Management Theories and Canadian Health Care System Overview

Lesson Objectives

Lesson Objectives

On completion of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify a variety of management theories
• Delineate between leadership and management roles
• Understand an overview of the Canadian Health Care System
• Describe the four levels of health care services
• Discuss the differences and ramifications of regulated and unregulated nursing personnel
• Delineate among various approaches to staffing
• Describe the concepts of staffing plans, policies, and scheduling

A major, continuing issue regarding the Canadian health care system is fragmentation versus “integration” of health care services. Can you identify some of the most common issues in the fragmentation of services? Those who “fall between the cracks”? The WHO (World Health Organization) defined integrated health services and thus health service delivery as “The management and delivery of health services so that clients receive a continuum of preventative and curative services, according to their needs over time and across different levels of the health system” (WHO, 2008). Are you aware of any undertakings or projects that are currently dealing with a fragmentation of services?

Activities

1. Define the following terms:
a) Clinical Nurse Specialist
b) Nurse Practitioner
c) Unregulated Health Care Worker
d) Regulated Health Care Worker
e) Workload Measurement System

2. You have just been promoted to a new position within your healthcare organization. You will have responsibility for nursing and other disciplines that relate to the program for which you now have responsibility. What should your title be? Should the word “nursing” be in the title? Defend your position.

3. Define the terms primary care and primary health care. Can the terms be used interchangably? Why/why not? Why/why not?

4. Do you work with unregulated health care providers? Can you think of a scenario where the CNO’s “Decision7-Tree: Making Decisions about Activities Performed by UCPs (rev 2011). (page 141 of the text) would be of benefit?

5. Provide two examples where nursing research has results in improved patient/client care outcomes.

6. List and describe the five categories developed Fayol to describe the overall functions of management and managers.