Introduction
The present paper considers the missions, visions, and values of two healthcare organizations and discusses the implications of their similarities and differences. The organizations are the Brigham and Women’s Hospital [BWH] (2017) and the Huntsville Hospital [HH] (n.d.). The hospitals’ websites contain detailed information on their missions, visions, and values.
Mission, Vision, and Values
The mission of BWH (2017) includes four components that prioritize service quality, community needs, research, and professional education. HH (n.d.) has a simpler mission, which focuses on high-quality service and improved health of the customers. The vision of HH (n.d.) is to excel as a health system, but BWH (2017) seeks to “transform the future of healthcare” (par. 3). Thus, the organizations have different priorities: HH (n.d.) is limited to improving itself, but BWH (2017) intends to advance the field of healthcare. As for the values, BWH (2017) and HH (n.d.) refer to integrity and some forms of professionalism and empathy.
However, only HH (n.d.) mentions innovation, and this fact does not align with BWH’s (2017) primary aim of healthcare advancement. On the other hand, BWH (2017) is more focused on fostering collaboration among employees, which is highlighted by two of its values (collaboration and inclusion); HH (n.d.) does not mention these aspects.
Potential Implications and the Focus of Nursing
The more extensive mission of BWH (2017) is likely to have implications. For example, its focus on the education of employees offers growth opportunities for the latter, provides the organization with more professional human resources, and offers patients improved care. Also, the focus of BWH’s (2017) values on the collaboration of employees can have a positive impact on nurses’ job satisfaction, which is beneficial for the organization due to a lower turnover intent and helps patients due to improved quality of care (Ma, Shang, & Bott, 2015).
HH’s (n.d.) focus on quality improvement is beneficial for the patients, which may also have a positive impact on the organization’s reputation. However, the lack of focus on education and research may imply a shortage of means of achieving high quality. As a result, the employees may struggle to fulfill the organization’s vision. However, HH’s (n.d.) interest in innovation may help in achieving the vision and has multiple positive implications for employees and patients.
The differences in the missions and visions affect the focus of nursing. BWH (2017) has a more comprehensive view of it: for instance, the advancement of the field is a responsibility of a nurse (American Nurses Association, 2015). Since the nursing administration is expected to uphold and promote the vision and mission of an organization while nurses are likely to share it (Marquis & Huston, 2015), BWH (2017) might offer a better environment for such a comprehensive understanding of nursing. On the other hand, HH (n.d.) highlights the significance of safety, which BWH (2017) fails to do, even though it is a crucial component for nursing (Gleich et al., 2015). In sum, both strategies have their drawbacks and positive elements, which can affect their stakeholders, including nurses, in a variety of ways.
A Goal
BWH (2017) might use the following goal: all nursing staff will be dedicated to maintaining and improving their competence through continuing education. A SWOT analysis, as described by Marquis and Huston (2015) and Ng, Leung, Johnston, and Cowling (2013), shows that the goal requires careful consideration but is very attractive. The major strength of the goal is its alignment with the organization’s mission, vision, and values. A major weakness is the need to provide nurses with time and resources for continuing education. However, the opportunity of working with well-prepared nurses is an important advantage, which suggests that the expenditures are an investment. Finally, the major threat is the reluctance of nurses who may regard continuing education as unnecessary or too difficult. Nursing leaders can provide motivation to these nurses, and the organization might offer monetary or non-monetary incentives for continuing education achievements.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements.Web.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital. (2017). Strategic plan. Web.
Gleich, S., Nemergut, M., Stans, A., Haile, D., Feigal, S., & Heinrich, A., … Tripathi, S. (2015). Lean Six Sigma handoff process between the operating room and pediatric ICU: Improvement in patient safety, efficiency, and effectiveness. Critical Care, 19(Suppl 1), P523. Web.
Huntsville Hospital. (n.d.). About. Web.
Ma, C., Shang, J., & Bott, M. (2015). Linking unit collaboration and nursing leadership to nursing outcomes and quality of care. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 45(9), 435-442. Web.
Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Ng, G., Leung, G., Johston, J., & Cowling, B. (2013). Factors affecting implementation of accreditation programmes and the impact of the accreditation process on quality improvement in hospitals: A SWOT analysis. Hong Kong Medical Journal, 19, 434–46. Web.