Learning Experience Journal Entry #3:

Learning Experience Journal Entry #3:

Human resources personnel responsible for legal and regulatory affairs

Roles, functions: My observations

Nursing is fundamentally a 'human' discipline, requiring effective interpersonal interactions between nurses and patients. However, it is also imperative that nurses themselves have their human needs taken care of, given the stresses inherent to the profession. Nurses can benefit from effectively-constructed HR benefits packages and salaries; they also need to have someone to whom they can talk to if there are personal conflicts or more serious allegations of harassment and non-EEOC compliance. Through my shadowing, I observed how a representative of the human resource department responsible for legal and regulatory affairs plays a vital role in the day-to-day needs of nurses and the needs of the organization.

Primary roles and functions: Nursing and patient services

A critical component of HR in nursing is recruitment and retention, particularly given the under-staffing endemic at so many hospitals. Even if the current nurses are effective, when a unit does not have sufficient human resources, patient care will suffer. "Too many organizations view recruiting as a short-term process, searching at college campuses or job fairs with a 6 to 9-month fill time or for immediate openings" (Maxwell 2004). Establishing internships for nursing students, to create a 'pipeline' for top candidates, offering "scholarships or stipends, in exchange for a 2, 3, or 4-year commitment of employment" all reflect the philosophy of the organization that "money spent in this manner is a much better investment than spending it on temporary staff or traveling nurses" (Maxwell 2004). Other incentives by HR to attract new nurses include "sign-on bonuses, medical insurance, dental insurance, and a generous benefits package…HR and nurse leaders should [also] focus on creating unique 'benefits' such as job enrichment and developmental opportunities, mentoring programs, universal hospital courses, flexible schedules, etc." (Maxwell 2004). All of these recruitment efforts must be EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) compliant in regards to the HR department's stated nondiscrimination policies to the gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or able-bodiedness of the candidate. The HR department strives to create a diverse workforce reflective of the population but must ensure such efforts are within the bounds of the law.

Leadership style

Nurses have often been criticized for 'eating their young' or treating new nurses harshly and 'hazing' them with unpleasant assignments or cold treatment. Having an HR department with a positive focus upon retention is one way to counteract this tendency: the leadership style needed is transformational in the sense that it connects company actions to a larger, uniting sense of mission but also has participatory elements in the manner in which it responds to employee concerns. For example, even the most idealistic mentorship programs must comply with the law, regarding the number of hours interns and students can work and mentorship programs must be managed in such a way that the experience is positive for the mentee yet does not place additional, burdensome duties upon the mentor not specified in her job description. When there is a conflict between any employees within the organization, the employees can go to HR for advice on how to proceed, either through company-based mediation or to seek other legal channels of redress if necessary. HR staff must be well-versed in the laws pertaining to employee conduct as well as the psychology of how persons interact daily in a hospital environment.

Another important component of HR leveraging its influence to improve recruitment and retention is providing counseling and support for nurses as they cope with the inevitable symptoms of nursing burnout. "Since the mid-1980s, however, nurses' work stress may be escalating due to the increasing use of technology, continuing rises in health care costs, and turbulence within the work environment" (Jennings 2008). Offering counseling to nurses, enabling them to balance their shifts with life demands, and attempting to instate fair and equitable compensation and leave policies are all essential. HR must ensure that nurses' hours comply with existing family leave regulations and that nurses who need to take time off for emotional and physical stress or reasonable accommodations are not penalized and are treated appropriately in accordance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).