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- 1. It is important for a health care manager to have good communication skills with their employees, their peers, and their supervisors. Relationships have a higher chance of success if good and positive communication is taking place. There is verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication is communication through speech and nonverbal communication is communication through gestures, facial expressions, proxemics, and more. Nonverbal communication may be difficult to read whereas verbal communication can be more direct. It is important to know and understand how to read nonverbal communication, for a more appropriate response. (Tayla Holman, June 27, 2017) Nonverbal can be misinterpreted often and could greatly hinder or turn a communication climate cold. For example, if a patient realizes that every time they are speaking, their physician makes a certain facial expression that makes them feel judged, they may stop speaking on such topics. This could lead to a lack of medical information and/or a misdiagnosis; communication is vital in healthcare. Another example, if an employee came to their manager with a family emergency and felt that they were being nonchalant, it’s likely the employee will keep the personal matter to themselves, even if it could affect their work and they could use extra support with their responsibilities. Being able to have an open line of communication throughout a chain of command is important to building a strong, reliable team.
To trust someone means that you believe they will not bring harm to you, you trust that they will do best for you. Trusting someone means that you are able to speak with them openly without fear of judgment or backlash. There has been a huge rise in the use of technology all around us. The technology that is used in healthcare can be very expensive. An example of good communication would be an employee feeling like they are able to speak openly with management about issues they are having with equipment or any ideas they have for improvement, without feeling like they will receive backlash or be blamed for the equipment not working properly.
The rise in electronics in healthcare has sparked the use of more electronic communication. Electronic communication means communicating through an electronic device. An example of electronic communication would be; email, text, telephone calls, and more. Electronic communication has aided with communication between co-workers and within an organization, greatly. At most hospital facilities that I have been to, I have encountered an instant messaging (IM) program that the hospital uses to communicate within departments. However, it has hindered communication in the way that there is not as much face-to-face time between individuals and that extra safeguarding is needed. HIPAA’s privacy rule goes over the standards of electronic communications and what safeguards are needed when sending certain Protected Health Information (PHI) over electronic devices (HHS, December 15, 2008). Using proper etiquette when communicating electronically is just as important. When on a video call with someone, it is important to look at the camera instead of the screen, that way you are giving the impression of eye contact. When using a professional instant messenger account, it is important that correct grammar and spelling are used, not text talk. As electronic communication evolves, so will the etiquette and what is expected. Keeping up to date with the industry is vital.
2. Being a healthcare manager, it is very important to have good communication skills with employees, peers, and supervisors. Communication is a life skill that is important in every aspect of your life.
There are four types of communication: verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual communication. Each one of these communication types are different but equally important.
Verbal communication is where you talk to people in person. This is important because in healthcare you are constantly communicating patient care with doctors, nurses, techs, social workers, patients, and patient’s family. Verbal communication is used between nurses at shift change they do a report to update the nurse coming into their shift about the patient they will be caring for. Nurses have been doing this for centuries and it is crucial so the patient’s information is given directly to the new nurse and care can be continued smoothly even with shift changes. Verbal communication is helpful when doctors are giving nurses or techs direction for a patient. It is an easy way to give instructions regarding testing or medications needed for the patient. Verbal communication is important from administration to the patient. Some patients may not be able to read so talking to them directly and clearly makes it easy for them to be a part of their care plan and know what is going on. Verbal communication is important when addressing the patient’s family because they do not always understand test results or plan of actions and this opens communication for questions and better understanding. Patient’s and their family have more trust about an organization and feel better understood when they are talked to verbally. A barrier that could cause issues with verbal communication would be language. If you have a patient that speaks Spanish, and you do not you would need a translator. Another barrier could be if your patient or family member is deaf you could not speak to them verbally. Verbal communication is essential for employee to employee because it can be better understood and more personal.
Nonverbal communication is when people communicate without words. When a patient comes in and they are unable to talk because they are in pain you can communicate their pain level by the way their face looks. If they are clinching their jaw and crying that is a nonverbal way of telling you, they are in severe pain. If a doctor gives you orders and you repeat them back to the doctor and ask if he heard, you correctly but he is on the phone a simple thumbs up sign may tell you that you heard him correctly. If your employee has a mean or upset look on their face that is a way of communicating that something has them upset or mad. A barrier with nonverbal communication could be that you misinterpreted what the nonverbal signal was. Nonverbal communication is not as affective when talking with your supervisor or employee because it can be misunderstood. Often nonverbal communication may be useful because you ae very busy and giving someone a smile or pat on the back can help encourage them that they are doing a great job.
Written communication is any interaction that involves written word. Written communication is very important in healthcare. Often a patient’s discharge plan can be written out as well as prescriptions that can not be electronically sent to the pharmacy. Referrals are generally written and handed to the patient. New technology has taken place of most written communication these days. You may need to ask your supervisor a question, but he is out of the office so simply leaving a note can be a good quick way to communicate. A barrier would be that anything written could be lost or misunderstood.
