Appendix A – Case

Medical Rehabilitation Center (MRC) Partial Organizational Chart.

MRC is a private rehabilitation hospital that serves people who have had strokes, surgeries
or injuries resulting in brain, spinal cord and/or other neurological impairments. The mission
is to restore the health and enhance the lives of those who seek its services. Typically,
patients require a variety of medical and therapeutic treatments. Medical doctors and nurses
treat illnesses and injuries and provide direct care for the patients’ physical and mental
health needs. Therapists (physical, occupational, speech, respiratory) teach patients skills
that were impaired by the illness or injury, such as talking, walking, and eating. Some
medical needs are unique based on the patient’s injury or illness and require specialized
knowledge. However, some of the treatments and therapies are similar across medical
diagnoses. Some patients stay at the facility during their recovery, while others are served
on an outpatient basis.

Task

Your task is to build an organizational chart for key clinical staff at MRC. This is a partial
chart and does not include administrative functions such as human resources and
accounting or some health-related jobs such as pharmacists, orthotists, dieticians, and so
on. Your goal is to design an organizational structure that has effective communication,
minimal destructive conflict between groups, customer responsiveness and job satisfaction
for workers. To that end, you might want to consider efficient workflow, reduced need for
supervision and work flexibility. When you’re done, draw the chart!

Below are the key jobs that are directly involved in patient care. The number of people
currently employed for each job is provided in parentheses.

Note: You are allowed to create up to 4 new positions should you wish to do so in addition
to the existing ones.

Source: Baker (2019)

Staff List

• Occupational therapists (OT) help patients learn to do daily activities such as eat,
brush their teeth, and so on. (14)
• Physical therapists (PT) help patients exercise, promote nerve conduction,
strengthen muscles, and regain mobility. (14)
• Speech therapists (ST) help patients regain their ability to listen, speak, read, and
write. (8)
• Respiratory therapists (RT) help evaluate and treat patients with breathing problems
or other cardiopulmonary disorders. (4)
• Registered nurses (RN) care for, and supervise the care for, patients’ health needs;
administer medicines, shots, take vital signs, and so on. (8)
• Licensed practical nurses (LPN) assist the RNs with patients’ health needs. (8)
• Certified nursing assistants (CNA) care for patients’ more basic needs, for example,
they escort them to cafeteria or therapy, deliver food to patients who eat in the
room, provide bathroom assistance, and so on. (16)
• Psychologists conduct testing on the patients’ mental abilities and work with a
physician to determine a medical plan. (3)
• Clerical staff schedule the patients’ sessions with therapists and psychologists and
maintain patient files. (2)
• Three full-time physicians and three part-time physicians are employed by the
center. Physicians are needed for (1) specific care related to patients’ injuries and
(2) general care and health emergencies. (3/3)
• A nurse practitioner is employed by the center to assess patients’ health status,
develop a treatment plan and evaluate progress. Works in consultation with
physicians. (1)
• Social workers provide social services created by short- or long-term disabilities (2)
• A full-time administrator oversees the daily clinical and administrative operations of
the rehabilitation center, including those related to planning, finance, and staffing.
(1)

Source: Baker (2019)