Traning_and_Development_Paper

Training and Development in Health Care Misty Kroenke HCS341 October 3, 2011 George DeRosa Training and Development in Health Care The most important factor for the success of an organization is the ability of the people it employs. In today’s world where technological and economical changes take place often, organizations need to be able to deal with these changes effectively. The changing needs in health care compels organizations to be innovative and use their resources in the most efficient way possible in order to remain competitive. Existing and potential employees have to be aware of new technology in order to be able to perform well. The best way that an organization can be sure that employees are up to par with new technology and advances is by using training and development. Training and development are critical to organizations because they provide the skills now and in the future. Training and Development As I.L. Goldstein and P. Gilliam state: “Employee training and development is any attempt to improve future employee performance by increasing an employee’s ability to perform”. There are many reasons why training is needed in an organization either to be used now or in the future. Sometimes health care organizations develop the need for new products and this requires employees to be trained on them. Other times employees are promoted and this also requires new skills and knowledge. Most training happens when new people are hired and they need to be trained on how to use the system so that they can perform their job. If employees are not properly trained on the equipment that is being used in health care then they cannot be effective in their daily jobs. Importance of measuring Competencies Being able to measure each individual employee’s abilities is very important to the organization. In health care it is very important to know if the staff is doing their job properly. Making sure that they have the knowledge on current medical issues and care is very important. If employees are not up to date with procedures and current ways of doing things then they may not be able to do the job properly and that could hurt patient care. Competence encompasses several things such as, knowledge, skills and abilities. Measuring competence is vital in determining the ability of health care workers to provide quality services. There are many ways to measure competence. Making sure that one has certifications and schooling is the main way to measure competence. If there is continuing education offered by an organization then this would help with staff keeping up with the times. Evaluating Training Effectiveness One way to track employee performance is performance indicators. Employees training effectiveness should be competency based and be proficient. Management needs to be able to understand if the training they are providing is effective and checking to see if employees are competent once they are done with training and making sure they become proficient in their task will make all the difference to the organization and to the patients. Health Care organizations must communicate their goals to employees and ask that the employees give feedback so they know if the training they are providing is any good or not or if there can be any improvements made to the current program. If employees know that they will be checked on after the training then they may stick to what was taught. Also if it is made known that if they have any questions they can ask someone and they will answer them as soon as possible then that might make the employees feel more confident with the training that is being provided. Conclusion A health care organization has goals that need to be met and they will use any means to make sure that they are being met. Training is part of this strategy, in most cases training is accepted by the employees as a good thing, but sometimes there are a few employees that feel it is unnecessary and are opposed. If management introduces the training in a way that makes the employees feel that it is worthwhile and it is needed in order to do their jobs then they may take to it a lot easier. Also if health care organizations are tracking employee’s progress and giving rewards this will improve morale and make for a pleasant work environment. References Gómez-Mejía, L., Balkin, D., & Cardy, R. (2010). Managing human resources. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Retrieved September 28, 2011. Goldstein, I.L. & Gilliam, P. (2000). “Training system issues in the year 2000.”American Psycologist. Retrieved September 28, 2011. Pigors, P., Myers, C. & Malm, F.(2010). Management of human resources. 2nd. Ed., USA: McGraw Hill. Retrieved September 28, 2011.