Job Description: Operations Manager in Echocardiography Lab

Job Description: Operations Manager in Echocardiography Lab Based on the week 1 final project paper, the position for this assignment is the Operations Manager for the Echocardiography Lab. Job descriptions identify the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a position. They detail what, why, where, and how responsibilities are done (Flynn, Mathis, Jackson, Langan, 2006, p. 102). The general summary within a job description is a brief statement of general responsibilities and components that make the position unique from others. The essential functions section of a description is a set of precise statements specifying major tasks, duties, and responsibilities performed. The job specifications portion of the job description details specific qualifications needed to perform the job acceptably. This would include details such as required skills, education, experience, and physical requirements of the role (Flynn, Mathis, Jackson, Langan, 2006, p. 102). Standard and complete job descriptions can drive performance standards and competencies. They provide a platform to demonstrate what the position accomplishes and how performance is measured in relation to key areas of the job description. In fact, JCAHO standards require healthcare organizations to combine the job description with performance and competency assessment (Flynn, Mathis, Jackson, Langan, 2006, p. 103). If employees are familiar with the expectations, performance measurement, and required competencies, there is a far greater opportunity for satisfactory performance. The job description should be tailored to the specific need a position satisfies. The tasks to be performed and the outcome expected are pivotal. Critical competencies should include those that are integral for the job. They should reflect the ability to produce specific or minimum outcomes in a safe, timely manner (Patton, 2013, p 143). This ensures that every employee in the same role has a standard description and identical expectations. Each employee can then be gauged against those requirements. Position Overview: This role is responsible for coordinating the operations of allied health staff in the outpatient, inpatient setting for the echocardiography lab within the Division of Cardiology. The employee will manage the department in alignment institutional and division missions, visions, and objectives. This person will serves as a key member of the leadership team with a primary focus on planning and implementation of policies and systems. In addition, the position will require facilitates project management while leading a multidisciplinary team including financial analysis, problem solving, and team collaboration. This team member will regulate staffing in accordance with fluctuating workload. The position requires project management in support of institutional and divisional projects, staff recruitment, policy implementation, and serves as a primary resource for issues and communications. This person will performs duties independently and initiate sound judgment in handling a variety of management issues. Organizational Relationships: The hierarchy of this position is pretty straight forward. The operations manager reports to the Cardiology Medical Director and an Operations Administrator. Thus, there is physician and administrative oversight. Ultimately, the position would be directly responsible for several supervisors, including the managers of the outreach practice, education and quality, the program chair of the echocardiography school, the lab, and the administration office for the department. The position falls within the Cardiology Department, which is part of the Department of Medicine of the organization. Ultimately, Jeffrey Bolton, the Chief Administrative Officer and Dr. John Noseworthy, the President and CEO of Mayo Clinic are at the top of the organizational structure (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2013). Candidates will be required to work cooperatively with department/division leadership and multidisciplinary teams, supervisors, administrators, physicians, and personnel both w ithin and outside the organization. There is a number of staff that would directly report to this manager, including sonographers, nurses, administrative personnel, and various supervisors. Educational Requirements: The preferred educational background for this position is a Masters degree in Business or Healthcare field and two years healthcare management experience. Required Skills: Candidates should have strong leadership, team building, and problem-solving skills as well as demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with multiple disciplines. The candidate must have excellent communication, organizational and human relation skills. This position requires excellent decision-making and judgment capabilities. Candidates must have broad based knowledge of office support and computer systems along with software knowledge and installation. In addition, the candidate must have business acumen with experience with accounting practices for budgetary responsibilities. This job is unique based on the limited number of comparable echocardiography labs in the area and even the nation. There are certainly other management positions both within and outside the organization, but very few would provide the ability to manage such a world-class department. In addition, this position would provide a solid networking opportunity. The manager would have the opportunity to work alongside physicians and administrators, gain professional experience, and showcase skills. This position may be a on-the-job interview for future positions in the leadership hierarchy. The course text indicates that effective compensation programs should focus on four primary objectives, including legal compliance, cost effectiveness for the organization, equity for staff, and performance enhancement for the organization (Flynn et al., 2006). There are two components of any compensation package, direct and indirect. Direct compensation is essentially the pay for work achieved. Indirect compensation entails compensating employees with a tangible value without receiving monetary gain. Examples of indirect compensation are benefits such as health insurance, vacation pay, or retirement pension, which are provided to employees regardless of performance (Flynn et al., 2006). There must be a balance between compensation and cost that ensures competitiveness and rewards employees for experience, knowledge, skills, and performance. The organization should provide a comprehensive compensation package in order to recruit, retain, and reward performance. According to Hariharan (2014), a well-planned approach to recruitment will improve a healthcare organization’s leverage in recruiting the most talented individuals. Treating those employees with respect for the duration of their tenure will ensure retention. By recognizing what is important to a potential employee and offering competitive compensation and personal development opportunities, the organization can attract the best candidates and use the newfound intellectual capital to enhance organizational performance. Based on benchmarking similar positions within the organization and comparable academic institutions, the compensation package should be at the 50th percentile of the market. The salary range would be dependent on education, experience, and internal tenure. Preference for the position should be provided internally before the position is posted outside the organization. References: Flynn, W., Mathis, R. L, Jackson, J. H., Langan, P. L. (2006). HealthcareHuman Resource Management [VitalSouce bookshelf version] Retrieved fromhttp://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9781133614395/id/ch03 Hariharan, Selena,M.D., M.H.S.A. (2014). Physician recruitment and retention: A physicians perspective.Physician Executive,40(2), 44-6, 48. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1518114883?accountid=87314 Patton, M. T. (2013). Avoiding Common Job Description Mistakes.AMT Events,30(3), 142-144.