Design a merit increases process and provide information on the pros/cons of a common review date versus the current increase process

COMPENSATION PROJECT
The Living Waters Nursing Home Inc. is a not-for-profit dedicated to providing quality care to the residents. The organization was founded by J.P. Edwards in 1970. Mr. Edwards managed the organization until his retirement in 2005. At that time his son, Bob Edwards, was named President/CEO. The organization has a budget of $50 million for 2011.
Eighteen months ago, the family decided to hire Frank Jones as the new President/CEO. After evaluating the current operations, Mr. Jones decided that the Nursing Home was in fairly good shape except for the lack of standardized Human Resource policies. Very little information existed to support any of the past employment decisions, especially in the area of compensation. The organization does not have a formal compensation plan of any kind. The employees’ pay was based on Bob’s general perceptions and the input of a few other executives.
The organization did not give pay raises in 2009 or 2010 due to budgetary constraints. In addition, executives and employees have expressed rather strong concerns about some obvious favoritism in hiring and compensation.
In the last eighteen months, Mr. Jones has encountered several problems.
The desk clerks have been complaining that their pay is the same as the cooks’ pay, and the cooks are complaining that their pay is less than that of the accounting clerks.
Two former employees filed pay discrimination cases against the resort. Claiming that they did not get paid as much as men doing the same work. The two employees also complained that their performance increases were less than they deserved.
Several clerical employees have been keeping track of their overtime for the past two years. They have asked about why they don’t get overtime when other organizations pay overtime to their friends in similar positions.
Some managers recently became upset with the lack of pay increases in 2009 and 2010. They decided to inflate the performance scores to get their employees more money.
Some managers are using money from other budget items that have a surplus of funds to provide bonuses to exceptional employees.
Several employees have complained about their wages to their managers. The employees are using data from the internet, specifically salary.com, as a basis for their complaints.
Employees receive pay increases on their anniversary date. Mr. Jones wants to go to a common review date to match the organization’s business cycle, which starts on January 1 but most of the executives are against the change.
Three weeks ago, when Mr. Jones came to work, there was a note on the bulletin board listing everyone’s pay. This has led to complaints from several long-term employees. In addition, it is obvious that several employees are receiving substantially more money than other similar employees in the same job.
An employee was caught after stealing $300.00. The employee was terminated and the manager wants to deduct the $300.00 from the employee’s last pay check. The employee worked 40 during the last week at an hourly rate of $8.00. Please advise the manager.
Mr. Jones finally convinced the family to hire a group of knowledgeable consultant to address the problems and to develop a pay system for the organization. Mr. Jones would like the group to:
1. Evaluate the current pay practices and make some general recommendations.
2. An audit of legal issues, especially with respect to the pay discrimination case and overtime.
3. Evaluate the employees’ current pay relative to the marketplace and between employees in similar jobs.
4. Establish a stated overall compensation policy, including a pay level policy.
5. Develop a structured process for developing a pay structure and determining the pay grade assignment for each job.
6. Present an overview of an individual pay model to assist managers in setting starting pay and correcting any inequities.
7. Design a merit increases process and provide information on the pros/cons of a common review date versus the current increase process.
8. Provide an analysis of the problems listed above, with specific recommendations to resolve the problems.
9. Conduct a cost analysis showing the impact of your recommendations.
10. Provide a written report outlining the objectives, logic for all decisions, limitations of the process, the pay system design process, and the outcomes.
11. Any other outcome that you think is necessary for a successful compensation plan.

Purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the opportunity to examine assessment tools that evaluate on-physical measures.

DESCRIBE HOW THIS TOOL COULD ENHANCE THE ASSESSMENT PHASE OF THE NURSING PROCESS AND IMPACT QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE DELIVERED BY THE NURSE

 
Assessment Tools Analysis
 
Purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the opportunity to examine assessment tools that evaluate on-physical measures. Applying Watson’s Theory of Human caring integrates the mind-body-spirit dimensions. Nurses should be knowledgeable in tools to expand the abilities of nurses to assess and evaluate clients in various stages and states of health, illness, stress and life.
 

  • Prepare and submit a 1,050 – 1,400 word, APA-formatted paper, which includes:
    • A selection of three assessment tools below
    • Using the Online Library, research the selected tools
    • Describe each tool and the population for which it might be useful. State data about tool such as cost, length, and ease in using tool, for what populations it is best designed, and validity of information gained
    • Describe how this tool could enhance the assessment phase of the nursing process and impact quality of health care delivered by the nurse
  • Apply these tools to the vulnerable population described in the Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness assignment of Week Two

Assessment Tools:
Adult Life Stress Measurement
Beck Depression Inventory
Calgary Family Assessment Model
Coping Resources Inventory for Stress
Daily Hassles Scale
Derogatis Stress Profile
Dysfunctional Attitude Scale
Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale
Family Hardiness Index
Feetham Family Functioning Survey
Hassles and Uplifts Inventory
Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HLPL-II)
Health Self-Determination Index (HSDI)
Health Self-Determination Index for Children (HSDI-C)
Index of Core Spiritual Experiences
Mini-Mental State Exam
Perceived Stress Scale
Schoolager’s Coping Strategies Inventory
Social Support Questionnaire
Spiritual Involvement & Beliefs Scale
Spiritual Perspective Scale
Spiritual Well-Being Scale
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
Stress Warning Signals Inventory
Ways of Coping Questionnaire
Well Being Picture Scale
 
 
 
Assessment Tools Analysis
 
Purpose of this assignment is to provide the student with the opportunity to examine assessment tools that evaluate on-physical measures. Applying Watson’s Theory of Human caring integrates the mind-body-spirit dimensions. Nurses should be knowledgeable in tools to expand the abilities of nurses to assess and evaluate clients in various stages and states of health, illness, stress and life.
 

