Leadership is an essential component of effective healthcare management. The quality of healthcare management and medical leadership defines the quality of care provided to patients (Sfantou et al., 2017). The healthcare team’s working process needs to be adequately regulated by the hospital administration to provide exemplary patient care. Healthcare management needs administrators with a deep understanding of the medical practice and requires them to be influential leaders. According to Sfantou et al. (2017), a leader is a person who motivates workers to increase productivity, introduces changes for improvement, can take full responsibility in emergencies, and plans hospital activities. Effective leadership in healthcare management ensures creating a safe environment in hospitals and providing the best possible patient care. Therefore, employing a qualified person possessing management and leadership characteristics helps to achieve effective hospital management.
Defining the proper management and leadership characteristics is essential when creating the job posting for a healthcare manager’s role. Job positions in healthcare management were explored on the Indeed website using the following keywords: management positions in healthcare, healthcare management, and healthcare administrator positions. The keywords found in job postings that represented the desired management skills included communication skills, business mindset, problem-solving and conflict management skills, and strong technical skills (Covenant Living, 2021). The keywords that described leadership characteristics required for the job were mentoring experience, creative mindset, ability to prioritize activities, and forward-thinking (Covenant Living, 2021). These leadership and management skills are essential for a leader to organize effective hospital management.
Healthcare organizations that created job postings want to find a leader experienced in working in a stressful environment. Furthermore, they want to hire a leader with strong interpersonal skills to organize practical teamwork. The leader should be able to motivate staff to work harder. The manager should also be strategic to plan and supervise hospital activities and to be able to make quick, reasonable decisions in case of emergency. The person who acquires a manager role in a healthcare institution is expected to provide high-quality care to patients, evaluate personnel performance, and establish communication between different hospital departments. An effective leader can successfully perform all of these extensive tasks.
Effective leadership in healthcare management combines management skills and leadership skills to coordinate work in a multifaceted hospital environment. Leadership and management skills described in the job postings characterize the desired characteristics of an effective leader. Interpersonal communication skills are essential for a leader to clarify job responsibilities effectively and know how to motivate employees properly. Moreover, managers need to have strong technology skills because modern hospital settings digitalized almost all intra-hospital communication aspects. A business mindset is required for effective leadership to coordinate and plan different aspects of hospital work. Furthermore, leaders with a business mindset possess a strategic view on various issues. A strategic view is an example of an individual’s perspective or understanding of a subject. For instance, if a leader’s mindset is such that work can be improved only through motivation, the effective leader will make sure that every worker’s achievements are recognized or rewarded. However, a leadership style is built upon learned management and leadership skills, but it requires specific personal characteristics that help managers become influential leaders.
Personal characteristics are as crucial for the leader as one’s management and leadership skills. Since effective leadership requires wise strategic management, a candidate for the role of healthcare manager needs to have such personal characteristics as self-discipline, confidence, and empathy. A disciplined leader can organize working processes effectively and be viewed as a great example of the importance of self-discipline in the workplace. Confidence allows effective leaders to tackle difficult situations, even in emergencies. Motivating and inspiring personnel is a difficult task, which requires empathy to understand employees to find ways of effective communication with each of them. A leader’s personal characteristics are essential for effective management and vital in building exemplary working relationships between healthcare managers and hospital personnel.
Overall, leadership and management are essential components of effective hospital administration. Medical organizations always try to indicate in job postings the desired characteristics of a healthcare manager. Communication skills, technology skills, and a problem-solving mindset are essential attributes of a good manager. A healthcare manager’s leadership skills include motivating and inspiring personnel, coordinating hospital work effectively, and thinking strategically even in emergencies. I believe that these leadership characteristics can be helpful for me to become a successful healthcare manager. My business mindset, combined with self-discipline, will be necessary for effective hospital work coordination. Furthermore, the empathy that I developed over the years will be essential for effective communication. Traits that I continue to master are communication skills and confidence. These skills combined will ensure that I will be an effective healthcare manager to achieve good health outcomes for patients.
