Nursing
From HMCwiki
Staffing
A central component in planning for nursing cost containment is the evaluation of your nurse unit management model for staffing cost effectiveness. The scarcity of available qualified nurses makes the management of nurse staff scheduling increasingly important to a nursing floor's ability to adhere to cost effectiveness goals.
Developing lower-cost alternatives to using overtime and agency to help fill difficult shifts, such as evening and weekend time, is one way hold down nursing floor costs. Web-based auction models are becoming increasingly popular as a way to find coverage for hard-to-fill shifts. Instituting a well managed Nursing Float Pool is another strategy for reducing high cost agency expenditures.
Managing on-call coverage effectively and staffing to demand is one way to become more efficient.
Training
Given limited labor resources, it is becoming increasingly challenging to allot the time that is necessary for nursing orientation and continuing education for nurses. Since continuing eduction is a critical component to superior patient care, it is important to review your training policies to ensure that your education delivery models are appropriate for your staff training needs. For example, refresher programs to supplement orientation and annual training should only be provided on as "as-needed" basis. Unless a specific problem or deficiency is identified, there is no need for additional expenditures on review classes.
