I won’t lie to you. Training cannot solve all your problems.
But the right training, in the right amount, at the right time, targeted to the right people, can make a huge difference in your organization’s performance.
Case in point: clinical staff training to improve attitudes. If you think you can’t train attitudes, think again. Trainers are taught to teach three things: knowledge, skills and attitudes or K-S-A’s. If you’re worried about patient experience, this is a great place to start.
Are You “Much” or “Not-So-Much”?
Some healthcare facilities exhibit exemplary performance and attitudes from the person who changes the sheets to the head of surgery. Great leadership figures into such places, as does a solid history of doing well for patients and colleagues over a long time.
Some facilities, well, not so much. As a trainer, I get to see more of the facilities that are in the “not so much” category.
You might think your staffing problems are intractable. How can training possibly help a bunch of bad attitudes – staff-to-staff, management-to-staff, staff-to-management and – horrors! – staff-to-patient. Guess what? Just like teaching someone how to start a pic line, your really can teach behaviors. And it doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds.
Have I seen it all? Nope. Have I seen enough? You betcha.
Let me tell you about my favorite client, and why they are my favorite client.
When one nursing home chain finds some facilities performing below industry standards, it sends in the trainers. I’ve been to long-term-care homes that saw a spike in patient-on-caregiver abuse. We found talking to each other on shift handoffs, and a few other communication adjustments, made a huge difference in bringing those numbers to zero.
Another LTC facility was told it was “the worst home in the chain.” Gee, something to live down to, huh? No more. When you change the vision of what you are best at, and what’s at stake for you, your coworkers and your patients, you can motivate people to find another way to be the best at something.
This healthcare facility faces its demons head on, stares them down, and sends them packing. And it is the great and caring people from top to bottom that are behind it all. With a little help from training.
