Chinelle Brown, MBA
Training and Development
The challenges in any workplace are numerous, finding the person that is the right fit is crucial. Technology, laws and regulations are changing how many organizations work on a daily basis. Training and development is critical for they address the expertise that is current and what is lurking around the next corner.
Why Training and Education are Vital in Health Care
Proper training will ensure employees have the skills needed to do their job or provide the help needed to correct areas where their performance may be lacking. In many organizations there are employees that stand out, development of these employees help in addressing the needs of the organization in the near future (L Gomez-Mejia, D. Balkin, & R. Cardy, 2010). There are a vast number of jobs in the healthcare industry with the majority requiring some form of education and training. It is imperative that all employees are educated and trained properly to perform as the job requires. The employee and organization are at potential risk by each action performed by the employee, proper education and training can help reduce that risk. State and Federal regulations must be adhered to by each organization and their employees, education and training plays a critical part in making this happen. Education and training help to reduce potential lawsuits to not only the organization but the employee as well.
Importance of Measuring Competencies
Competence is defined as a cluster of related knowledge, abilities, skills, and commitments that allow an organization or person to act effectively in a situation or job (www.businessdictionary.com, 2013). Essentially training and education equal competence. In health care measuring competence is important and invaluable in recruitment of individuals that perform the responsibilities and duties of their job to their fullest potential daily. According to Kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper “it is mandatory to do a job correctly, periodically measuring performance is critical in determining whether competence is used in their work.” There are standards of care in health care, measuring competence helps to assure these standards are being met. Measuring an employee’s competence helps the employer place the employee in the position best suited to their performance and skills. Measuring competency is an excellent way to make certain that jobs are done correctly by both employers and employees. There are many uses for measuring competency such as finding the candidates ready for job promotion. Every organization has potential leaders among their current employees. Testing and monitoring employees is a way that competence can be measured. Measuring competency will help in determining the efficiency of the training programs and curriculum in place (Kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
A key objective in development and training in healthcare is measuring training effectiveness and tracking employee training. According to Archibold, “establishing quality Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is a way to determine employee training effectiveness.” When KPI’s are created and tracked properly they are very effective. To track and monitor training effectiveness of employees it has to be quantifiable and measurable. The first step is to evaluate all individuals in training. Step two is measuring effectiveness by how the new skill and knowledge are applied on the job. This is easily done through informal or formal testing which can include verbal…