Change and Growth
Change is a process through which a process or something is done differently from the normal way. Change is acceptable and inevitable in every field or industry and even at a personal level. It gives the dynamics of life, and how things are done, it tends to improve and make things more comfortable and appealing. Healthcare changes help create new modernized processes and methodologies that aim to improve the industry’s existing approaches. For instance, the telemedicine and telehealth approaches in healthcare have significantly impacted many people’s lives through affordable and accessible healthcare services. Through these programs, the lives of many have been sustained even in local rural areas. Change helps us finds new solutions for existing problems. It is an eye-opener to various approaches through critical thinking. It also enhances flexibility, visionary thinking, and supports primary procedures to be done systematically. Therefore., change is an important aspect that is unescapable for a better future at a personal and professional level. Thus, within this context, this paper aims to explain how I will approach future change from the concepts and ideas I have learned in this course, discuss the growth I have perceived in my professional practice, describe any differences in how I will approach change in the future, and finally describe how I intend to measure future success in change for both myself and others.
Concepts and ideas in approaching future change
Through this course, I have learned various ways of approaching change both in the present professional work and the future. Change is healthy and makes the healthcare industry evolve in meeting the needs of its consumers. I have learned to recruit new staff for new roles. Due to the emerging diverse needs of consumers, they need to employ other specialists in various areas that suit the criteria. For instance, besides the community spokespeople or community health practitioners, there is a need to recruit patient advocates in the future. They will coordinate with the nurses, doctors, physicians, nutritionists, and other health workers, to enhance patient preferences and values to drive the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). This is part of a strategy to ensure family and patient health-centered care, a vision among many healthcare centers.
The new job opportunities accompanied by change also need new skills. Therefore, it is important to train the employees on the new skills that will enhance their performance and sustain the vision of the organization into another level. Specialization is one of the critical aspects in the market today. However, this does not deny an individual a chance to acquire and be trained in new skills, especially when the skills are required within the organization. Therefore, employing only some of the essential workers and training the existing members on the skills necessary will is an economical process to take. Due to the evolving healthcare issues globally in the current era, there is a need to train the staff on flexibility, critical thinking, and effective communication (Weiner, 2020). For instance, the current pandemic, coronavirus, that has been a great threat to the healthcare system, need flexible and well-trained staff with healthcare professional standards. A hospital that easily adjusted safely to the pandemic had an easy journey to manage the condition and stop the spread of the disease. Members who also had skills to act upon healthcare emergencies were in a better position than a hospital whose staff had no skills or developmental programs that enriched members with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This also prepares a new turn out of gaging and finding a better solution for the disease.
I have also learned to engage the staff in times of change. Engaging the employees makes them feel part of the firm, and every staff member will wish to participate in what they contributed to actively. This will also depend on the type of leadership the organization is using. I strongly believe in servant and transformational leadership. However, a good leader should adjust to the kind of leadership that suits the company and not what they feel works best for them. This makes them feel trusted for the duties assigned. Engaging employees also strengthens relationships among them and even with their leader. It also gives them a sense of belonging or pride to belong to the organization. This creates confidence in what they are doing and promotes effective communication as every member performs their specific role. It creates a sense of teamwork that harnesses creativity and transparency within the organization. As a leader, it is also good to appreciate the members who have adjusted to change and transformed their area of work, contributing to the success of the firm. Appreciating them motivates them and acts as a challenge to others.
Moreover, it is always good to sustain employees during the change process. Helping the employees who have issues or struggle to act towards the change, understanding the process, and why they should do it, will be a catalyst in motivating them. Leaders should actively focus on driving the staff in promotion opportunities, recognition, quality of care, management actions, communication, and other stressful situations. As a leader, focusing both at the welfare of the staff and maintaining and improving consumer needs should streamline the firm’s vision. The change process should not only focus on the consumer but also adjust it to ensure every stakeholder and member benefits from it. This process promotes the quality of care, thus, improving the standards of life. Through the course, I have also learned to develop other leaders for the future. Exchanging ideas and including individuals from all age gaps and backgrounds helps us to learn new skills and concepts that can be used to enhance and promote the healthcare industry. This process can be done through development programs, associating various people by assigning new roles, and delegating some tasks. It is also essential to assess and examine the quality of work they have done; this will help them rectify and change whenever possible.
