Health Manpower Management

Eileen James

1997 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069710166580pmid: 10167879

Addresses the transfer of nurse education from schools of nursing, previously located within health authorities and, more recently, hospital and/or community trusts, to institutions of higher education. The pressures this has produced for both providers and participants in this relatively new educational initiative have had a direct effect on the levels of stress and anxiety that students feel both in their initial professional qualification programmes and in continuing their personal and academic development subsequently. There is a paucity of research into this area of stress and student Angst as a result of the new educational thrust. Suggests that the evidence from student evaluations has not been collated adequately and that the result is a burgeoning of anecdotal evidence which is being ignored by nursing’s professional body. Higher education has encouraged and influenced an almost exponential growth in programmes of study, which the nursing profession has used to force its singular aim to create a degree‐based profession.

John Edmonstone

1997 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069710166599pmid: 10167880

Second in a series of articles looking at developments within the NHS. Looks at factors such as business process re‐engineering and patient‐focused care. Highlights the features of both and suggests that the latter is a health‐care variant of the former. Examines the educational implications of such developments, suggesting that they will present a major challenge in the next few years.

Gerald Levy; Peter Reid

1997 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069710166607pmid: 10167881

Identifies the qualities of the “ideal” line manager as perceived by three groups of professionals allied to medicine. Makes explicit the research methodology used to gather data, and reports the findings. Surveys three groups of professionals allied to medicine (PAM), namely, speech therapists, social workers (child health and adult physical health) and clinical psychologists. Offers an analysis of the data and draws some conclusions. Concludes with a reflection on the significance of the findings.

Bob Sang; Linda Howard; Ian Campbell

1997 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069710166616pmid: 10167882

Second part of an item featuring action research with four different trusts to investigate factors relating to the implementation of the local pay policy. Describes methodologies used, such as clinical team diagnosis and cognitive mapping. Looks at the way forward, listing critical factors in ensuring successful implementation.

Ehsan Ullah Tareen; Mayeh Abu Omar

1997 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069710166625pmid: 10167883

Sees community entry as a prelude to any action that will take place in a true partnership with the community. Lists a series of steps involved in achieving community entry drawn from a project in Pakistan. Considers the role of the participatory worker and project management team in terms of meetings, discussions and the development of individual relationships.

Ching‐Jong Liao; Chien‐Yuan Kao

1997 Health Manpower Management

doi: 10.1108/09552069710166634pmid: 10167872

Suggests that with the shortage of nursing personnel, hospital administrators have to pay more attention to the needs of nurses to retain and recruit them. Also asserts that improving nurses’ schedules is one of the most economic ways for the hospital administration to create a better working environment for nurses. Develops an algorithm for scheduling nursing personnel. Contrary to the current hospital approach, which schedules nurses on a person‐by‐person basis, the proposed algorithm constructs schedules on a day‐by‐day basis. The algorithm has inherent flexibility in handling a variety of possible constraints and goals, similar to other non‐cyclical approaches. But, unlike most other non‐cyclical approaches, it can also generate a quality schedule in a short time on a microcomputer. The algorithm was coded in C language and run on a microcomputer. The developed software is currently implemented at a leading hospital in Taiwan. The response to the initial implementation is quite promising.