Human Resource in Health Care

Human Resource in Hospital

Nepal has a historical background of absorbing managerial ideas and practices from around the world. The roots of management principles and prevalence of human resource practices can be traced to the world’s first management book, titled ‘Arthashastra’, written three millennium before Christ, which highlighted many aspects of human resource practices in Nepal

The sociocultural roots of Indian heritage are diverse and have been drawn from multiple sources including ideas brought from other parts of the old world.

Hospital 

According to the Directory  ‘A hospital is an institution which is operated for the medical, surgical and/or obstetrical care of in-patients and which is treated as a hospital by the Central/state government! Local body/private and licensed by the appropriate authority.’

Need for HR in Healthcare 

• Human Resource (HR) managers oversee employee administrative affairs in an organization. 

• The benefits of a HR department have gradually gained recognition in health care, owing to such challenges as economic instabilities, healthcare regulations and a dearth of experienced personnel. 

• The American Society for Healthcare Human Resources (ASHHRA) says that the presence of a HR manager in a healthcare facility is essential in delivering effective services

 A well-motivated and appropriately skilled and deployed workforce is crucial to the success of health system delivery. • The actual methods used to manage human resources in health care are in themselves a major constraint or facilitator in achieving the objectives of any health organization.

HR Job Descriptions in Healthcare

• Recruiter 
• Compensation Manager 
• HR Generalist 
• Training and Development Manager

HR Practice in Healthcare 

• Staffing and Placement – Recruitment – Induction 
• Legal Research on Health Care – Health-related laws – Disputes arising from employee contracts.
• Management of Employees – Training – Performance Appraisal – Job Satisfaction 
• Decision-Making – Benefits – Promotion – Career Planning

Challenges 

• Healthcare organizations face continuous pressure to become productive, innovative, and provide quality health care 
• Frequently uncertain and difficult to assess
• Healthcare outcomes are public organizations, hospitals cannot, in most cases, be judged on the basis of profitability. 
• Healthcare organizations are particularly complex due to their dual lines of accountability: professional and administrative.

Human resource issues limiting the health system 

• Inadequate assessment of soft skills and other competencies at the time of recruitment 
• Inadequate training at various levels 
• Centralized planning and target-oriented performance appraisal 
• Rewards not linked to performance

Ways to Develop HRD Programs in Hospitals Training Programs: 

Training can be largely divided into two segments. – 

1. The continual medical training is given to doctors, nurses and paramedics.
2. Service and behavioral training is given to the front-office staff, telephone operators as well as nurses.

Training program for Paramedics: 

The Training Program for Paramedics should not only focus on medical aspects but also on hospitality.

General Training Programs: 

• Training For Improving Soft Skills:
• Self-awareness 
• Confidence-building 
• Interpersonal Skills
• Team Spirit 
• Corporate Communication
• Behavioral Management 
• Leadership.

Leadership programs To enhance the behavioral skills of its employees, hospitals should initiate leadership programmes for its doctors and also the staff. 

The environment in which health care professionals practice is one in which conflict and the need for negotiation abounds. 

In order to develop as managers and senior leaders, individuals must know how their peers, subordinates, and supervisors perceive them.

Internal Team-building: 

• Training programmes are also effective platforms for internal team building. 
• When employees from different departments of a hospital come together by dint of a training initiative, it gives them an opportunity to understand each other better.

Technical Training : 

ECG, Echo, TMT, X-Ray, and also anesthesia technicians, physician assistants, cath lab technicians and nursing care professionals. 

Training to handle disaster situations: 

Hospitals are amongst the most vulnerable places in case of any natural disaster because it houses patients who may not be able to escape. u Such a training program is provided by NDMA.

Training for cleaning staff :

A hospital generates medical wastes which may be harmful if not properly disposed. As a result, their training programmes include: 

• How to handle bio-hazard, used syringes, and other medical wastes. 
• Separation of waste into recyclable and non-recyclable components.
• learning how to operate hospital oriented cleaning machines. 
• Maintain a log of cleaning activities done.

Feedback from Staff Members

• Regular feedback from hospital staff should be taken about the working environment and HRD programs being conducted in the hospital. 
• This data can be used to analyze the problems faced by the employees and undertake appropriate actions to help structure the programs in a better way.

Conclusion

• The critical importance of HRD and its various issues can no longer be ignored 
• Rational recruitment procedures to meet the organizational goals, timeliness of the reward systems, transparent transfers policy, effective support systems, etc., are the felt needs of the times. 

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