Acute Hospital Coursework Example

Acute Hospital
Name
Institution
Acute Hospital
Using the matrix organizational system in the hospital setting can provide healthcare managers with improved information processing, quick responses and greater flexibility to cope with structural complexity and the dynamic operating environment. This system of management allows healthcare professionals to work under team leaders with clinical or non-clinical expertise. In this case, an occupational therapist working under a non-therapist supervisor may have several advantages and disadvantages. Some of the benefits include enhanced interpersonal relationships between therapists and the non-therapist lead as result of increased interactions aimed at the achievement of goals. More so, when therapists work under the supervision of a non-therapist, it helps improve communication and establishes connections between departments in a hospital setting (Sandstrom, Lohman, & Bramble, 2014). It reduces the complexity of the health care system from the patient’s perspective that is, between therapists and patients. It also helps improve the quality of medical care due to the continuous flow of information and education in the product line.
More so, managing an entire product line composed of different types of therapists and other categories of health care professionals may cause the product line manager to lose touch with the consumers of the medical services. Further, having a team leader without professional expertise on occupational therapy may create conflict and frustration since the team members may feel that the manager’s responsibility exceeds his or her authority; this may lead to confusion when making decisions.

Since non-therapists managers have a generalist role, they may be required to make decisions therapist related expertise that they may not have. In this case, technically trained personnel would be in a better position to serve as product line lead rather than a generalist.
References
Sandstrom, R. W., Lohman, H. L., & Bramble, J. D. (2014). Public Policy and Therapists. Health Services: Policy and systems for a therapist (3rd Ed.) (pp. 173- 187). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson education.