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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Human Resources for Health Care

Course Title: Department: Instructor: Phone: Fax:

HS562 - Human Resources for Health Care Health Sciences Dan Thorne, MS, MFT E-Mail - Vita 714.357.6201 (California, USA) 425.790.3919

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This graduate course explores the management of Human Resources, with particular focus on health care environments. This course will provide the health care manager with a framework for human resource decision-making, an understanding of employee development, appraisal, and employee compensation. The recruitment and selection process will be explored as well as working with healthcare unions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Analyze the role of managers in supporting the human resource function within an organization.
• Describe the process of job analysis and job design.
• Analyze various methods for recruitment, staffing, and retention in health care facilities.
• Relate methods of employee development and performance appraisal to the various job levels in a health care setting.
• Identify the ways that human resource professionals can support productivity and career development within the organization.
• Examine how the compensation and reward systems can meet the needs of current employees and also attracts new employees.
• Critique the pros and cons of a unionized work environment in health care settings.
• Identify pertinent aspects of personnel management for licensed and unlicensed personnel in health care settings.

REQUIRED TEXT:
French, Wendell (1998). Human Resources Management. Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0395871328

SUPPLEMENTAL:
Students are encouraged to access supplemental material from health care literature including texts, journal articles, and the Internet. See week one, #1.

ASSIGNMENTS:
Each week there will be a reading assignment followed by a written assignment. Read the chapters carefully, highlight important points, then review the materials before doing the written assignment. The reading assignment includes everything in the chapters, as well as the introduction and cases. The cases are very important as they present actual organizational situations that can be learned from and extrapolated into the healthcare environment.

The written assignment for week 4 will be the midterm examination and the written assignment for week 8 will be the final examination. The midterm and final examinations will be available in plenty of time. If it is not please contact the instructor and have it made available. The midterm and final are expected to be closed book and they are timed examinations. You have approximately 30 seconds to answer each question. The exams are online.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
The course week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday at Midnight. Assignments are due SUNDAY before midnight (in your time zone). All late assignments will earn a grade score penalty (up to 25%) at the discretion of the instructor. If you have a special situation and need an extension, you must contact the instructor via e-mail prior to the due date explaining the problem and specify exactly when the assignment will be forthcoming.

Assignments must be submitted in MS Word, or plain text using APA format, with size 12 Times New Roman or Arial font. All written assignments must have the following information at the top left:

• Student’s name
• Course number and title
• Week #

Week 1:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4
Written Assignment:

1. Prior to the beginning of the class or within 2 days of your class start date, you must post a pre- course assignment (introduction). This should include your name, address, phone number (day and evening), email address, fax number if you have it, and any specific directions for contacting you. Normally all communication will take place by email, but in case of an emergency I may need to contact you. If you cannot be contacted at a certain place (like work) please do not list this number and make a notation that you can’t receive calls during a particular part of the day. The pre-course assignment should also include your biography. This can include your present job, reason for enrolling in this degree program, family, and anything else you would like to share. What you put in your biography is complete up to you
2. Search the World Wide Web and develop a list of useful sites that you can use as a reference for the rest of this course. The sites should provide academic information that is related to Human Resources management and the healthcare environment. Provide a 2-3 page list of the sites and give a brief description of what you find that is useful. For instance:

www.northernlight.com
Provides a search engine that will search by key words. The results of the search are placed into specific folders identifying sources. NorthernLight also has a "special collection" section, that allows you to read and download full text academic articles for a nominal fee.

www.prenhall.com/robbins
The Prentice Hall page links to a textbook, which lists articles related to human resources, management, and human relations. Directions: Click on one of the text books, choose a chapter, choose current events (left side), then choose an article.

www.pohly.com/
Links to sights with management resources for healthcare and managed care executives.

3. Based on the readings for Week 1, prepare a one-page paper identifying areas where Human Resources functions may differ in health care from those of other industries. Be prepared to draw upon these observations for future papers in this class.
4. Prepare a 1-2 page summary taken from health care journals or events in the news, describing at least one challenge within the scope of the Human Resource function specifically pertinent to the health care setting.
5. Based on your readings and your experience, prepare a paragraph on each of at least five laws or regulations relating how each applies in the health care environment.
6. How do the concepts discussed this week help strengthen you as a health care manager? Select four concepts presented this week and identify applications for each of the concepts that can strengthen your management skills in the health care setting.

