Term Paper on "Critical Thinking in a Changing Global Environment"

Term Paper 7 pages (2365 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Critical Thinking in a Changing Global Environment

The topic of healthcare has become increasingly more popular as the world moves into the information age. There have been major technological advances, and changes in marketing regulations for healthcare that have helped to fuel the upsurge of new decisions in the industry (Green, 2001). There are now many more opportunities in healthcare administration then there once were, and a great deal of these opportunities are now open to women. This is something that was unheard of only a few years ago. Women in the healthcare administration field are now more readily accepted but they still have a long way to go to be respected as much as men in the same field.

For a long time there has been a disparity in the number of women in the healthcare administration field. Studies suggest that promotion and recruitment policies may have something to do with this (Grace & Smith, 2002). At first glance it would appear that the prospects for women in the healthcare administration field are increasing, since over 50% of recent graduates with a master's degree in healthcare administration are women. Salaries for women starting out in this field are also comparable to those of men.

Unfortunately the top management positions in healthcare administration are still held by men. As women are promoted and responsibility levels rise, salary disparities between men and women begin to appear and opportunities tend to shrink for women and expand for men (Grace & Smith, 2002). There have been gains, however. Between 1979 only 40% of the graduates of healthcare administration programs were women. By 1988 the number was up to 59.4% (Grace & Smith, 2002). Even with the larger number of women graduating from these kinds of programs there is still a larger number of men in top healthcare management positions. One reason for this, proposed by economic theorists, is that women often take time off to have children, take care of older relatives, etc. This gives them a somewhat less stable work history that can cause them to be passed over for hiring and promotions (Grace & Smith, 2002).

Also cited as a reason that more women do not advance farther is the opinion that women do not network effectively and are not the 'team players' that men are. This can cause women to be passed over for opportunities that would otherwise be open to them. Whether it is true or not many men still see women as incapable of handling difficult decisions, working well with men, and continuing to work hard without taking time out to have families (Grace & Smith, 2002).

Women in the Healthcare Field

The women in healthcare administration have do have some power to change the current system, though. Some of these women are working to tear down the "good old boy" networks that have been in place for so long, and they are interested in putting the patient first, without as much regard to the cost. Although this is noble, there has to be a balance between what a woman in healthcare administration can do for the patient, and what the budget can stand (Grace 2002).

Women figure into the growing use of the Internet, as well. The Internet is out there to enlighten and empower consumers, and women are becoming very shrewd consumers. They like to read up on things, they like to know the facts...they want to be informed. Healthcare is especially important to women, who deal with healthcare not just for themselves, but often for their husband and children. They are very conscientious when it comes to their choice of a doctor or hospital, and they learn all they can before the appointment (Grace 2002).

Women who work in healthcare administration know this, because they have families too. The concerns of the wife and mother are the same concerns that these women have as well.

Now that women are starting to enter the field of healthcare administration in greater numbers, the marketing of healthcare will very likely change. Women are aware of what other women want and need in a doctor. Since the woman is more likely to deal with the family healthcare issues than the man, she can be targeted in doctor and hospital marketing campaigns that are created by women. This could significantly increase the number of women who go to a particular doctor or hospital for healthcare.

Alternative Medicine

There is an also the issue of alternative medicine. Studies estimate that by 1998, 40% of people over the age of 18 had used some form of alternative medicine, either instead of standard medical treatment, or in conjunction with it (Cheskin 2001). Consumers are getting smarter, as mentioned earlier, and they are becoming more open to the idea of alternative medicine, and more willing to try it. Doctors are also becoming more open to alternative techniques. Even if a doctor does not prescribe or deal with alternative treatments, most good doctors can recommend someone for the patient to see if they are interested in pursuing alternative medicine for their condition.

The U.S. herbal market is close to $30 billion now, and it will continue to climb. Even doctors point out that herbal remedies like St. John's Wort have sold over seven times more, in dollar value, than Prozac in those trying to treat depression (Cheskin 2001). Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the best form of treatment, whether it be herbal, doctor recommended, or something in-between. The whole opinion of what healthcare really means is changing all over the globe, and it is only just beginning. Women in healthcare administration factor into the herbal market too. One of their desired changes is the expansion of the focus on diagnosis to include a more holistic approach to healthcare and wellness. Women are interested in a more humanistic orientation to health care, including herbal remedies, massage, acupuncture, and prevention of illness (Grace 2002). If the current trend continues the number of women will continue to grow in this field. The going is slow since there is a great deal of resistance from men, but women continue to advance and bring new ideas and opinions to the field of healthcare administration.

The Need for Lifelong Learning

Because women are doing so much in the nursing and healthcare field today, and also due to globalization, nurses are finding that they have to be lifelong learners. Nurses are vitally important to the recovery of most patients, however lately there has been a shortage of people willing to get into this field. There are several reasons why there has been a shortage in nurses. Probably the largest one is that most nurses do not get paid what they feel is sufficient compensation for the work that they perform. Because of this, many people who might otherwise become nurses are choosing a different career path. This becomes a vicious cycle as those who are already nurses are working longer hours for less money, which makes them unhappy with their working conditions.

Those who might consider becoming nurses see that current nurses are unhappy with their conditions, so they decide perhaps nursing is not for them. It seems the problem could be corrected by having a larger volume of nurses. The main goal then becomes attracting new people into the profession. Apparently this is difficult, because it has not yet happened, and does not seem to be likely to happen soon (Beu, 2002).

The Shortage of Nurses

However, there are ways to attract more people into the nursing profession, and when this happens it will not only benefit those people, but will also benefit the nurses already working in the field as they will have to work less hours for the same pay, and there will be plenty of nurses to work the extra hours that the current nurses are working now. While benefiting the nurses, this will also benefit the hospitals and patients (Beu, 2002).

Hospitals will be helped because the stress on the current nursing staff will be reduced by the infusion of other nurses into the field. Patients will be helped in obvious ways. They will have more attention, in some cases better treatment, and more chance of getting an accurate diagnosis or medication dosage. This does not imply that the nurses who are out there now are doing a bad job; rather it implies that the less stressed and hurried the nurses are, and the more time they have to spend with the patient, the more likely they are to notice if medication is given at an incorrect dose, or if the patient appears to be getting worse instead of better. When nurses are so rushed that they barely have time to say 'hello' to a patient, it is often easy to overlook something that they would have noticed if they only had a few more minutes to spare.

Some nurses feel that this particular nursing shortage is going to be larger and more prolonged than those… READ MORE

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