The staff is the sixth important factor in McKinsey 7S’s strategy for the survival of small hospitals in India amid increasing corporatization. With the health industry undergoing rapid changes, small hospitals face much pressure when competing with corporatized, more prominent hospitals. The quality and dedication of their staff is one of the most crucial success factors for such smaller institutions. Employees are the backbone of a hospital, and skills, motivation, and commitment affect patient care and overall operational efficiency. In small hospitals, investment in continuous training and development of their human resources is not a strategy for survival but a pathway to excellence. With this article, I will elaborate on how small hospitals can meaningfully invest in their human resources, with solid examples showing such an investment’s returns. These examples were sourced from the staff currently working in those hospitals.
- Importance of Continuous Training and Development
In a small hospital setting, where resources are often stretched thin, every staff member’s role becomes much more critical. Continuous training and development ensure that employees have up-to-date knowledge and skills to deliver the best in patient care. This investment in staff development has several advantages:
a. Improving Clinical Competence: Periodic training programs help healthcare providers remain current with recent medical developments, treatment models, and technologies. For example, Apollo Hospitals offers a systematic training program for nurses and other paramedical staff that uses ‘learning through simulation’. This type of training allows the staff to simulate the most complex procedures in a safe environment, thus boosting their confidence and competence.
b. Better Patient Outcomes: Properly trained staff can make more accurate diagnoses, ensure effective treatment, and provide care to the patient for better results. The nursing staff at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital receives special training in oncology, including up-to-date treatment modalities and techniques for the care of cancer patients. Emphasis on such specialized training has added to the hospital’s reputation in oncology.
c. Technological Advancement Adaptation: The healthcare industry is increasingly reliant on technology, from electronic health records to telemedicine platforms. Training should be developed so that employees can work optimally with those technologies for maximum efficiency and minimum errors. For example, Max Healthcare in Delhi has trained its staff on advanced EHR systems, which have significantly streamlined how healthcare providers manage and coordinate patient data.
2. Professional Development Opportunities
Investing in staff development is not just about the training programs organized regularly; it is more about creating a culture of continued learning and opportunities for professional growth. The following can be done to achieve this:
a. Specialized Training Programs: that address the hospital’s unique pedestal can equip staff to become experts in the subject area. For example, Christian Medical College at Vellore is one hospital that has intensive training for the nursing staff, beginning with critical care and neonatal care and ending with palliative care. Such programs help build nurses’ skills, which ensures CMC offers the best service in these specialized fields.
b. Workshops and Certifications: Conducting workshops and motivating employees to obtain certifications in their areas of interest will further enhance their professional development. Fortis Healthcare provides its employees with the opportunity to attend various national and international conferences to learn firsthand from the experts, share experiences with other peers, and imbibe new insights into best practices. The staff brings back several innovative ideas that can be implemented within the hospital through such exposure.
c. Leadership Development: The future leaders in the organization need to be developed towards the organization’s cause. In this regard, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, conducts leadership development programs for its senior nurses and doctors in all management, communication, and strategic thinking areas. By developing leaders out of potential leaders, the hospital can maintain a stable and capable set of future leaders who can direct the institution forward.
3. Building a Supportive Work Environment
Small hospitals should provide training and development opportunities and create an environment in which their staff feels supported, valued, and acknowledged. A supportive work environment can improve morale, reduce turnover, and enhance job satisfaction.
a. Recognition and Rewards: Recognizing and rewarding staff for their hard work and achievements is essential for maintaining high motivation. In addition to the above, an employee recognition scheme rewarding exemplary performance and incentives for going above the regular call of duty is in practice at Manipal Hospitals. Morale is built through recognition, which nurtures a culture of excellence within the hospital.
b. Work-Life Balance: To prevent burnout, a healthy balance between staff’s work lives and personal commitments must be provided. Apollo Hospitals has introduced the concept of flexi-hours and initiated wellness programs for employees, helping them balance the demands of their jobs with taking care of themselves. Resultantly, there have been higher retention rates and more motivated workforces.
c. Mentorship and Support: Mentoring and supporting junior staff helps them manoeuvre the challenges they face in their jobs and grow within the organization. There is a mentorship program in Narayana Health, where senior doctors and nurses mentor new inductees. This comes out in terms of counselling, support, and encouragement. This helps new entrants fit into their roles and creates a feeling of community and collaboration in the hospital.
