Introduction
This article discusses training and development in healthcare field. The value of training and education in this field is discussed together with the importance of measuring competencies learned through training forums. The process of tracking and evaluating training effectiveness is also outlined and finally a conclusion is drawn.
Training and Education in Health Care
Training and education in the field of healthcare are very vital. This is simply because the field is evidence based and always improving. Professionals in this field need to be informed and trained on the latest advances in the field. Minor adjustments in this field often have amplified results. Keeping abreast with new developments through education and training therefore helps to ensure that the best evidence based practices are upheld.
It is worth noting that education in theory and practice has to be done hand in hand. Having a solid theoretical background is vital to ensuring that training is carried out well however, theory alone without training will be meaningless. Education and training help in enhancing the efficiency of medical care; errors are pointed out and remedial measures suggested. Sharing of knowledge through symposiums and other platforms helps to ensure that only the best practices are upheld (HSRIC, 2013).
Education and training may also be carried out on communication tools. How a provider interacts with patients is of significance as it determines how much the provider will understand the life of the patient. Interacting well with a patient is especially significant for the cases of counseling. It helps the provider to pick the best approach of treatment (HSRIC, 2013).
Education and training also helps in ensuring that healthcare providers are compliant with the requirements of the healthcare field as pertains to their practice. Non-compliance with the set rules and regulations may lead to a revocation of a practitioner’s certificate. Being informed on one’s area of practice also reduces the risk of being involved in legal suits as a result of malpractices (HSRIC, 2013).
Importance of Measuring Competencies
Measuring of competency levels is significant in the healthcare field for various reasons as discussed below.
- Healthcare Reform: The need to reform the healthcare field has necessitated measuring of competency of practitioners and new graduates. It is assumed that one of the factors that will ensure that reforms in healthcare succeed is competent practitioners (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
- Organizational Performance: Healthcare providers engage in general and specific competency checks to find out the efficiency of their organizations in respect to the services they offer. Such checks help an organization to engage in remedial measures which might take the form of education interventions or other forms (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
- Liability and Ethics: Institutions are liable for the services their employees offer. Institutions are therefore morally obligated to guarantee that their employees are competent enough to serve at the capacities that they serve (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
- Risk Management: It is possible to evaluate how well an organization is versed with emergency procedures related to certain practices through the use of competency assessments. Analysis of the results of competency assessments can be used to offer more training to an organization’s staff (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
- Introduction of New Products: When organizations introduce new products, competency checks can be used to identify staff members who will readily offer the products or services and those who may require some training to pick up (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
- Training Exercises: Measuring of competency levels of trainees after a training exercise may help to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercise. A generally low score on competency may be an indication that a training exercise was carried out inappropriately. Competency evaluation of a training exercise may shade some light on areas that need emphasis or better approaches (kak, Burkhalter, & Cooper, 2001).
Tracking and Evaluating Training Effectiveness
Any training exercise usually has a set of objectives to achieve. The evaluation of a training process should use methods which will specifically seek to identify whether the training objectives were met and to what extent. Basically, tracking and evaluating a training exercise involves two processes namely: finding out whether skills were acquired during the training exercise and determining whether these skills are being practically applied towards the improvement of performance (Carr, 2002).
There are various methods which are used in finding out weather skills have been learned. This exercise is best carried out at the individual level and is helpful to the training department as it shades light on what is to be improved on. Use of questionnaires, knowledge reviews, observations, employee portfolio, and skill gap analysis are some of the popular methods used in determining what has been learned (Carr, 2002).
In determining how the skills are being applied in the workplace to improve productivity, assessment of competency application is carried out. This is usually carried out at the organizational level. This is done by analyzing the performance measures of an organization and the training return on investment (ROI) (Carr, 2002).
Conclusion
Education and training in the field of healthcare is of great significance. Being an evidence based field, professionals in this field ought to be updated continuously on changes and progresses made. It is also important to ensure that skills taught through seminars and other platforms are learned well and applied to improve organizational performance. This is done by tracking and evaluating training processes periodically.
References
Carr, W. F. (2002). Designing an effective training evaluation process. International Society for Performance Improvement. Web.
HSRIC. (2013). Education and Training. Health Services Research Information Central. Web.
kak, N., Burkhalter, B., & Cooper, M. (2001). Measuring the Competence of Healthcare Providers. Health Care Improvement Project: USAID. Web.