1: FTEs to Annualize Staffing

ssignment Exercise 9–1: FTEs to Annualize Staffing

The Metropolis Health System managers are also working on their budgets for next year. Each manager must annualize his or her staffing plan, and thus must convert staff net paid days worked to a factor. Each manager has the MHS worksheet, which shows 9 holidays, 7 sick days, 15 vacation days, and 3 education days, equaling 34 paid days per year not worked.

The Laboratory is fully staffed 7 days per week and the 34 paid days per year not worked is applicable for the lab. The Medical Records department is also fully staffed 7 days per week. However, Medical Records is an outsourced department so the employee benefits are somewhat different. The Medical Records employees receive 9 holidays plus 21 personal leave days, which can be used for any purpose.

Required

1. Compute net paid days worked for a full-time employee in the Laboratory and in Medical Records.
2. Convert n et paid days worked to a factor for the Laboratory and for Medical Records so these MHS managers can annualize their staffing plans.

Example 9A

Review the chapter text about annualizing positions. In particular review Exhibit 9–2, which contains the annualizing calculations.

Exhibit 9–2 Basic Calculation for Annualizing Master Staffing Plan Step 1: How Many Net Paid Days Are Worked?(a) A business year has 364 days.(b) In this example the employee works five days per week. The other two days off are not paid for. Thus two days off per week times 52 weeks equals 104 non-paid days.(c) Therefore the number of paid days per year equals 364 less 104, or 260 days.(d) But not all paid days per year are worked. In this example each employee (RN, LPN, & Nurse Assistant [NA]) receives 35 personal leave days. (The personal leave days are intended to include holidays, sick leave, and vacation days.)(e) In addition these employees are entitled to continuing professional education (CPE) days. These are also paid days not worked, as follows: RNs = 5 days; LPNs = 3 days; NAs = 2 days.(f) Therefore the net paid days worked are as follows:RN = 260 days (35)(5)     = 220LPN = 260 days (35)(5)   = 220NA   = 260 days (35) (5)  = 223 Step 2: How Are Net Paid Days Worked Converted to a Factor?The factor is calculated by dividing total days in the business year (364) by the net paid days worked, as follows:RN = 364 / 220     = 1.6545LPN = 364 / 222   = 1.6396NA   = 364 / 223   = 1.6323  Courtesy of J.J. Baker and R.W. Baker, Dallas, Texas

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Exhibit 9–2 contains a two-step process to perform the staffing calculation by the annualizing method. The first step computes the net paid days worked. In this step, the number of paid days per year is first arrived at; then paid days not worked are deducted to arrive at net paid days worked. The second step of the staffing calculation converts the net paid days worked to a factor. In the example in Exhibit 9–2, the factor averages out to about 1.6

Example 9B

Review the chapter text about staffing requirements to fill a position. In particular review Exhibit 9–4, which contains (at the bottom of the exhibit) the staffing calculations. Remember this method uses a basic work week as the standard.

Practice Exercise 9–II: FTEs to Fill a Position

Metropolis Health System (MHS) uses a basic work week of 40 hours throughout the system. Thus, one full-time employee works 40 hours per week. MHS also uses a standard 24-hour scheduling system of three 8-hour shifts. The Admissions manager needs to compute the staffing requirements to fill his departmental positions. He has more than one Admissions office staffed within the system. The West Admissions office typically has two Admissions officers on duty during the day shift, one Admissions officer on duty during the evening shift, and one Admissions officer on duty during the night shift. The day shift also has one clerical person on duty. Staffing is identical for all seven days of the week.

Required

1. Set up a staffing requirements worksheet, using the format in Exhibit 9–4.
2. Compute the number of FTEs required to fill the Admissions officer position and the clerical position at the West Admissions office.

Assignment Exercise 9–2: FTEs to Fill a Position

Metropolis Health System (MHS) uses a basic work week of 40 hours throughout the system. Thus, one full-time employee works 40 hours per week. MHS also uses a standard 24-hour scheduling system of three 8-hour shifts. The Director of Nursing needs to compute the staffing requirements to fill the Operating Room (OR) positions. Since MHS is a trauma center, the OR is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. At present, staffing is identical for all 7 days of the week, although the Director of Nursing is questioning the efficiency of this method.

The Operating Room department is staffed with two nursing supervisors on the day shift and one nursing supervisor apiece on the evening and night shifts. There are two technicians on the day shift, two technicians on the evening shift, and one technician on the night shift. There are three RNs on the day shift, two RNs on the evening shift, and one RN plus one LPN on the night shift. In addition, there is one aide plus one clerical worker on the day shift only.

Required

1. Set up a staffing requirements worksheet, using the format in Exhibit 9–4.
2. Compute the number of FTEs required to fill the Operating Room staffing positions.

Exhibit 9–4 Staffing Requirements Example

Emergency Department Scheduling for 8-Hour Shifts:

Shift 1 Day   Shift 2 Evening  Shift 3 Night    = 24-Hour Scheduling Total

Position:

Emergency Room Intake      1                         1                         1              = 3 8-hour shifts

To Cover Position

7 Days per Week

Equals FTEs of:                 1.4                       1.4                        1.4          = 4.2 FTEs

One full-time employee works 40 hours per week. One 8-hour sh