Human Resource In Hospital Management

Introduction• India 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 millennia before Christ, which highlighted many aspects of human resource practices in ancient India.

• 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 of Hospitals in

India, 1988, ‘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 Health care• 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, health care 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 health care facility is essential in delivering effective services

Cont…• 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 healthcare are in themselves a major constraint or facilitator in achieving the objectives of any health organisation.

HR Job Descriptions in Healthcare

• Recruiter

• Compensation Manager

• HR Generalist

• Training and Development Manager

HR Practices in Healthcare

• Staffing and Placement– Recruitment– Induction

• Legal Research on Health Care– Health-related laws– Disputes arising from employee contracts.

Cont…• Management of Employees– Training – Performance Appraisal – Job Satisfaction

• Decision-Making– Benefits– Promotion– Career Planning

Challenges• Healthcare organisations face continuous pressure to

become productive, innovative, and provide quality healthcare

• Frequently uncertain and difficult to assess• Healthcare outcomes are public organisations,

hospitals cannot, in most cases, be judged on the basis of profitability.

• Healthcare organisations 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

• Centralised 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.

–The continual medical training given to doctors, nurses and paramedics.

–Service and behavioral training given to the front-office staff, telephone operators as well as nurses.

Training program for Nurses:

The Training Program for Nurses 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 programmesTo 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 anaesthesia 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.

Such a training program is provided by NDMA.

Training for cleaning staffA 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 organisational

goals, timeliness of the reward systems, transparent transfers policy, effective support systems, etc., are the felt needs of the times.

• While there have been substantial policy changes in India in the area of public sector of healthcare, human resource management will have to be managed strategically and in an integrated manner