SWOT Analysis Essay

Introduction
SWOT-analysis helps identify the organization’s threats, opportunities, weaknesses, and strengths; thus, it is essential in this time of COVID to improve the healthcare facilities’ performance. Regarding this, the framework concentrates on both the external and internal factors of associations, making it easy for organizations to make changes where possible. For instance, St. Mary Medical Center (SMMC) is an acute care hospital providing several services such as pediatric, emergency, trauma, medical, obstetrical surgical, and plays a significant role in treating COVID-19. The hospital has four hundred and sixty beds but moved the COVID unit to a more prominent location with thirty beds, all having negative pressure. Relating to SWOT analysis, the hospital faces various strengths such as social support, weaknesses such as inadequate staff with opportunities such as educating the community, and threats such as insufficient knowledge on the disease when dealing with COVID-19.

Strengths
SMMC’s strengths in dealing with COVID 19 include social support from management and leadership, staff working as a team, and incentives for staff working with the COVID-19 patients. In the health sector, leadership and management play a crucial role in ensuring that an organization meets its objectives (Huber, 2014). In this respect, strengths include the available internal factors that place an association at an advantage in achieving its ambitions. Regarding this, SMMC social support from management and leadership help the hospital in dealing with COVID-19. Moreover, collaboration and provision of incentives motivate the staff members to work towards a common goal, assisting in coping with COVID-19. Therefore, social support from leadership and management, provision of incentives, and staff working as a team serve as SMMC strengths to deal with COVID-19, although there are weaknesses.

Weaknesses
SMMC’s weaknesses in dealing with COVI-19 include the shortage of staff, the limited amount of PPE, and economic loss due to fewer elective surgeries cases. In SWOT analysis, weaknesses include internal factors that inhibit the organization from achieving its ambitions (Gürel & Tat, 2017). Concerning this, high recovery for COVID-19 patients can be achieved by providing staff with proper PPE and having adequate staff to deal with the escalating number of patients. In this respect, SMMC’s weakness in dealing with COVID-19 includes the shortage of staff and a limited amount of PPE, such as face masks and protective gear to curb the spread of the virus within the organization. Additionally, COVID-19 has resulted in economic loss due to fewer elective surgeries, contributing to a shortage of funds to aid in dealing with the pandemic. Therefore, lack of staff, the limited amount of PPE, and economic loss due to fewer elective surgeries are SMMC’s weaknesses in dealing with COVID-19, although some opportunities are available.

Opportunity
The opportunity available for SMMC in dealing with COVID-19 includes educating staff and the community on the virus. In SWOT analysis, possibilities include the external factors that the organization can invest in to enhance the achievement of the ambitions (Gürel & Tat, 2017). This assertion implies that an association is obliged to spend on the available opportunities to bring the desired change. Regarding this, the COVID-19 recovery rate can be increased through the education of the staff members and the community. Therefore, the available opportunity for SMMC in dealing with COVID-19 includes educating the staff and community about the virus to curb its spread, although various threats are in existence.

Threats
SMMC’s threats in dealing with COVID-19 include lack of adequate knowledge of the disease, overflow of patients, and inadequate ventilator machines. In SWOT analysis, the risks include the external factors that prevent the organization from achieving its objectives (Gürel & Tat, 2017). Regarding this, SMMC organization’s goal is to provide quality services; thus, the pandemic has influenced the organization to swift its focus, and factors such as lack of adequate knowledge, inadequate ventilator machines, and patients overflow act as inhibitors in ensuring the hospital achieve its ambitions.

Conclusion
St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC) SWOT analysis helps the organization identify areas that require improvement in dealing with COVID-19. Regarding this, the organization’s strengths include social support from leadership and management, staff working as a team, and provision of incentives to staff working with COVID-19 patients. In contrast, the weaknesses include a shortage of staff, a limited amount of PPE, and economic loss due to less number of elective surgeries. The opportunity available for the hospital is educating the staff and community on COVID-19 while the threats include the disease, inadequate knowledge on the virus, patient overflow, and scarce ventilator machines.

References
Gürel, E., & Tat, M. (2017). SWOT analysis: a theoretical review. Journal of International Social Research, 10(51). Retrieved from http://sosyalarastirmalar.com/cilt10/sayi51_pdf/6iksisat_kamu_isletme/gurel_emet.pdf
Huber, D. (2014). Leadership and nursing care management (5th ed). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier. Retrieved from https://www.elsevier.com/books/leadership-and-nursing-care-management/huber/978-1-4557-4071-0