Nathan Shrader 1

Management Practices: Pruitthealth

Nathan Shrader

MGT330: Management for Organizations

Dr. Yancey

07/18/2016
Nathan Shrader 2

Working for Pruitthealth has been a rewarding experience not only for the quality

care our team provides to patients but the top tier organization required to keep things

running. Pruitthealth ​recognizes the inherent value of the individual. We are committed

to providing the highest quality health care while fostering relationships grounded in

respect, open communication and professionalism with patients, residents, clients and

communities (Pruitt, 2016). Pruitt has been around for 45 years and has homes located

throughout the Southeast United States and has stakes in not only long term care but

home care, hospice, rehabilitation, veteran care, and pharmaceutical consulting as well.

Organizing

Through this network there is a well oiled machine, all of these jobs are

considered semi professional to professional in nature. The company runs both on a

strategic business unit and function departmentalization in that there are different types

of services provided but are also managed internally by separate managers, office staff,

and clinical employees. This professional bureaucracy relies on all types of managers to

ensure there is compliance on a state level and that the chain of command is followed

to keep not only the employees safe but members of the team throughout the company.

There are divisions as well that I stated above but all fall under the umbrella of health

care. Below I will dive deeper into the processes involved with Pruitthealth and how they

affect not only the employees but potential hires and the community (Baack, Reilly, &

Minnick, 2014).
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Staffing

Within my specific facility and throughout the other providers in the Pruitthealth

family there is a mixture of employees that need educational requirements and those

that do not. This is due to the regulated environments on both the state and national

levels. Doctors, Nurses, therapists and other ancillary medical staff require some sort of

education and are tested on their knowledge by an approved board to seek and

continue employment by the facilities. There are other unskilled blue collar workers but

are still trained as they too will be held to a state standard. Recruitment is done through

many channels such as newspaper, job websites, and company website. The potential

employee either can E-Mail in their resume or go to the facility to apply for the position

they are interested in. Once they do that the clinical coordinator looks over it and calls

qualified applicants for an interview. The process is done in three stages, the first

interview, the second interview with the administrator and department heads along with

acquisition of professional license or certifications then finally the drug testing,

government forms, TB test and physical. Pay is given based on years of experience and

qualifications. Orientation varies depending on the position. Some orientations take 2

days and some take up to a month. Staffing influences patient safety, clinical outcomes

and the work environment, while changes in the healthcare environment have increased

pressure on organizations to seek solutions for lowering costs and increasing

productivity (Cho, Chin, Kim, & Hong, 2015). This is the case for a lot of workers

because all training is done via video and on the floor by visual demonstration. This cuts

cost and allows the employee to start work immediately. In the state of Georgia
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employment is at will which means you can be let go at anytime with some restrictions.

Paid time off is accrued per pay period and is limited to 150 hours overall and does not

carry over to the next year. Insurance and 401k are also given if signed up for. The

company will match your 401k contribution by half after the first year of employment.

Performance evaluations are done quarterly along with clinical competencies to ensure

compliance for state agencies when the annual survey is performed.

Leading

The government agencies that come to evaluate the facilities are important to

ensure safe accommodations are provided for both the residents and the employees.

This is where the leading function comes into action. Leaders in the company motivate

by doing and show what it means to be a great employee. This is shown by having

meetings regularly to see what can be improved and what procedures have changed

and how to do them. There is also an incentive program where kudo cards are given to

those employees that are exemplary and reinforce Pruitt's core values. There is a

program for the position that I work in where if you complete additional courses you are

eligible for a pay increase and a wider skillset (Bowman, 2013). The managers reinforce

this by allowing those that have taken it participate in the in-service meetings by

educating their cohorts and peers alike. This motivates the employee to do better and

reduce the risk of injury or noncompliance.

Controlling
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As mentioned above in the staffing process I had mentioned that there were

quarterly evaluations. A skill set evaluation is part of the control in that it is typical work

procedure. It is however specialized in that there are higher risks for customer/patient

safety handling bodily fluids and controlled substances. These are called universal

precautions and infection control. Infection control is reducing the spread of germs and

other possible infections. This is done by ​guidance on the furnishing and flooring of

practices and the adaptation of rooms for treatment and minor surgery. There must be

adequate provision for hand washing, and antimicrobial hand rubs must be available.

Paper hand towels and paper covers for examination couches and patients' modesty

should be provided (Richards, 2016). Other ways for control in this aspect is the use of

a uniform also called scrubs which at our facilities are antimicrobial to prevent possible

spreading of infections. Wearing a name badge and adhering to an appearance dress

code are also forms of control used where I work. An example is that men must be

clean shaven and women cannot have nails longer than one quarter of an inch long with

no acrylics or nail polish if at all possible. Perfumes must also be worn at a minimum if

at all. These controls have purposes. A name badge is so that as an employee you are

identifiable and has the title of your job for legal reasons when dealing with scope of

practice. Clean shaven is because of an infection control issue in that isolation masks

cannot fit properly and allow for pathogens to penetrate the mouth and nasal cavity.

Nails are for potential scratches in the skin that can become infected and polish can

chip off and cause the same problem. Perfumes are for those that are sensitive to

smells or certain ingredients and could possibly send them into anaphylactic shock.
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With controls there are reasons and by being able to plan and identify it can save more

than hurt more. Even when an unforeseen incident does occurs there are controls put in

place called interventions so that each individual patient/resident is specifically catered

to in their preventative care.

In conclusion there are many companies to work for but when you really look at

one's core you learn where what you do comes from. Not only does it reflect on you but

it also reflects on everybody else in that company. No company is perfect but as long as

there is progress you are always learning.

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References

About PruittHealth. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2016, from

​http://www.pruitthealth.com/about

Baack, D., Reilly, M., & Minnick, C., & (2014). The five functions of effective

management (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Bowman, T. G., Mazerolle, S. M., & Dodge, T. M. (2013). Mentoring and Personal

Relationships Are Perceived Benefits of Serving as an Athletic Training

Preceptor. ​Athletic Training Education Journal,​ ​8(​ 3), 35-40.

doi:10.4085/080335

Cho, E., Chin, D. L., Kim, S., & Hong, O. (2015). The Relationships of Nurse Staffing

Level and Work Environment With Patient Adverse Events. ​Journal of Nursing

Scholarship,​ ​48(​ 1), 74-82. doi:10.1111/jnu.12183

Richards, S. (2016, May). Infection Control: Taking the Lead. ​Practice Nurse,5​(46),

35-40. doi:115409684