4. Innovative methods
a. Innovative Recruitment and Training Model: Care Hospitals in India deals with staff shortages by hiring community individuals who are not qualified and training them in an in-house training program. This innovation not only fills the critical healthcare positions but also provides opportunities for employment in areas that do not have services. The recruits are taken through rigorous training programs covering both theoretical and practical applications to equip them to handle positions in the category of healthcare assistants and technicians. The program ensures good quality care through its continuous supervision and assessment. This model not only increases the efficiency of the human resource base at the hospital but also contributes to socio-economic development in the regions served by Care Hospitals.
b. Comprehensive Multitasking Training Programs: Multitasking training is slowly turning out to be one of the most important strategies implemented by hospitals across the world in making work easier, more efficient in patient care, and getting the best output from the very limited resources available. Institutions like Aravind Eye Care, Cleveland Clinic, Narayana Health, Apollo Hospitals, and Mayo Clinic have also implemented extensive training programs to allow their staff to effectively function in multiple roles. With the increasing number of patients coming to the hospitals for treatment, this approach not only helps the hospital to accommodate but also lets them deliver top standards of care in an era of fast-changing healthcare environments.
5. Real-World Applications of Successful Staff Development
Several small hospitals in India have developed sound staff development initiatives that have positively impacted employees and patients.
a. Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai: Holy Family Hospital invested in CME for its doctors and nurses to ensure they are updated on the latest medical breakthroughs. This has afforded the hospital many CME programs conducted by stalwarts in the medical field, which present it with a great learning opportunity. This kind of investment in education has allowed Holy Family Hospital to maintain its standards and attract only the best in the healthcare industry.
b. Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai: Sankara Nethralaya is a leading eye care hospital that has started a training institute to train ophthalmic professionals. The diploma courses offered by this institute are backed up by workshops and hands-on experience in various fields of eye care. Sankara Nethralaya achieved global recognition of excellence in the area of ophthalmology because it invested heavily in education and training for its staff.
c. Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, Tamil Nadu: Aravind Eye Care has evolved a unique model focusing on training and empowering its staff to deliver high-quality, affordable eye care to the masses. Aravind Eye Care has thus managed to scale its care with in-house training programs that orient the skills, communication of patients, and community outreach to the hospital’s high standards.
Essence: Investment for the Future
Investing in the training and development of employees is more than just a strategic necessity for small hospitals. Instead, it is an investment that the future stands to benefit from. Small hospitals can build up a loyal, skilled, and motivated workforce by providing learning opportunities at each level, developing staff professionally at all levels of work, and building a friendly work culture. This, in turn, improves patient care, operational efficiency, and competitive positioning in the healthcare marketplace. As the examples in this article illustrate, small hospitals can use staff development to excel and assure long-term viability with the right effort.
Dr. Prahlada N. B
MBBS (JJMMC), MS (PGIMER, Chandigarh).
MBA (BITS, Pilani), MHA,
Executive Programme in Strategic Management (IIM, Lucknow)
Senior Management Programme in Healthcare Management (IIM, Kozhikode)
Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Leadership and Innovation (MIT, USA)
Advanced Certificate in AI for Digital Health and Imaging Program (IISc, Bengaluru).
Prahlada Sir,
You have very nicely shown us in this blog with illustrative examples, how to empower employees for the overall success of small hospitals, by considering the following strategies:
1. _Clear communication_: Share the hospital's vision, goals, and expectations with employees.
2. _Autonomy and ownership_: Encourage employees to take ownership of their work and provide autonomy to make decisions.
3. _Training and development_: Offer regular training, workshops, and opportunities for growth.
4. _Feedback and recognition_: Provide regular feedback, recognition, and rewards for outstanding performance.
5. _Collaborative environment_: Foster a culture of teamwork, open communication, and mutual respect.
6. _Employee engagement_: Encourage employee participation in decision-making and problem-solving.
7. _Wellness and support_: Provide resources for employee wellness, mental health, and work-life balance.
8. _Empowerment through technology_: Leverage technology to streamline processes, reduce workload, and enhance patient care.
9. _Celebrate successes_: Acknowledge and celebrate employees' contributions to the hospital's success.
10. _Leadership accessibility_: Ensure leaders are approachable, transparent, and supportive.
By implementing these strategies, small hospitals can empower their employees, leading to increased job satisfaction, productivity, and overall success.
ReplyDear PNB. Though the subject was for small hospitals but you gave examples of all the big hospitals in all.
ReplyThe problem of smaller hospitals is the staff leaves and joins very frequently and you train a staff , by the time he/ she is trained, will join some other hospital at a little higher salary. And the process continues.