RESPIRATORY THERAPIST AND NURSE LEADERSHIP: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE DELIVERY

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the need for a transition in the structure of health care delivery in the United States away from a physician-dominant system. Health care and many of its accompanying demands should receive attention from policymakers, professional healthcare personnel, and educational establishments. Much of what is offered in this paper is generalizable to other countries. The specific examples cited are of particular interest to those in the United States. The goal of this paper is to launch a comprehensive dialogue related to the vertical transition of health care leadership. (Marchildon et al., 2021)

Further, throughout this paper, and in general, it is not the intention to suggest that medical expertise is unnecessary or undesirable. The intent is to broaden leadership participation, decision-making, and control of a system of health, only part of which is that of actually providing medical care. Those individuals outside of actual medical care delivery can apply their training in areas beneficial to overall health systems management and are not limited to the applied use of business skills. Data utilized within this paper come from a variety of sources, including qualitative interviews with health care organization directors. These interviews were conducted as part of a larger study examining whether progressive management practices are gaining in importance in healthcare. (Petersson et al.2022)