Question

Staffing Problem:

Hospital Setting: The facility is a 600-bed hospital which provides general medical, surgical obstetrical, pediatric, neonatal, oncology, neurology and emergency services.   You are the supervisor responsible for second and third shift staffing which is at minimal levels. Blood Bank, Chemistry and Hematology are all staffed with two technologists on second shift Monday through Friday, with one second shift technologist in each area on Saturday and Sunday. One technologist is in each area on third shift daily and third shift works 4 ten-hour shifts per week. All second and third shift technologists are cross-trained in all areas. First shift technologists are not cross-trained.

Situation: One of the third shift technologists has been in a serious auto accident and will not be able to return to work for at least three months. You cannot hire another technologist because the position is not technically open unless the leave of absence exceeds 90 days.

Questions:

1. What would be reasonable long-term options to cover this position using technologists from first or second shift until the injured technologist returns to work?

2. How might temporarily changing third shift to eight hour shifts help?

3. Despite the high cost, your laboratory decides to hire a temporary technologist from an agency for the long-term solution. What short-term problem remains and how might it be resolved?

can you please answer this case. it is urgent and important. please answer all 3 questions.

Answer 1

Answer 1:

The reasonable long-term options to cover this position using technologists from first or second shift until the injured technologist returns to work will be around a week’s time or maximum two weeks time. But we could not be able to manage this for a period of three months, unless the person back in the office.

Answer 2:

Temporarily changing third shift to eight hour shifts will help to manage the situation as eight hour shift will be able to provide flexibility to the supervisor to rotate the employees and he can rotate the employees and he can manage the show till the injured technologist backs in the office.

Answer 3:

Despite the high cost, our laboratory decides to hire a temporary technologist from an agency for the long-term solution. But short-term problem remains as the new employee will not be able to contribute immediately, as new employee will be untrained and he needs to get trained and then only he will be able to work independently. This might be resolved by keeping the new employee in the first shift so that he will be guided and coached effectively and will be able to support the first shift to some extent. He will always be kept with trained person so that he can extend some help to the process.