17218 Balancing Roles in the Healthcare Setting

Course overview

Discussion of balancing roles in the healthcare setting including factors to consider when defining roles, categories of roles, how workplace roles may evolve and the challenges, why conflict may arise between work roles and roles outside the workplace, how demand and control within environments can impact employee behaviors and outcomes, and potential solutions for conflict management. In today’s fast paced and ever changing world, many organizations and individuals find it challenging to effectively balance workload, family, and relationships, causing increased employee stress and decreased productivity. Increased and chronic stress decrease concentration, create irritability and depression, harm personal and professional relationships, and increase susceptibility to illness and major health problems. In the healthcare field in particular, balancing roles effectively may be more difficult for healthcare workers due to high demands placed on them to work both efficiently and safely, increased patient acuity and workload, and non-standard work hours. Individuals who experience role conflicts within the workplace and/or at home may experience decreased job satisfaction and burnout. In addition, role conflict may exacerbate the staffing shortage by discouraging individuals from wanting to enter the healthcare profession, or leading current staff to consider a career change. This program discusses balancing roles for individuals who work within healthcare systems, including defining roles, role categories, evolving roles, and role conflict and its management.