Human Resources: Inside a Consumers Perspective and Its Role in Healthcare Organizations

As an asthma patient and mother of an 8 year old girl and a 6 month old baby girl, Human Resources ("HR") is an important function within any health organization. It is where the valuable selecting and training of that vital doctor and staff member that one day you just might need, come into play. As an employee, human resources is that link between you, your skills, education, expertise; and the value an organization puts on those attributes. Unfortunately, HR has always been the department less spoken about in companies I have worked for. Once you are in it’s only about hellos, goodbyes and questions about pay scale or job postings.

However, the fact is that HR is a vital organ in an organization. It is responsible for staffing, educating, increasing technology support, reorganizing the design of an organizations work flow, and its responsible for nurturing the relationship between employer and employee, while following federal, state and local guidelines. HR plays a vaulable role in healthcare organizations, because it is the link between a healthcare organizations purpose, its outcome and performance. It is responsible for the staffing, development, compensation of the human resources that the organization holds as assets to achieve the bottom line. HR provides valuable information to decisions makers on how the organization can manage itsself efficiently while performing at or above expectations (Fried and Fottler, 20).

Many healthcare organizations have not fully embraced the role that HR and HR leaders play in their organization, and the competitive advantage they can provide the organization among competitors. HR leaders hold a significant role in quality and patient safety. Empowering employees on becoming more proactive when issues arise can allow HR and management leaders to identify the problems and find solutions to issues that affect the quality and the safety of patients and employees (Quick, 3).

HR has been always and will continue to be the crucial link between a company’s expectations and what it delivers. In healthcare organizations their role is even more critical because of the risk involved with patients. It’s only a matter of time before HR’s role becomes more in sink as a partner so that the bond between HR and the organization can be harmonious and fruitful.


Fried, Bruce J. and Myron, Fottler D. (2008), Human Resources In Healthcare, Managing for Success. (3rd edition).

Quick, Roger (2008), The Summary of Findings: The Role of Health Care Human Resources in Quality and Safety. Ashhra, Though Leader Forum. Retrieved from URL http://www.ashhra.org/ashhra/about/governance/files/TLF1Summary091608.pdf