Visual communication consists of drawings, illustrations, or any electronic communication. With technology being so advanced in healthcare I would think this is the most often used form of communication. Patient charts are all electronic and most doctors and nurses chart patient information and test results electronically. Patient also can gain access to their online account using it as a form of communication with their doctor about questions or to view plan of care. A barrier of Visual communication would be if the computers went down, or you cannot remember passwords correctly. Visual communication can be helpful in training or teaching employees things that they need help with. For example, they do not understand how to properly put a patient on a bi-pap machine you could use an illustration to thoroughly show them. Visual communication also is very impersonal and can be misunderstood.
Having good communication skill will help build employee/supervisor trust. Knowing that you have an open line of communication can motivate workers to do better and ask questions when they need it. This will grow the business and make everyone work better together.
3.As a healthcare manager, the traditional functions of management are utilized no matter what level of management of a person is in or which department she or he leads. There are four functions, but I will only discuss two of them. Planning and Leading.
Planning has one major goal; to create a plan to meet company goals and objectives. They develop the company’s goals. They develop their company’s mission and value statements. They outline an action plan for how to accomplish the goals. They have to determine what responsibility falls on each employee, they set priority levels for different tasks, and set realistic timelines for employees. The manager must communicate, motivate, and inspire employees on new processes. Careful planning is one of the most critical functions of leadership because every outcome within the organization depends on planning. Leading is not about being in a power position, it’s about sharing the information you know with others. New information will help the company succeed. Leaders who lack judgement or people skills are not in the running for a position. As the leader, you must demonstrate that he or she has control and can solve the problem or dilemma. This consists of coaching, assisting employees, and solving any problems with employees. Managers should be willing to support their employees by helping them with any workplace issues they may have. You cannot be an effective leader without communication skills. You have to be able to recognize when employees need an extra boost of reinforcement and praise them when handling conflicts between team members fairly and decisively.
I believe the differences in planning and leading is knowing which role you play. A planner has a vision about the way an organization is set up and ran. They hire leaders, and any other staff the follows the same vision. A leader is someone who knows how to run the organization. They must know their workers and their attitudes. They should know an employees values as well. A leader puts people in the departments they need to be in. Both managers and supervisors should be able to be effective in planning and leading. Their main function is to plan the policies and procudures of the organization.
4.Organization and Leadership is very important when you have the ability of being in authority. Whether it’s being in management, a parent, sibling, friend or neighbor, expressing yourself in a manner with respect, starts within. In order for any area of life to run smoothly and effectively, one’s organizational skills and having the ability to lead are very imperative. The two areas that I will discuss are organizing and leading.
When a person is an organizer, they’re able to bring people of all walks of life, together in a manner whereas formation is obtained. Having the proper organizational skills also have the ability to coordinate any event to execute the goals. Having an organized mind set, can bring togetherness and everyone can be on one accord as well as structure. Which in terms, is very important when one is in the position of managerial.
Leading on the other hand is when a person is placed in a position that oversees the small groupings of employees. They dictate what should or shouldn’t be done under the supervision of the manager. Though, both these areas of management and the meaning behind organizing and leading are similar, simply because you have to be well organized and a leader to be in such a position, they all so well differ. They differ because the manager leads the entire group / department for accuracy, whereas the supervisor organizes strategies for their employees.
As a manager or supervisor, both of these areas are vital in any arena. It’s very important that each level of leadership understands their role and applies it effectively. A manager can role play a supervisor’s position ( if need to be for a short term), simply because in order to become a manager, they first had to become a supervisor in order to elevate to the next level also by knowing the end/outs of the department. However, a supervisor can’t role play the management’s position (even though some supervisor’s can do the manager’s position very well), due to the terms of their title and in most cases lack of qualifications.
As a manager, their role is leading the department behind the scene, to a successful journey. There are certain guidelines, rules and regulations that the manager is held to know. Not only are their role is to lead however, they play an important factor in making sure that all employees are capable of running the department properly – including their supervisor. They are known as the overseer of all the departmental employees, to help maintain the company’s status.
As a supervisor, their role is to follow out the orders that’s given to them by the manager. They are considered organizing their group for a successful team, digitally. They must be able to be well rooted in the area they are supervising and have the mind set of following orders thoroughly, effectively and efficiently by their leader.
In closing, both levels of management are there to help with any concerns that the employee has. The direct contact will be the supervisor but in all of my experiences in the healthcare industry, the manager made themselves available to talk with their employees as well. In my eyesight, you can’t have one without the other. Everyone has a role to play granted, but to have both in a sense of willfulness, determination and a set goal in mind, this will allow the department and or company to flourish in areas of positivity and getting the job done.