References
Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of leadership style towards the quality of care measures in healthcare settings: a systematic review. Healthcare, 5(4), 73. Web.
Covenant Living. (2021). Healthcare administrator. [Post]. Indeed. Web.
The Steps Of Primary Source Study
A multi-pronged approach to reading primary sources allows learning and analyzing more information. However, themes such as ‘Identify the source’ and ‘Analyze the source’ stand out. Identification is important because it is the first step towards understanding the source. In particular, questions: “Who created this source, and what do I know about him/her/them?” and “When was the source produced?” (Walbert para. 10-13). These questions give an idea of the context of the source and inspire some expectations for its content. The analysis theme, in turn, makes historians critically evaluate the document. Two important questions in it: “How does the creator of the source convey information and make his/her point?” and “How is the world described in the source different from my world?” (Walbert para. 23-24). The answers to them help understand the time studied and the author – their mood, objectivity, and character. Thus, identification and analysis are critical steps on which other themes of primary source study may depend.
Identifying the source for the study, it is Christopher Columbus’s introduction to his journal, which he had during his journey in 1492. Christopher Columbus is known as an explorer who, in search of new routes to India, discovered the New World (America). His journey marked the beginning of America’s colonization, and the study of his point of view is of interest to learn about the origins of events. The diary was written during the first trip, making it more remarkable as it displays Columbus’s initial expectations and impressions.
The analysis of the source focuses on the tone of Columbus, how he conveyed information, and differences from the present. The introduction shows respect to the Sovereigns that made the journey possible. Moreover, Columbus’s commitment to Christianity and intolerance of other religions, which he calls “idolatry and heresy,” also stand out (Columbus para. 1). The diary resembles a travel report, and the introduction indicates goals and gratitude. In the modern world, it would be shorter, more formal, and contain fewer subjective thoughts. The comparison demonstrates that it was important for Columbus to show his loyalty to the interests of the Spanish king and queen and the Christian faith, which indicates the values of that time.
Works Cited
Columbus, Christopher. “Extracts from Journal.” [c. 1492]. Medieval Sourcebook.
Walbert, Kathryn. “Reading Primary Sources: An Introduction for Students.” DocPlayer. 2021.
Policy Proposal On Religious Persecution
Synopsis of the Social Problem
Religious persecution has reached a global crisis and now affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Joint Public Issues Team (2021) defines the issue as “the systematic hostility of ill-treatment encountered by an individual or group because of their religious beliefs” (para. 2). This can imply human rights violations, direct violence, emotional abuse, and bullying. In addition, not only believers can be victims of religious discrimination but those associated with them, including family members, spouses, and even friends. The ethnic and religious cleansings conducted by Nazis during the first half of the 20th century are a horrifying example of the issue and its impact.
Interestingly enough, religious persecution can be tracked all the way down to pre-historic human groups. Certain people denied helping or intentionally hurting others because they were heretics. Unfortunately, based on the recent statistics, the group, which is still the most vulnerable to religious discrimination is Muslims (Warsi, 2020). Due to the fresh memories of highly publicized horrors of Islamic extremism, Muslims are more likely to deal with institutionalized inequities in the way they are treated or protected by authorities.
The primary factors influencing the issue of religious persecution, are the socio-political manifestations of fundamentalism, religious nationalism, and government-supported regulation (Imitiyaz, 2018). Policies that impact religious groups directly include legislative acts, internal corporate regulations and codes, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2021). With the rise of globalization and the growing number of migrants coming to fulfill their own American Dream, the concept of religious freedom is now more important than ever. This is why the suggested policy should be considered as a matter of urgency, which requires thoughtful consideration.
Identification of a Policy
The policy identified in the previous assignment is the International Religious Freedom Act, the purpose of which is to promote religious liberty in the United States. President Bill Clinton has signed the Act into law in 1998. Graver (2018) notes that the Act ensures that the country can intervene in global conflict on the basis of advocacy for individuals who are members of oppressed religious groups. The Department of State, the National Security Council, and other foreign policy commissions are in charge of monitoring the policy (Graver, 2018). Thus, the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 ensures that the U.S. government considers the issue of religious persecution when developing the nation’s foreign policy agenda.
