Originally published on January 8, 2017 by Orlando Medical News.
By Sonda Eunus, MHA
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.
Leading Management Solutions helps medical
practice leaders identify ways to improve operations to increase revenue,
employee engagement, and patient satisfaction. Learn more about us at www.lmshealthpro.com.
About the Author:
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, increase
practice revenue, and much more. She holds a Masters in Healthcare Management
and a BA in Psychology.