  • Prepare and submit a 1,050 – 1,400 word, APA-formatted paper, which includes:
    • A selection of three assessment tools below
    • Using the Online Library, research the selected tools
    • Describe each tool and the population for which it might be useful. State data about tool such as cost, length, and ease in using tool, for what populations it is best designed, and validity of information gained
    • Describe how this tool could enhance the assessment phase of the nursing process and impact quality of health care delivered by the nurse
  • Apply these tools to the vulnerable population described in the Vulnerable Population and Self-Awareness assignment of Week Two

DISCUSS WHY THE CURRENT NURSING PRACTICE NEEDS TO BE CHANGED.

DISCUSS WHY THE CURRENT NURSING PRACTICE NEEDS TO BE CHANGED.

One of the key roles of the master’s-prepared nurse is to lead practice change across the full spectrum of healthcare settings. Master’s-prepared nurses must be able to translate the existing body of knowledge around a phenomenon of interest (accessible through published research studies) to inform decision making related to nursing practice.
Requirements:
A.  Identify a current nursing practice within your healthcare setting that requires change.
1.  Describe the current nursing practice.
2.  Discuss why the current nursing practice needs to be changed.
 
B.  Identify the key stakeholders within your healthcare setting who are part of the current nursing practice.
1.  Describe the role each identified key stakeholder will play to support the proposed practice change.
C.  Create an evidence critique table (see “Sample Evidence Critique Table”).
1.  Identify five sources from scholarly peer-reviewed journals, which adhere to the following standards:
a.  Each source must be published within the past five years.
b.  Each source must relate to the change identified in part A.
c.  Each source must be listed in the table using APA format.
2.  Identify the evidence strength of each chosen source, using the Strength of Evidence Table in the study plan.
3.  Identify the evidence hierarchy of each chosen source, using the Evidence Hierarchy Table in the study plan.
 
D.  Develop an evidence summary based on the findings from part C that includes each of the five sources used (suggested length of 1–2 pages for all sources).
E.  Recommend a specific best practice based on the evidence summary developed in part D.
 
F.  Identify a practice change model that is appropriate to apply to the proposed practice change.
1.  Justify why you chose the practice change model.
2.  Explain how to apply the identified model to guide the implementation of the proposed practice change.
 
G.  Discuss possible barriers to successful implementation of the proposed practice change.
 
H.  Discuss any possible ethical implications that may arise while planning or implementing the proposed practice change.
 
I.  When you use sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format.
 
Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.
Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in an assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the assessment.
Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA G
Sample Evidence Critique Table:

Full APA citation for at least 5 sources Evidence Strength (1-7) and Evidence Hierarchy
  1. Tricco, A. C., Cogo, E., Holroyd-Leduc, J., et al. (2013). Efficacy of falls prevention interventions: Protocol for a systemic review and network meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews, 2, 38.  doi: 10.1186/2046-4053-2-38
1 and Systematic review
2.
3.
4.
5.

Note:  Evidence Strength will range from level 7 (lowest) to level 1 (highest).  Evidence Hierarchy will reflect the research methodology (Expert Opinion [lowest] to Meta-Analysis [highest]).

Select three of the best qualities of nursing education in different types of programs (ADN, diploma, and BSN) over the years.

ELECT THREE OF THE BEST QUALITIES OF NURSING EDUCATION IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROGRAMS (ADN, DIPLOMA, AND BSN) OVER THE YEARS

1. Ever since the introduction of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) refusal of payment for hospital-acquired poor outcomes, nursing has gained visibility because these outcomes are nurse sensitive. Locate an article or website that refers to these nurse-sensitive outcomes and describe its findings.
 
2. The repeated sound of an alarm can be annoying to the patient, family, and staff. This can lead to someone shutting off the alarm. Give an example of an ethical or legal issue that may arise if a patient has a poor outcome or sentinel event because an alarm was turned off. What do the data show about the value of alarms in general? Is alarm fatigue an issue?
 
3. Select three of the best qualities of nursing education in different types of programs (ADN, diploma, and BSN) over the years. Using these lessons from history, how would you incorporate these qualities into a superior nursing education program for the future?
 
Think about the diploma schools that prepared many great RNs in the mid- to late-20th century. What were the advantages and disadvantages of this system of nursing education? Which of their great qualities were carried forward into the school you attended? Which qualities were lost?