Swot - Community South Medical Center
S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS
Ruby Scarbrook In order for an organization to be successful, ongoing strategic planning must take place. Particularly in the health care field it has proven to be beneficial in evaluating alternative steps and establishing goals for the future (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012, p. 78). A strategic plan is a process by which managers develop a carefully devised plan of action to achieve the goals of the organization. For example the mission of the Community South Medical Center is to enhance their health services for the population it serves. Essentially since the organization mission is to enhance their health care services to the population it services then the strategic planning should support the fulfillment of that mission. Based on the mission of the organization, goals are developed with action steps and plans for reaching those goals. An important part of the strategic planning process is the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. The SWOT is used to determine the organization's external opportunities and threats as well as the internal strengths and weaknesses (Importance of Strategic Planning, n.d., p. 2) . Based on the scenario, one of the major weaknesses of the Community South Medical Center is shortage of clinical staff. This shortage lies in the positions of registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and medical technologists. This medical center has an array of services inclusive of acute care, residential care, independent living, in-home nursing, hospice, neonatal, and pediatric services, advanced cardiac services, a major trauma center, a center of excellence for pulmonary services, and a neurosurgery center. With their comprehensive health services filling positions in the clinical area is a major need and is necessary for overall delivery of quality care. The power of the healthcare workforce consists of the “front line of caregivers in providing services” and a shortage of
Ruby Scarbrook In order for an organization to be successful, ongoing strategic planning must take place. Particularly in the health care field it has proven to be beneficial in evaluating alternative steps and establishing goals for the future (Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012, p. 78). A strategic plan is a process by which managers develop a carefully devised plan of action to achieve the goals of the organization. For example the mission of the Community South Medical Center is to enhance their health services for the population it serves. Essentially since the organization mission is to enhance their health care services to the population it services then the strategic planning should support the fulfillment of that mission. Based on the mission of the organization, goals are developed with action steps and plans for reaching those goals. An important part of the strategic planning process is the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. The SWOT is used to determine the organization's external opportunities and threats as well as the internal strengths and weaknesses (Importance of Strategic Planning, n.d., p. 2) . Based on the scenario, one of the major weaknesses of the Community South Medical Center is shortage of clinical staff. This shortage lies in the positions of registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and medical technologists. This medical center has an array of services inclusive of acute care, residential care, independent living, in-home nursing, hospice, neonatal, and pediatric services, advanced cardiac services, a major trauma center, a center of excellence for pulmonary services, and a neurosurgery center. With their comprehensive health services filling positions in the clinical area is a major need and is necessary for overall delivery of quality care. The power of the healthcare workforce consists of the “front line of caregivers in providing services” and a shortage of
Bibliography: Buchbinder, S. B. & Shanks, N. H. (2011). Introduction to health care management (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Hirsch, L., Gandolf, S., (n.d). .SWOT: The high-level self exam that boosts your bottom line. Retrieved August 25,2012 from http://www.healthcaresuccess.com/articles/swot.html. Importance of strategic planning. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2012 from http://www.wsha.org. Varkey, P., Bennet, K. E. (2010). Practical techniques for strategic planning in health care organization. SWOT analysis (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2012 from http://managementstudyguide.com/swot-analysis.htm.