Assignment:
Write a Post of 350-400-word reply to each Discussion's
Discussion #1
The two tools that I feel would be helpful in job analysis for a complex job in a local hospital would be the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) and the Contextual Performance Analysis. For purposes of this assignment I am basing my complex position on that of a nurse or a physician working in a hospital. I will describe the different aspects of the PAQ and how they relate to the healthcare provider. I will also evaluate how the Contextual Performance Analysis would be helpful in job analysis of the healthcare provider.
The Position Analysis Questionnaire, developed at Purdue University, groups 187 characteristics and situations into six categories (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011.) The questionnaire can be used for applicant screening as well because the data is quantified. The usage of the quantifiable data is similar to those used in pre-employment competency screenings (PECS). In a study by Pattison, Lumsden, Sherwood & Baker (2013), a group of medical students were given pre-employment screening tests to use as a baseline assessment of their skills to address educational needs as well as provide support in areas of weakness. This could be especially helpful in the medical field to know what areas to place potential staff.
The first category of the PAQ is information output. For a nurse or physician this asks where the employee would get the information used in performing the job? In this case their education al background and licensure would come into play. Mental processes, the next category, evaluates information-processing activities. I would correlate this to critical thinking. As a nurse or physician, both professions require a large amount of critical thinking skills to perform the job. One has to know how to use evidence based practice to come up with the best treatment plan. Next in the PAQ is the work output-tools and devices, used to perform the job. The physician and nurse use a variety of instruments from simple to complex. Some examples are stethoscopes, EKG and telemetry equipment, surgical instruments, blood pressure cuffs, intravenous devices. Also in the work output category is the activities performed such as physical assessment, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), surgeries, IV therapy, casting, catheterizations and many more. Another category in the PAQ that I think is most important is the relationships with other people. As a physician or nurse the relationships that are built with the patients can affect the entire outcome. This holds true for the nurse-physician relationship as well. You have to be able to work as a team in order to provide the best quality care to the patient. The patient and the healthcare provider must attempt to build a trusting relationship in a short amount of time and the patient needs to be included in the decision-making. The job context is the next category of the PAQ and involves the physical and social contexts in which the job is performed. I think this category also goes along with the relationship with people as discussed earlier as far as the social context. The physical context would be a hospital, clinic, surgical center, nursing home, urgent care center, and maybe even within a patient's own home. The final category of the PAQ discusses job characteristics or conditions that were not previously described. In order to develop strategies to retain nurses in the workforce it is important to do research about what they enjoy about their work (Wilkes, Doull, Chok & Mashingaidze, 2017.) These skills could be things that are unrelated to the actual task of the job and leads me into the Contextual Performance Analysis.
The Contextual Performance Analysis focuses on the social environment and encompasses motivational and personality variables (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011.) In the case of a nurse or physician working in a hospital setting there is always the chance of something happening unexpectedly. An emergency with a patient may prevent you from getting off on time. A nurse or physician arriving late can cause the same effect. You may be pulled to another area of need at the last minute or be assigned as a preceptor without prior knowledge of a new employee coming onto shift. These types of incidents require flexibility and quick adaptation to change. A contextual performance analysis focuses on those things. This reminds me of Philippians 2:13 (ESV) "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." We are here to share our gifts, spiritual as well as intellectual. We should share the gifts of our spirit with all we come into contact with to glorify God.
Wilkes, L., Doull, M., Ng Chok, H., & Mashingaidze, G. (2017;2016;). Developing a tool to measure the factors influencing nurses' enjoyment of nursing. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(13-14), 1854-1860. doi:10.1111/jocn.13483.
Pynes, J. E., & Lombardi, D. N. (2011). Human resources management for health care organizations: A strategic approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Pattison, A., Lumsden, C., Sherwood, M. and Baker, P. (2013), Attitudes to pre-employment competency screening. The Clinical Teacher, 10: 78-83. doi:10.1111/j.1743-498X.2012.00617.x
Discussion #2
The goal of job analysis is to give companies a better idea as to what is required for a specific job. This helps companies to understand how they can improve training, become more efficient, and what tools they can provide their employees in order to assist them with their daily duties in order to increase job satisfaction. Additionally, job analysis can help employers determine what skills are necessary for an individual's to be able to be successful in a specific position. This also aids in the development of tests which may assess whether individuals have these key skills (Raymond, 2010).
A number of factors determine which tools are most useful when completing a job analysis such as the nature of the positions being analyzed and the amount of time given for the project (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011). While we are given little information about the job analysis to be completed for this local hospital we do know enough information to have a general idea as to which tools would be most appropriate. Since this is a hospital it may be beneficial to use the tools that would be the least invasive and interfere with daily duties the least.
A questionnaire would be a viable option for completing a job analysis. With a questionnaire one could gain information about what the qualifications and tasks are for each job that is being analyzed. A questionnaire would not be invasive which would be a good thing. This questionnaire could be completed at a time when the staff members are not working on time-sensitive tasks. The company could even offer a small monetary incentive for the questionnaire to be completed outside of the employee's regular schedule to avoid interference with important tasks. If additional information is needed another questionnaire could be distributed. The problem with a questionnaire would be that it would be based on memory and approximations so the data gathered may not be the most accurate.
A diary or log may also be a helpful tool and may reflect more accurately how often an employee completes specific tasks on a regular basis (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011). These could be completed at the end of a workday or at various points throughout the workday. Again, this would be a non-invasive way of completing a job analysis (Pynes & Lombardi, 2011). While the data would be more accurate there may be some drawbacks to this method as well. For example, compiling all of the logs may take a long time.
Observation would be another method that could be potentially used. This method would not require any of the hospital staff's time. This method was used by Greiner, Krause, Ragland, and Fisher (2004) without interfering with the hospital staff's daily operations. The main concern here would be getting in the way of hospital staff as they attempt to complete their essential duties.
As Christians we also need to do job analysis. We need to read the word and analyze what key skills we need to do the work God has called us to do. When we look at God's word we find that while salvation requires only faith, in order to serve God properly we need to have so much more. For example, it is hard to serve God in any capacity without love. Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-40 that we are to "Love God" and "Love your neighbor" . Loving others is one of the key skills needed to be a successful Christian. While you can be a Christian and not have love, you are not going to get very far. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:2 "If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing". Understanding what were are to do as Christians is essential in following the Lord and growing in our faith.
References
Greiner, B.A., Krause, N., Ragland, D., and Fisher, J.M. (2004). Occupational Stressors and hypertension: A multi-method study using observer-based job analysis and self-reports in urban transit operators. Social Science and Medicine, 59(5), 1081-1094.
Pynes, J. E. & Lombardi, D. (2011). Human resource management for healthcare organizations: a strategic approach. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Raymond, M.R. (2010). Job analysis and the specification of content for licensure and certification examinations. Applied Measurement in Education, 14(4), 369-415