It’s universally acknowledged that working in the healthcare sector can be physically and mentally demanding.
Of course there are the obvious physical rigours of manually handling patients, being on their feet for long hours, and coping with the health implications of shift work. Then there are the mental challenges of heavy workloads, fatigue, burnout, and anxiety and depression from exposure to human suffering.
An important key to keeping your healthcare workforce engaged, motivated and healthy is providing opportunities for and encouraging your people to undergo professional development.
Embracing workplace wellness strategies is becoming acknowledged more and more as a critical element towards reducing employee attrition and retaining valuable team members.
Highlights
- Healthcare work is tough, both physically and mentally.
- Professional development keeps healthcare staff motivated.
- Workplace wellness reduces staff turnover.
- Organisational support boosts job satisfaction.
- Lifelong learning is vital in evolving healthcare.
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Who’s caring for the carers?
Healthcare professionals give, give, and give some more. In frontline roles, they prioritise others’ wellbeing over their own, fundamentally because it’s their job, but also because to pursue a career in healthcare, they typically have a deep desire to be of service.
Organisations that are on board with workplace wellness tend to have individuals on staff who feel healthy, happy and fulfilled. By encouraging staff education and professional development, your organisation shows your employees that they are seen, heard and cared for.
The importance of staff education in healthcare
The many benefits of staff education go beyond those to patients and clients. Staff in healthcare roles who undergo professional development report experiencing less job strain and higher job satisfaction. Accreditations and other qualifications can equip staff to take on roles of greater responsibility, therefore empowering them, which further fills their ‘career cup’.
While responsibility may seem more demanding, it can also be more rewarding, especially when the employer organisation is supportive and cooperative.
Why is organisational development important in healthcare?
If the pandemic has taught us anything – and it’s taught us a great deal – it’s that organisational development is key to building a healthy workforce.
Nurturing an organisation’s people – its human resources – pays dividends. It turns out that valuing people over profit provides a positive kickback! When people feel valued, supported, encouraged and empowered, they become profit drivers, irrespective of whether it happens proactively or unwittingly.
Organisational development involves developing individuals’ or teams’ talents, engaging and motivating staff, actively improving their potential, and devising service improvement strategies. All of this adds up to a more cohesive team that feels more energised and incentivised to work towards important metrics and the delivery of service in a way that gives patients/clients a positive impression of the organisation. Again, this pays dividends for the business.
Why is lifelong learning important in healthcare?
Healthcare is a heavily regulated industry, and rightly so. There’s a great deal at stake if things go wrong, including people’s lives. As well, healthcare is constantly evolving thanks to ongoing medical discoveries, from new vaccines and drugs to new techniques and new equipment. Then there are legislative changes that occur periodically and of course, minor and major impacts such as small disease outbreaks, global pandemics and so on.
For healthcare businesses and employers, continuing professional development is fundamental so that staff are properly equipped to practise safely and effectively. For individuals, it’s a vital part of staying on top of their game.
Lifelong learning in healthcare helps an individual to:
- Broaden their knowledge
- Deliver more effective care
- Remain current in their profession or role
- Learn new skills
- Improve competencies
- Adapt to evolving techniques
- Expand their career options
- Be more flexible in response to changes and challenges
- Retain strong credibility
- Contribute more comprehensively in their role
- Further their career ambitions
- Keep licensing and accreditation requirements current
- Navigate the complex and ever-changing healthcare sector
The benefits to employer organisations in encouraging professional development
A well-trained and well-developed workforce is an engaged, productive and dedicated workforce.
As an employer organisation, the benefits to you are:
- Greater staff retention
- The ability to attract a high calibre of new talent
- Greater acknowledgement as a strong employer who cares about its workforce
- A reputation for having a high-quality, well-trained workforce
- An enhanced reputation for quality of patient/client care
- Better operational performance
- A more competent, more cohesive team
- A competitive advantage in your sector
- Identify and nurture future leaders
- Keep your workforce energised and motivated
- Improve efficiencies
Why choose MiTraining to deliver your corporate workshops?
At MiTraining, we offer an array of workshop topics that help build high-performing teams, create resilient workforces, help individuals and teams think critically and creatively, and much more.
Just three of our popular workshop topics are DISC ADVANCED® (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance) Assessment, How to Beat Burnout and Stress, and Positive Dialogue with Challenging Clients. We can also customise your corporate workshop needs to cover specific topics.
Contact us today about a live Workplace Wellness course in your practice or healthcare setting.
