PROS & CONS OF STAFF MIX

Issue Paper: Pros and Cons of Staff Mix in Acute Care Setting

Issue Paper: Pros and Cons of Staff Mix in Acute Care Setting

Introduction

The world is changing and the healthcare needs of the people as well. This has led to the transformation of nursing, and now different models, strategies and techniques are applied by the caregivers in acute care settings in order to enhance the quality of service delivery. There were health care facilities where staff mix was not very much common, and in many cases either registered nurses, licensed practical nurse (LPN), personal care assistant (PCA) and nurse practitioner (NP) comprises the specialty of the organization (Twigg, Duffield, Bremner, Rapley and Finn, 2012). However, the changing needs of people health care have increased the demand for staff mix in health care settings. This paper in relation to this will discuss the pros & cons of staff mix (RN, NP, LPN, personal care worker -licensed and unlicensed) in the acute care setting. In simple words, the paper will attempt to determine the advantages and disadvantages of having different levels of staff in acute care settings.

Thesis Statement

Staff mix has numerous advantages and some disadvantages, and to ensure quality care delivery disadvantages must be considered otherwise care will be effected.

Discussion

Before starting discussion related to the pros and cons of having staff mix in acute care setting, it is important to understand the differences among these types. This differentiation of different roles and responsibilities of nurses will help in understanding the pros and cons of having them in acute care setting.

Registered Nurse (RN)

The term RN or registered nurse is used to refer to the nurse who after completing a college or university's nursing program has graduated and passed the licensing exam of the country. RN aide families, individuals, communities and groups for the attainment of better health while ensuring the prevention of diseases. In health care facilities, private homes, hospitals, office of physicians, camps, schools, industries, public health agencies and other care settings RN provision care services for injured and sick people. Registered nurses usually work under the employment contract for private practicing whereas; some registered nurses are hired by healthcare companies to work from home. Many registered nurses first of all become licensed vocational nurse commonly known as LVN or licenses practical nurse or LPN. The scope for practice of a registered nurse is determined by the local associations, health care bodies or colleges as well as by the authorized government body to regulate the health care practices in the region (Spilsbury, Stuttard, Adamson, Atkin, Borglin, Mccaughan, Mckenna, Wakefield and Carr-Hill, 2009). These associations, colleges and government bodies creates an outline for the legal practices for RN telling them what they are allowed to do under what conditions and what are the actions they shall refrain from.

Nurse Practitioners (NP)

When a registered nurse attempts to study further about the field and take on additional courses and trainings what are not taught to them during their college ...