Week 2:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 5, 6, 7
Written Assignment:

1. Discuss Case 5.1 - Glacier Valley Bank. Use the questions at the end of the chapter as a guide.
2. Discuss Case 5.2 - George’s Style. Use the questions at the end of the chapter as a guide.
3. In a 1-2 page paper describe the organizational climate and organizational culture of a health care facility. Be sure to illustrate the difference between climate and culture.
4. Discuss the Comprehensive Case (p. 151-152) - Managing the Contingent Work Force. Use the questions at the end of the case as a guide. What are the similarities in this case that can be applied to the health care environment?
5. Based on your readings and your experience, prepare a 1-2 page summary of the processes of job analysis and job design, and relate how these processes can strengthen accountability and productivity within an organization.
6. How do the concepts discussed this week help strengthen you as a health care manager? Select four concepts presented this week and identify applications for each of the concepts that can strengthen your management skills in the health care setting.

Week 3:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 8, 9, 10
Written Assignment:

1. Based on your readings and your experience, discuss the human resources department’s role in enforcement of work rules, disciplinary procedures, and work schedules in a selected health care setting. Paper should be 1-2 pages.
2. Based on your readings and your experience, prepare a 1-2 page summary of the applications of each of the following work schedules in the health care environment, along with your recommendations as to which levels of personnel should best benefit from each: shift work, the compressed workweek, flextime, permanent part time, job sharing, telecommuting, and temporary employment.
3. Based on your readings and your experience, discuss how managers can support the Human Resources professional's role in the recruitment and selection process in a selected health care setting. Be sure to mention any special considerations within health care that you believe differentiate the recruitment and selection process from that of a similar process within the business community. Paper should be 1-2 pages.
4. Discuss the Case 9-1 - New Components in the Electronics Business. Use the questions at the end of the chapter as a guide. Identify and discuss at least three similarities in this case that can be applied to the health care environment?
5. Given the statement, "Effective management of career transitions is important both to the individuals involved and to the organization," discuss career transition issues that the Human Resources department would be involved in at a health care setting of your choice. If there is no specific Human Resources department, discuss how career transition should be handled.
6. Select four concepts presented this week and identify applications for each of the concepts that can strengthen your management skills in the health care setting.

Week 4:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 11, 12, 13
Written Assignment: Mid-term Examination (Chapters 1- 13)

Week 5:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 14, 15, 16
Written Assignment:

1. Discuss the Case 14-1 - Circle O Hamburgers. Use the questions at the end of the chapter as a guide. Identify at least 2 similarities in this case that can be applied to the health care environment?
2. Based on your readings and your experience, discuss how wage and salary management issues can be supported through the human resource department function for various levels of employees, such as professional health care workers, paraprofessional staff, support staff, contract labor, and outsourced functions. Paper should be 1-2 pages.
3. Discuss the Case 15-2 - The Bonus is Coming Out of Our Hides. Use the questions at the end of the chapter as a guide.
4. Given the statement, "Properly planned, installed, and administered incentive plans can increase efficiency and productivity, decrease costs, and increase the pay of employees, supervisors, and managers," discuss how incentive plans might be implemented to attract and retain staff in a selected health care setting. Paper should be 1-2 pages.
5. Outline the managers role in the administration of benefits. Design a benefit plan for employees at a large inner city medical center which has a recruitment and retention problem and defend your benefit plan. What will it accomplish? Paper should be 1-2 pages.
6. How do the concepts discussed this week help strengthen you as a health care manager? Select four concepts presented this week and identify applications for each of the concepts that can strengthen your management skills in the health care setting.

Week 6:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 17, 18, 19
Written Assignment:

1. Discuss the Comprehensive Case (p. 474-475) - New Challenges for Organized Labor. Use the questions at the end of the case as a guide. What are the similarities in this case that can be applied to the health care environment?
2. Examine the pros and cons of a union environment, and how management deals with a union campaign (ie. Do you know what a "union card" is .. what is the function of the NLRB .. what is the responsibility of managers .. who is in the bargaining unit, and what does that mean .. are health care workers allowed to strike .., etc.).
3. Explain the role of the Human Resources department in protecting employee rights and in protecting the organization from legal action.
4. Discuss the Comprehensive Case (p. 526-527) - The Aging Work Force. Use the questions at the end of the case as a guide. One of the reasons given for the recent nursing shortage is the aging of the nurse workforce. Are there similarities in this case that can be applied to the health care environment?
5. How do the concepts discussed this week help strengthen you as a health care manager? Select four concepts presented this week and identify applications for each of the concepts that can strengthen your management skills in the health care setting.

