Description of the Structure
The healthcare structure in the University of Florida Health Jacksonville has a harmonized system. The leadership tiers can be divided into the board of directors, executive membership, and medical staff leaders. The board of directors is the regulatory and governing body responsible for making higher-level organizational decisions (Arora, 2022). The chief executive officer, Patrick L. Green, and other executive board members are responsible for administration, reporting to the board, and recruiting staff (“Leadership”, 2023). The medical leadership team is self-governing and accountable for ensuring quality services, clinical operations, and all levels of treatment.
Chain of Command and Reporting
The chain of command (CoC) follows a three-tier leadership structure. However, there are decisions that the clinical team can make without necessarily involving the executive or the board of directors. For example, if nurses discover evidence for a better patient outcome, they inform the nurse leader, who permits or declines implementation. If it is a suggestion for a significant structural change, the nurse leader tells the executives, who then table the matter for the board before reaching a decision. While working there, I reported to the nurse on duty, and other non-clinical staff, such as cleaners, would report to me when I was on duty.
CoC Role in Implementing Change
Impact of Organizational Chart
The leadership structure is hierarchical, with boards and executives at the top, followed by the managerial team, and, lastly, general employees. The hierarchy makes implementing change time-consuming because a general employee cannot go directly to the executive. Another challenge is that a hierarchy can reach its maximum information processing capacity, causing overload (Winasti et al., 2023). The advantage of having a chain of command is that it ensures the engagement of all people and offers direction during the transition.
Shared Governance Model
UF Health employs a shared governance model for nursing, designed to integrate values and principles into management. For example, the organization’s core values include stewardship, respect, excellence, and compassion (“Mission”, 2023). All employees and other affiliates must integrate these values into their daily operations. The model ensures that both nurses and patients are satisfied with the quality of the services they receive.
Communicating Nurses’ Suggestions
When a group of nurses has an idea and makes a decision, they take their proposal to the nurse leader, who serves as the unit manager. If the decision they made is false under clinical management, patient treatment, or quality of care, the nurse manager can agree to the implementation process. However, if the issue concerns the administration, they still go to the unit manager, but the executive determines the outcome.
Relevance of the Information
Understanding the leadership and organizational structure of healthcare organizations is essential to my success. It ensures I follow the correct procedure when giving ideas and suggestions. Moreover, the information is relevant to interacting with my colleagues. It also helps me identify leadership gaps and provides my proposal for change.
References
Arora, V. (2022). What is the organizational structure of a hospital? Planet Crust. Web.
Leadership – About UF health Jacksonville. (2023). UF Health Jacksonville. Web.
Mission, vision and values- About UF health Jacksonville. (2023). UF Health Jacksonville. Web.
Winasti, W., Berden, H., & Van Merode, F. (2023). Hospital organizational structure and information processing: An entropy perspective. Entropy, 25(3), 420-442. Web.