Mentors; Variation in Preparation, Experiences, and Roles; and Challenges Faced by Healthcare Managers.
The first theme is described as Interest in the Profession and Satisfaction. The authors state that “[a] key source of satisfaction is the ability to make a difference in people’s lives, even though the day-to-day tasks for managers are typically removed from direct care of individuals” (p. 196). Moreover, the authors portray that individuals in healthcare management get the intimate feeling of fulfillment in their work through simply helping other people. Whether it be direct or non-direct, being able to make a difference in another person’s life especially when it comes to healthcare service delivery, it is very satisfying. Additionally, the authors add that “[f]or many managers, combining an interest in business with the commitment to serving others and improving health care is significant for entering the profession and maintaining day-to-day interest” (p. 196). In Acts 20:35, the Bible tells us “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35 NKJV – – bible gateway). Serving others and feeling blessed to be able to serve others is not only instructed of us by God himself but also given to us as a gift that God blessed us with individually.
The second theme portrayed is that of the Role of Mentors. It is important to have a good support system behind one who is trying to succeed in an area where they may or may not be all the way familiar. In healthcare administration, successful managers have role models and mentors to which they each looked to for guidance and wisdom. Buchbinder and Thompson (2010) suggest that “[m]anagers report that others–including family, bosses, work colleagues, residency preceptors, professors and professional colleagues, among others–have been significant influences in their lives and have contributed to their personal success” (p. 197). As an aspiring healthcare administrator, I feel that I cannot simply get enough words of wisdom and guidance from management role models in my personal life in order to better understand and prepare myself for my future duties as a manager myself. Having a strong and wise mentor will only make an individual a better manager and ultimately future mentor him or herself down the road.
The third key theme touched on by Buchbinder and Thompson (2010) is the Variation in Preparation, Experiences, and Roles. The field of Healthcare management or administration has an abundant amount of management positions and an even bigger pool of options on how one can become a manager in that particular area of healthcare. Linnander et al. (2017) suggests that “[e]ffective healthcare management is essential for the creation of a high performing healthcare delivery system.”As portrayed by the authors, “[p]art of the appeal of the profession is that there is no single track to the healthcare management position that you desire” (p. 199). Furthermore, the authors include that there is a realm of opportunity in which individuals have gained insight to the field whether it be education, time in the service, or personal experiences. Through that insight one has obtained, the opportunity to expand that knowledge through various approaches to education has been seen done by many working healthcare managers. To conclude this theme, the authors suggest that to successfully become a manager in the healthcare field as well as a groundbreaker or leader, knowledge about business, healthcare delivery services and the various establishments themselves is beneficial.
The fourth and final key theme depicted by the authors is the Challenges Faced by Healthcare Managers. There are various challenges provided by the authors including those characterized as external and internal. External challenges are noted to be seen through “cutbacks in reimbursements, intensifying regulations, and the changes that these regulations generate” as well as “competition with other organizations” (p. 199). Internal encounters are those of “organizational resources, staff cohesiveness and performance, coordination among staff, organization direction, and personal professional challenges” (p. 199). It is important for one to understand that no matter where one goes, there will be in fact challenges and it is up to that individual on how they choose to let those challenges affect them especially in a professional setting such as healthcare management. Timmins (2019) portrays the idea of strategy and suggesting that it is important because “[s]trategy enables nurses and managers to respond to the challenging trends occurring in health service delivery resulting in the need for focused strategic direction and focus on strategy development as a key management function.”
Also, depicted in the text by Buchbinder and Thompson (2010) some areas of growth in the field of healthcare management that have been pointed out by current individual who are playing active roles in the management position. These particular areas are stated in the text as being long-term care, elder care, and geriatrics; information technology and data management; Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health programs; consulting; performance improvement/quality/patient safety; primary care/ambulatory care; clinical leadership; and reimbursement management in insurer/managed care organizations. From one spectrum of individuals living longer than they used to, the continued advancements in medical technology innovation, medical assistance programs aiding in affordable healthcare services to be obtained, getting outside help to keep the organization in line with issues as well as with finances, the focus of providing patient centered quality care with cost efficiency, the motivation of prevention and early detection medical services, having leadership proficiency among departments and medical staff, to making sure that the services delivered are reimbursed appropriately, healthcare managers have big roles to fill and be successful in doing so. Management is important for proper flow of any organization, especially the healthcare organization. Whether one is in direct or non-direct care, these growths will not only make management jobs more demanding and critical for the success of the company but also to make sure that patients and the staff are be attended to appropriately at the highest level possible.
References
Acts 20:35 NKJV – – bible gateway. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2022, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2B20%3A35&version=NKJV
Buchbinder, S. B., & Thompson, J. M. (2010). Career opportunities in health care management: Perspectives from the field. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Linnander, E. L., Mantopoulos, J. M., Allen, N., Nembhard, I. M., & Bradley, E. H. (2017). Professionalizing healthcare management: A descriiptive case study. International journal of health policy and management, 6(10), 555–560. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2017.40
Lukich, N. (2020). The importance of a positive moral culture within healthcare organizations. Healthcare Management Forum, 33(6), 293–295. https://doi.org/10.1177/0840470420943406
Matthew 20:26 NKJV – – Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2022, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2B20%3A26&version=NKJV
Timmins, F. (2019). The importance of strategy in Healthcare. Journal of Nursing Management. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12901
