ed to accurately discuss goals and plans, accurately analyze data, and convert to usable information regarding staffing. Many factors influence the relative effectiveness of human resource planning--labor supply analysis, social/cultural changes, demographic changes, attrition, productivity changes, promotions and transfers, training and development, and accurate job analysis.
Upon an initial assessment it was my guess that the sophistication of the departmental needs and some of the most capable transcribers had outgrown the older methods and management philosophy of the transcribing supervisor. In this case, social and cultural changes were bringing to bear on the problem of turnover in the transcribing section. The most capable workers were young to middle-aged women who were highly intelligent and college-educated. They did not view the job as a career but were highly effective as workers because of their keen aptitude for learning and an easy facility with language. They would work for a few months to a year and move on to something more interesting, much to the dismay of the supervisor and a group of steadfast, loyal transcribers who were not college-educated and viewed medical transcribing as their permanent career. There tended to be a subtle rift between the one group (supervisor and old-timer transcribers) and the other group (college-educated workers just passing through).
Conversations with the supervisor indicated that she really liked the dependability and capability of the "whiz kids" who could so quickly learn the necessary terminology, procedures, and working routines. It seemed to hurt her feelings that they came, worked for a few months, and moved on to something more professionally rewarding. As she was not college-educated herself, she tended to naturally gravitate toward the loyal workers whose work was not as accurate but whose styles and values were more like her own. She took pride in hiring peopl...