A healthcare organization's success is impossible without the right team in place. The manager responsible for hiring and training the employees who will ultimately be responsible for providing customer service and patient care must possess a high level of emotional intelligence to correctly identify the successful candidates apart from those that only look good on paper. As any experienced manager knows, a good work ethic and a positive attitude can speak louder than work experience and education for many employees. Of course, a physician cannot bypass the education required and treat patients with just a smile and words of encouragement. However, on many occasions, a physician or any other healthcare provider who is fresh out of school but possesses the right attitude and eagerness to learn can provide better patient care than one who has years of experience but a sour attitude and a negative demeanor. With a positive attitude and willingness to learn, any employee can be trained to work efficiently and provide quality customer service and patient care.
To achieve the highest level of employee productivity, the healthcare manager must be able to connect with that employee on a deeper level than a simple supervisor-subordinate relationship. In order to engage the employee, the manager must know the right strategies to use to show that employee just how meaningful their work is to the organization, his or her coworkers, and most importantly to the patients themselves. The employee must be empowered to autonomously make decisions that will benefit the patient while also upholding the organization's policies and procedures. Micromanagement is a thing of the past, and one that has stifled employees for far too long. In its place, healthcare managers are using extensive employee training, motivation, and empowerment to free themselves of the task of being omnipresent to watch over every employee's shoulder. The time that they gain by reducing time spent directly supervising employees can instead be used to research and formulate new business strategies to enhance organizational growth and increase revenue and productivity.
Appropriate training and development are crucial in order to motivate individuals and make them more innovative and productive. Training is especially significant to employees at their early stages in the new working environment, whereas development sharpens their skills and competencies. Learning should be ongoing, and many organizations have implemented regular testing to ensure that employees can identify potential areas for improvement, and obtain the training necessary to boost their competence, confidence, and job satisfaction from knowing what they are doing. Training and development programs result in higher motivation and lower employee turnover. Well trained employees are willing to and capable of assuming more responsibilities and working autonomously. They therefore need less supervision, freeing up their supervisors to focus on other management duties. Well trained employees are also better able to answer patients' questions and provide assistance as needed, leading to increased patient satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, employees who are confident in their knowledge of the organization's operations are happier, complain less, have better relationships with their supervisors, and work more efficiently. This in turn leads to a productive and happy work environment, and organizational success.
Sonda Eunus is the Founder and CEO of Leading Management Solutions, a healthcare management consulting company (www.lmshealthpro.com). Along with a team of experienced and knowledgeable consultants, she works with healthcare practice managers to improve practice operations, train employees, and increase practice revenue. She holds a Masters in Healthcare Management and a BA in Psychology.