Growth in my professional practice
I have experienced personal and professional growth through the skills, concepts, and ideas I have learned from the course. At my personal level, I have practiced more ethical and moral values. This has created change and impacted my daily schedule to be more fruitful than ever before. I have always practiced integrity, but I have learned new concepts of making it practical both in professional and personal settings. This has created a safer and more conducive environment as both the staff and I perceive the trustworthiness in my work. I have practiced Levine’s model, and my patients have appreciated my work by giving a good review of my service. The daily practice and routine moral work have also impacted my approach and attitude towards people I meet daily and how I perceive them. As a self-motivated nurse, I have also learned to motivate other staff members, especially those who recently had issues in the workplace. This is through accountability and helping one another beyond the workplace environment. This has enhanced our relationship and promoted teamwork and collaborative care. This has contributed to improving patient outcomes.
Through interprofessional teamwork and effective communication, I have also learned to make more well-informed diagnoses. Proper diagnosis is one of the critical aspects of enhancing patient-centered care. Poor diagnosis is an expensive method that no professional may be able to pay. Sharing ideas concerning patient conditions and learning new skills of handling and treating them through modern technology has effectively reduced the number of patients’ re-admissions. The modernized medical apps have also enhanced my clinical practice, as it helps me to avoid medical errs and misdiagnosis. Re-assessment and further examination by other medical staff within the department have also improved my nursing skills and patient communication. This has saved the hospital funds and other resources and utilizing them more productively.
I have also been able to keep in touch with a greater percentage of patients after discharge. This is after learning more interpersonal communication skills in the course. However, I have been practicing this before. I have been able to do it more and widen my knowledge of the aspect. This has also been associated with connected care and continuity of support even after discharge. This can often be seen calls from patients inquiring on their medication and even reporting on their progress. The greater transparency through integrity, flexibility, and openness, the facility has recorded new numbers of patients, which I believe has been influenced by quality service (American Psychological Association, 2009).
Differences in how I will approach change in the future
Developing a sense of urgency is one of the critical strategies in approaching change. As a leader, it is important to be sensitive to the organizational issues arising and finding appropriate ways to address them. Having learned about a specific need that needs change, or while still conducting corporate projects and a need for change arises, it is important to embrace change and act accordingly. Understand what skills and abilities the staff need, and how they will learn them. I have learned to be transparent and concise with clarity of the problem that needs change. Having a clear plan for communicating the change process to the members will measure the impact of change. Poor communication is a great hindrance to the change process, thus finding appropriate ways that are effective and efficient in the organization will bring significant results. As a leader, I will bring the change and figure out how the change will impact the consumer, the staff, and other stakeholders. Finding effective ways to measure the change process is another approach I intend to apply in the future.
The change process should be based on the current era, technology, and other factors that affect healthcare. New methodologies and procedures are being innovated and invented every day (Austin et al., 2016). Therefore, it is important to categorize change and its approach depending on the existing measures. This has also been stimulated by the emergence of new diseases that require new approaches to treatment and care. As technology evolves, and new generations come to exist, so is the influence of every field. Therefore, my approaches will always depend on the available resources and the current need of the staff and consumers. I will also want to engage the community in bringing change. Change occurs mainly when a problem has occurred, or something has been persisting for a long time. Listening to the needs of the lowly in the community and giving their preferences a priority even before the problem becomes rampant, is a necessary process that will not only raise the standards and quality care but also save the cost of change.
Techniques of measuring future success in change at personal and colleagues’ level.
Measuring the success of whatever you are doing is an essential attribute for evaluating the process of growth. Personal evaluation is one of the essential techniques that I will use to assess and measure the process of change in the future. Having a diary and noting down every day or within a specified time frame about the strengths and weaknesses both at a personal and professional level. This will also include my professional vision, mission, and value statements, and specific objectives and strategies on how to achieve them. Examining and assessing the goals within the specified time will help me to identify if I have achieved the growth process through change not. Listening and inquiring about friends on the areas of change will also enlighten me on the areas I cannot recognize myself.
I will consider the process, structural and outcome measures for assessing future success. The main aim of embracing change is to improve the existing environment and working conditions, specifically towards the firm’s vision and mission and to enhance patient outcomes (Boykin et al., 2013). In the Donabedian model, figures change from various dimensions. The structural measures will help us assess whether there is an increase of enough staff to all providers and the technology’s effectiveness. The process measures will reflect the percentage of people who have received essential services such as vaccinations. This is expected to increase continuously over the years. The outcome measures will display the impact of change and its interventions on patients.
References
Boykin, A., Valentine, K., & Schoenhofer, S. (2013) Health care systems transformation for nursing and health care leaders: Implementing a culture of caring. New York: Springer. ISBN: 978-0826196439
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author. ISBN: 9781433805615
Weiner, B. J. (2020). A theory of organizational readiness for change. In Handbook on Implementation Science. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Austin, J., Bentkover, J., & Chait, L. (Eds.). (2016). Leading strategic change in an era of healthcare transformation (Vol. 9). Springer International Publishing.