Serious Lessons Learned from Occupational Medicine Leaders

Efficiencies in Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine: Busy Staff – Profitable Provider

Utilization of your staff to its fullest potential will lead to success both professionally and financially. Experience has taught us that many providers do not use their staff to their full capability as a result utilizes the provider’s time and talent to perform staff level tasks. In occupational medicine appropriate use of staff is critical to success.

1. Elements of appropriate staff utilization include:

2. Accurate job descriptions

3. Apprentice environment

Jack Welch, the CEO of General Electric, once said, “Any company trying to complete…must figure out a way to engage the mind of every employee.” This is especially true in healthcare. The elements of job description, training and learning are essential to engage your employees. The engaged employee will lead to customer satisfaction, increased market share, and profit.

Job descriptions may sound like a daunting human resource task. The bottom line is…do your employees know what is expected of them at work? Having managed employee health services for many years, I can not tell you how disappointing it is to ask a new employee what they will be doing in their new role only to have them say “I have no idea”. Job descriptions do not need to be laborious or wordy, simply describe what you expect the employee to do every day at work.

Training is necessary for the occupational medicine staff member. Invest in your staff for certifications as needed. Keep in mind staff can perform a multitude of screenings or tests before the provider even steps into the patient room. This frees up valuable time for the provider to perform procedures or contact corporate clients/companies.

Apprentice environment is established by you the owner. Establishing an environment of learning not only results in increase employee satisfaction but also ensures the level of excellence you will expect. Show your staff exactly how you want tasks performed and soon it will be the culture of your clinic.

Job descriptions, training and learning lead to happy employees. Happy employees lead loyal and satisfied customers.

Wishing you great success with both.
January 2009