Supporting an emerging workforce: characteristics of rural and remote therapy assistants in Western Australia.

OBJECTIVE: Multidisciplinary therapy assistants (TAs) are an emerging but poorly understood rural and remote allied health workforce. As an aid to planning and support of TA programs in rural and remote Western Australia (WA), the number, locality and a range of practice variables of rural and remote TAs in WA were determined. DESIGN: Survey questionnaire. SETTING: Rural and remote regions of WA. PARTICIPANTS: Allied health professionals, TAs, TA coordinators and managers of allied health in country regions of WA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Information was gathered on TA location, qualifications, employing organisation, allied health disciplines TAs work with, supervision practices, role and work scenarios. RESULTS: Ninety-eight TAs were identified in rural and remote WA with a further 23 vacant TA positions. Most TAs work across multiple allied health disciplines, half are located at a distance to their supervisors, and very few have a recognised qualification for their TA work. CONCLUSION: A substantial rural and remote TA workforce was found. A range of TA characteristics were identified that have considerable relevance to the future planning of TA initiatives in rural and remote WA.

Trend analysis of minority student enrollment in graduate health management education programs: implications for the field.

The need for broad representation of minorities in healthcare management has been an on-going concern for healthcare administrators and professional organizations such as the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE), and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Despite the best intentions of healthcare organizations, many have failed to attain a desired racial and ethnic balance in the composition of their senior-level management ranks. This problem will persist unless there is a sustained and collaborative effort between the healthcare professional associations and organizations and the educational programs, especially programs affiliated with the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). Using enrollment data published in the AUPHA directory, this paper examines the enrollment trends of minority students in graduate programs in health management education. The results of this investigation reveal an upward trend in minority student enrollment and that graduate programs with high minority enrollment are located in geographical areas with high minority populations. Suggestions to further increase and sustain minority student enrollment in graduate health management educational programs are advanced.

Alternative work arrangements: senior administrative job-share.

As the healthcare workforce ages and workers expect increasingly flexible work environments, employers are looking for creative strategies to maintain a healthy and vital workforce. This paper offers one such strategy. It describes a job-share experience by two senior administrators within a large healthcare authority and provides the findings from a survey evaluation.

Administrator turnover and quality of care in nursing homes.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: In this article, I examine the association between turnover of nursing home administrators and five important quality of care outcomes. DESIGN AND METHODS: The data came from a survey of 420 nursing facilities and the 1999 On-line Survey, Certification, and Reporting System. Using multivariate logistic regression analyses, I looked at the effects of turnover of administrators in nursing homes belonging to chain organizations and in nursing homes not belonging to chain organizations. RESULTS: I found the average annual turnover rate of administrators to be 43%. The multivariate logistic regression analyses show that in nursing homes belonging to chains, administrator turnover is associated with a higher than average proportion of residents who were catheterized, had pressure ulcers, and were given psychoactive drugs and with a higher than average number of quality-of-care deficiencies. In nursing homes not belonging to chains I found that turnover of administrators is associated with a higher than average proportion of residents who were restrained, were catheterized, had pressure ulcers, and were given psychoactive drugs. IMPLICATIONS: There is a need to improve understanding of how and why better outcomes are achieved in some nursing homes. This investigation serves to focus attention on nursing home administrators. I believe this study provides preliminary evidence that the turnover of administrators may have an important association with quality of care in nursing homes.

External threats and nursing home administrator turnover.

External threats and volatility in the long-term-care sector in recent decades have posed serious challenges for nursing home administrators. Greater job complexity and administrative responsibilities resulting from public policies and more specialization and competitiveness in nursing home markets have made turnover a significant issue. This article examines administrator turnover from 1970 through 1997 in New York State and describes how turnover increased markedly in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

[CESAMES, French-speaking international scheme for health managers]. / CESAMES, un Programme International Francophone pour les Managers de Santé.

A "Programme de création du Cycle d'Etudes Supérieures Africain en Management des Etablissements Sanitaires" (CESAMES, Plan for African hospital management senior course) was officially launched during the VIth International Hospital Events, organised in Libreville (Gabon) from November 21-23rd 2000. In the context of health systems reforms in African countries, priority is given to adapting and upgrading the qualifications of health care managers. Creating CESAMES is a major element within a general strategy aiming at supporting health systems and present reforms. The aim is to develop, from an African teaching body, a French-speaking pool of skills in order to increase the managers' expertise and to address the problem of critical mass of professionals for training within each country. Creating an international training pool will produce a human resources development and expansion tool in the area of health institutions management. This programme should ensure the transfer of know-how and capitalization between training centres. Beyond the training system, creating CESAMES should expand the documentation resources and ensure the creation of a French-speaking professional network of health institution managers.