Week 7:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 20, 21
Written Assignment:

1. How would you as a manager analyze what health and safety policies and procedures were necessary, and how would you enlist the help of the Human Resources professional in your setting to design and implement workplace health and safety management policies? Based on your readings and your experience, develop a presentation for the managers. Summary paper should be 1-2 pages.
2. Discuss the Comprehensive Case (p. 566-567) - New Horizons for Employee Assistance Programs. Use the questions at the end of the case as a guide. What are the similarities in this case that can be applied to the health care environment?
3. Based on your readings and your experience, discuss major features of these comprehensive improvement strategies that could be applied to a health care facility: organizational development programs, quality-of-work-life projects, and total quality management.
4. Discuss the Comprehensive Case (p. 598-600) - Fine-Tuning TQM for Organization Improvement. Use the questions at the end of the case as a guide. How can the principles of TQM be applied to the health care environment?
5. How do the concepts discussed this week help strengthen you as a health care manager? Select four concepts presented this week and identify applications for each of the concepts that can strengthen your management skills in the health care setting.

Week 8:
Reading Assignment: Chapters 23 (Chapter 22 is optional)
Written Assignment: Final Examination (Includes Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23)

GRADING:
Written assignments, mid term examination, and final examination will be graded based on:

• Substance: Answer addresses question, statements are accurate, and opinions are supported.
• Organization: Answers are organized, coherent, and logical.
• Mechanics: Grammar, syntax, spelling, typographical errors.

Average of the weekly assignments Mid Term Examination Final Examination

50% 25% 25%

A = B = C = D = F =

90% - 100% 80% - 89% 70% - 79% 60 - 69% Below 60%

A letter grade will be assigned at the conclusion of the 8 week semester based on the above criteria. The scale is based on 100 points.

"F" is for unsatisfactory work.
"D" indicates inferior work which in one or more respects falls below minimum acceptable standards but is of sufficient quality and quantity to count for credit.
"C" means the assignment was satisfactory, that is what one would expect from a college student. It is an average grade for students who give a reasonable amount of time, effort, and attention.
"B" is an above average grade for general achievement of a high order. The student has intelligently fulfilled the requirements of the course and has achieved a degree of excellence such as completeness, accuracy of knowledge, independence of work, creativity, and critical thought.
"A" is an exceptional grade reserved for excellent students indicating distinctly superior work who have thoroughly mastered the subject, displayed marked initiative and intellectual curiosity, and produced work of a superior quality.

COMMUNICATION:
You are expected to visit the chat area of the Canyon College Web site 2-3 times weekly. I encourage you to do it more often. At this time you will receive any updates that are applicable to your course. You are to post a weekly update of your progress. This includes what was covered in the text and what you learned in the readings that can be applied to a health care setting.

When you contact me by e-mail your subject line must always be CANYON COLLEGE first followed by your name. For instance, my subject line would be:
CANYON COLLEGE - Thorne, Dan

I check my Canyon College email daily. If you do not understand something, please contact me immediately. Do not wait!!! Do not wait until week 8 to say that you do not understand something concerning week 4..

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Academic integrity is highly valued at Canyon College. You are expected to complete all assignments by yourself using the text and other academic sources. If you use any outside sources, other than the assigned text, you must clearly cite sources using APA format. You are not to share any of your work with other students or potential students.

COMPRESSED TIME
The courses offered at Canyon College are in a compressed time format. Courses are 8 weeks instead of the usual 15-18 weeks. This means that what is generally completed over a 15 - 18 week period is compressed into 8 weeks. This has advantages as well as disadvantages. The advantage is that a student can take one course each compressed semester and actually complete 6 courses in approximately a year. If a student took one course each traditional semester they could only complete 2-3 courses in a year. The disadvantage is that the work spread out over a 15-18 week semester is accomplished in 8 weeks. Sometimes students take one of these courses as a quick fill-in thinking that they will not have much work -- then feel overwhelmed with all the work that is actually involved. I am just trying to make everyone aware that students are expected to do what is generally required in any 3-credit course.