Action to Effect Change
The proposed policy focuses on the implementation of a successful and efficient social change project. The location is the school I am currently enrolled in. The idea behind it is to issue a school-wide approval for the creation of a religious freedom club. Furthermore, members of the club could potentially earn the right to present the appropriate policies for the board’s consideration as representatives of the larger school body concerning the issues of faith, religious expression, and individual liberty. Such a policy is a local effort to involve youth in the conversation surrounding religious liberty as well as advocacy. Young people are the foundation of the nation’s future, which makes it especially important to open their minds up to the world and issues surrounding them (Alteri et al., 2016). The club would hold weekly meetings and organize special events for fellow students as well as members of marginalized communities locally. In addition, the meetings could be visited by distinguished experts in the field of human rights, religious persecution, lobbying, politics, and so on. Apart from that, the club would hold movie-watch gatherings and book discussions related to the subject of religion, faith, persecution, and discrimination.
Plan for Social Advocacy
Implementing the process of approval of the policy proposed in this assignment requires 3 basic steps. Firstly, I have to conduct primary research on the topic of religious persecution, youth activism, and advocacy. This is necessary to ensure the proposal I am going to submit to the school board contains the statistical support needed to convince its members of the urgency and importance of the issue (Adam et al., 2018). Secondly, I must conduct an on-site survey to determine the interest expressed by actual students to participate in the project related to the issue of religious liberty. Thus, I will attach these findings to the proposal in order to demonstrate the relevance of the issue and its potential solution. Most importantly, the survey will serve as a crucial testimonial addition to the calculations and statistics discussed in the first step. The last stage of the plan requires me to draft the final proposal, making sure to include sections on the resources required and the expected impact of the club. The process of creating and operating the club after the policy is adopted includes assembling a team, promoting the project offline and on social media, developing a quarterly plan, inviting the experts, searching for possible organizations to collaborate with, and so on.
Addressing the Social Problem
In order to construct a reliable implementation plan, it is crucial to identify the stakeholders involved and the resources needed in this project. The main stakeholders include the student body, teachers, local authorities, as well as the media. After all, in 2021, it is integral to involve media outlets and influencers, however small and under-the-radar they might be (Jansson, 2018). Implementing the project successfully requires catering to each of the aforementioned groups’ interests and balancing them to achieve a mutually beneficial and advantageous solution.
Continued Policy Advocacy
When it comes to continued policy advocacy, the solution identified for the chosen social problem is on a relatively local level, which means its scope is rather small. Certain efforts, which may take place after the creation of the club include monitoring, evaluation, and potential youth policy advocacy on the community and state levels. It is exceptionally important to identify the strategies and methods of monitoring and evaluating the results of the project (CARE USA, 2018). This is the most crucial part as in order for the club to continue to receive funding and support from the board, it has to demonstrate its effectiveness and long-term impact, in particular.
References
Adam, C., Steinebach, Y., & Knill, C. (2018). Neglected challenges to evidence-based policy-making: the problem of policy accumulation. Policy Sciences, 51(3), 269–290. Web.
Alteri, L., Leccardi, C., & Raffini, L. (2016). Youth and the reinvention of politics: New forms of participation in the age of individualization and precertification. The Open Journal of Sociopolitical Sciences, 9(3), 717–747. Web.
CARE USA. (2018). Monitoring and evaluation for advocacy and influencing: Guidance document. Web.
Imitiyaz, Y. (2018). Three faces of the Rohingya crisis: Religious nationalism, Asian islamophobia, and delegitimizing citizenship. Studia Islamika, 25(3), 504-540. Web.
Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Joint Public Issues Team. (2021). Religious persecution.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2021). Religious discrimination.
Warsi, S. (2020). Why do Muslims experience more discrimination than other faith groups in America. Desert News.