Management

Coach X: Effective Hospital Administrator?*Assume that you are a member of the search committee that is evaluating applicants for the position of administrator of a 300-bed, a community-owned hospital in your city. In examining theapplicants’ resumes you note that most have had experience in health care settings, many having previous experiences as administrators or assistant administrators. One application, however, is quite different. It is from one of the most successful college football coaches in the country, someone we will call X. Being a sports fan, you have seen this person many times on national television as his teams have consistently placed in the top-ten NCAAratings. He has won ±ve national championships in the past 15 years. His school leads major colleges in athlete graduation rates; throughout his 30-year coaching career, his programs haven’t been charged with a single NCAA violation. He has won the national coach-of-year title four times. He has mentored countless assistant coaches who themselves have become successful. Hisformer playershave been among the N²L’s biggest stars. He has charisma and is a gifted motivational speaker.No one is more highly respected in the profession. Serving also as athletic director the past ±veyears, he oversees a $57-million budget, 400 employees, and the University’s athletic department is one of the most pro±table in the country. His university’s sports teams annually win the award given to the university having the best overall team performance across all sports. He has served with distinction as head of the National Association of College Coaches and is often selected to represent his peer coaches on important NCAA issues. Presidents Bush and Clinton have named him to important presidential commissions. He has often been courted by Democrats and Republicans as an easily winnable gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidate. Why is he interested in the position of head administrator of the hospital? In his application, he states that it was always his ambition to change careers by age 55. While acknowledging his lack of experience in the health care ±eld other than through hospital stays with family, players, and friends, he would love the challenge of hospital management.
1. Instructions:
Respond to the following question: “Would X be someone whom you would consider as a viable potential candidate for the hospital administrator position, despite his limited technical expertise?_____Yes _____No Why?
2. Suppose that the position being sought was that of supervisor of the hospital’s computer technology department. Would your answer be the same? Why?

Your case analysis will require for you to complete the readings for Chapter 1 “Supervisory Management Roles and Challenges”, and Case 1-1 from the textbook.

* Answer Case 1-1 questions from the textbook.

* Your answers must be written in a short essay format APA Style of Writing, no less than a full page (300 words) per answer in written content.

ANSWER

Hospital Administrative Position

In any hospital setup, an administrator plays a significant role in monitoring the institutional side of health services. Administrators can either operate independently or as a team to ensure that the facility utilizes critical actions and practices to deliver the best care needed (Bhardwaj, 2017). Keeping a medical facility running will need competency and a multidimensional skillset. This paper will thus evaluate whether person X can qualify for the available position of a hospital administrator, among other considerations.

Considering X for the Hospital Administrator Position

This position typically needs an individual with diverse expertise because it engages a lot of active communication with patients, nurses, and other staff members within the institution. Any effective administrator should attend to colleagues well and be considerate (Fatima, Malik & Shabbir, 2018). Coach X can qualify for this position with one condition: if other candidates do not possess administrative leadership skills and would not be of the healthcare sector. Handling executive roles in any healthcare environment requires a well-versed person with adequate expertise and necessary skills concerning a medical institution’s operations and other functions (Noll & Oliphant, 2017). These skills are significant in comprehending and acknowledging all events within the facility. Another reason Coach X can qualify for this position is his ability to manage teams for an extended period. He can design adequate budgets, which is still a critical role of a hospital administrator.

The coach does not have background knowledge of hospital activities; however, he has leadership skills and is consequently motivated to achieve the needed goals. What needs to be done is initiate simple training to the individual, which can take a few months, after which he will be ready to serve the facility. He will have to be trained on some essential aspects, including the processes to be followed, universal standardized steps, and other services needed by various patients (Meesala & Paul, 2018). He must understand medical terms, which are still critical in accomplishing hospital administrative duties. When all these requirements have been met, Coach X will achieve the objectives linked with this position. Other stakeholders and the management must assist him with all the needed support and instruments. Since he is not technologically literate, he will need enough training to manage and operate such gadgets in providing effective healthcare services.

Hospital’s Computer Technology Department

Managing the organization’s computer technology department requires in-depth knowledge and expertise, which Coach X does not have. This makes it difficult for him to hold a position that mere training cannot achieve. Within the hospital, numerous machines will need frequent operations and maintenance (Sarto & Veronesi, 2016). This area of specialization demands a complete understanding of technological advances and operations. Years of experience in this environment are also crucial for keeping up with the constant updates and safely storing system data (Pîslaru, Gladun & Şontea, 2016). As mentioned, two of the roles of a manager are to disseminate and monitor every activity within an organization. The technology department frequently needs these roles where Coach X will be required to provide the sector and the whole hospital facility with relevant and valuable information on the status of the systems. In summary, Coach X can be hired for the hospital administration job when the two mentioned factors are considered. His past management records with the teams put him at a better sport for the work. On the other hand, he is not qualified for the supervision of the computer technology division. Supervising and managing a hospital’s technological systems needs someone with vast knowledge in the sector.

References

Bhardwaj, A. (2017). Alignment between physicians and hospital administrators: historical perspective and future directions. Hospital Practice, 45(3), 81-87.

Fatima, T., Malik, S. A., & Shabbir, A. (2018). Hospital healthcare service quality, patient satisfaction, and loyalty: An investigation in context of private healthcare systems. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management.

Meesala, A., & Paul, J. (2018). Service quality, consumer satisfaction and loyalty in hospitals: Thinking for the future. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 40, 261-269.

Noll, M. E., & Oliphant, J. B. (2017). Hospital administrators’ attitudes and opinions about PAs as candidates for organizational leadership positions. Journal of the American Academy of PAs, 30(12), 1-2.

Pîslaru, C., Gladun, S., & Şontea, V. (2016). Efficiency of medical devices in hospital management. In Health Technology Management (pp. 34-34).

Sarto, F., & Veronesi, G. (2016). Clinical leadership and hospital performance: assessing the evidence base. BMC health services research, 16(2), 85-97.