We live in an extremely fast paced world and everything around us is becoming obsolete in a blink. In fact, science fiction movies over the years have depicted how human beings would become outmoded in the near dark future and machines will take over. But why think that far ahead when we humans have competition from someone else at this very moment? Other humans. In order to keep up with all the development taking place in every conceivable industry, sub industry, and entrepreneurial pursuits, we are all hopefully trying to upgrade our skills regularly. For those of us that are not and feel cushy in our roles, we need to think again.

Speed and accuracy are being heralded as the need of the hour and as a race we demand optimum solutions for everything ranging from food delivery, and parking to large scale infrastructure and space programs. With information at our fingertips, we are well informed about our choices and the hospital industry isn’t spared from these expectations. For a hospital to ensure that it provides quality care without compromising on the expectations of its patients, it must constantly innovate on their services and stay abreast of the latest modes of healthcare delivery. I firmly believe that technology, practices and processes form an important part in this progression, but a hospital’s human capital is of primary importance to drive them. Therefore, they need to evolve constantly in their knowledge and execution. This is why hospital staff training is exceptionally important.

Hospitals offer critical, life saving, and life preserving services that cannot be mimicked by other industries and therefore must be vigilant of the safety and quality of their offerings. The definition of safety and quality just like everything else evolves over time and its flag bearers, the hospital staff must ensure that they meet this evolution with progress of their own in a consistent manner.

While most hospitals try to cover their bases via traditional training patterns in both clinical and non clinical areas, the human touch seems to have diminished while offering healthcare. Compassion, communication and support are amongst our greatest virtues. We need to ensure that these human traits evolve along with the technical requirements.

Here are some focus areas for hospital staff training that are not necessarily in the limelight.

Employee empowerment
It is essential that every employee at a hospital from a CEO to a ward boy feels empowered by the duties assigned to them and takes complete responsibility for their roles. This is truly possible only if a hospital shows that they care for their contributions and is willing to trust them in their roles. It is important to conduct regular team bonding sessions to drill this point in firmly.

Soft skills
If a hospital were to look at its competitors, they are likely to offer technology, clinical brilliance, quality and effectiveness of services that are on par with their own. Hospitals would need to set themselves apart on various other parameters. The courtesy extended towards its patients is certainly one area that hospitals would like to tap into. A helpful, cheerful, and caring hospital staff does wonders to enhance the experience of patients and their families during their stay there. You will be amazed by how many people have told me that they like to seek treatment at a hospital because of their courteous staff in particular.

Safety
While good hospitals lay enough importance on clinical and administrative enhancement on a consistent basis, great hospitals ensure that in addition to this they do not compromise on safety even to the slightest extent. Lectures and training programs are constantly designed to upgrade skill sets and then implement them in daily practice. However, safety at times tends to take a back seat, especially in non clinical areas, which can have a dampening effect on the hospital’s legacy. After all, how many fire incidents have we heard of in hospitals in recent times?

Mentorship
It is imperative that hospitals assign senior staff members as mentors of junior ones. This practice would ensure that the juniors not only learn critical tasks on the job but also develop the mental and emotional wherewithal under friendly guidance to perform and excel in a high stress environment of a hospital.

Marketing
Marketing targets our senses and emotions. We have become a society of impulsive buyers and everything that glitters seems to be gold. We can keep convincing ourselves that we have made logical choices during our purchases but our emotions always seep in secretly. It is important for hospitals to let their patients know that they are up to the task in providing services that can exceed their expectations and truly make them feel safe, comfortable and happy. There are plenty of studies out there that explain the latest trends in marketing and their effects. It’s important for the marketing professionals at hospitals to adopt these and evolve. And it is important that every critical staff member at a hospital is aware of these methods since each one of them serves as an ambassador for the organization.

While there are umpteen areas to be considered for hospital staff training, these are just a few to mull over and implement.