In my role as a CCU manager, I must ensure all nurses are adequately prepared to be certified in the most advanced cardiac life support areas of training. Presently there are five staff nurses which require this certification. The cost for hiring someone to instruct the training is $800 total, including rental costs. This year the funds must come from the travel and education budget for the unit. Unfortunately, not even this budget can afford to make this kind of transaction, and we are left in a bind. It is possible to replace the money, but it must be replaced. If it is not replaced the entire budget will have a deficit for the remainder of the fiscal year. Some measures must be taken to prevent this.
Training will also be a time-consuming process because of the preparing for the training and gathering the required materials, as well as the rental arrangements. All things considered, the company has sought another option and was able to find another training class 150 mile out of town taking place in the near future. This option requires $200 per participant plus travel and lodging expenses.
After significant consideration, I propose that the company take the classes locally rather than otherwise. The time, money, and planning involved would outweigh the issues found with planning the local training. The planning involved for the local training, while inconvenient, would not be as extensive as the planning required for the distant meeting. The local meeting is also clearly better for the budget, which is the primary concern. A total of $800, although damaging to the budget and would resultantly create a deficit, is better than the $1000 total for training the five staff nurses. The travel and lodging expenses would also add to this significantly, likely doubling the amount or more.
The travel time alone may be more time required for gathering the materials and planning, and the travelling would require its own planning. This combined with the clear difference in budget expenses with the budget being the main priority clearly states that the local training is the best choice in any aspect.
While the class should be held locally, organizing it according to tradition would be the best way. The facility being considered should be rented, while the teacher could either be hired as planned for the full cost of $800 to be charged from the budget. I would make the class mandatory, however would give reasonable time frames and other conditions so that no one is severely inconvenienced. The unit has a couple of options here to save itself from accruing a deficit in the budget, however, both options place additional responsibility on the nurses. The most direct and efficient option would be to charge a small portion of the cost to each nurse so that the budget can afford the remaining amount. Another option is to present the situation to the nurses and inform them if they wished to raise the money using the company name somehow then they may do so. I propose to simply inform the nurses of this option, and if there is no enthusiasm, prepare to charge a small portion of the costs to their wages. Regarding wages, they would effectively not be paid in full. This can be perceived in two ways: either that they are getting their full hourly and paying a fee for a company-assisted paid upgrade, or they could be paid a reduced wage for the duration of the training (Carroll, 2006). Either option works the same in the end, and I propose the nurses be asked in this event to see if they have a preference. Following the entirety of this proposal would be cost-effective to the company, though as always, I am open to suggestions that may improve on this plan.
References
Carroll, P. (2006). Nursing Leadership and Management: A Practical Guide, Thomson/Delmar Learning.