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Currents 

To Medical Center Employees:

In last week’s Currents newsletter I summarized key elements of Pensacola-based Baptist Health Care organization’s journey to excellence which led to recognition as one of the top 100 best places to work in the nation. Baptist’s fundamental pillars of excellence include people, service, quality, financial and growth. It strikes me that our tactical plan goals including: reduce costs/financial performance; become provider of choice (patient satisfaction); become employer of choice (employee satisfaction); improve care/safety; and enhance information management (including open communication and improved use of technology) are similar. Our plan is to take things up another notch in the years ahead, to involve everyone in attainment of excellence and to use Baptist’s experience as a model.

At the April 19 communications meeting, Casey Liddy of Oncology and Medical/ Surgical Services updated the management team on work underway focusing on the Employer of Choice area of the Medical Center’s tactical plan. Specifically Liddy discussed the recommendations of the Professional and Career Development subcommittee as indicated below in this newsletter. He pointed out that employees tend to leave organizations due to the lack of growth opportunities and offered a number of suggestions that could enable us to enhance use of our current resources to support career development. Liddy’s points were very good and we will seek to adopt as many of the recommendations as possible.

Our JCAHO self assessment is ongoing and due for completion in May. As we review our compliance with the standards I am reminded that the elements of performance are closely linked with the tactical plan goals, and particularly with improving care and safety. Fulfilling these accreditation standards should not be viewed as a separate initiative, but instead part of our plan to achieve excellence.

Finally, please be reminded that the Medical Center’s next town hall meetings will be held Tuesday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 27 at 2:30 p.m. in the eighth floor Storm Eye Institute auditorium. Medical Center employees are encouraged to attend. The meetings will last one hour with at least 30 minutes being devoted to questions and answers.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely, 
W. Stuart Smith
Vice President for Clinical Operations
and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center
 

Employer of Choice update

Business manager for the Division of Oncology and Medical/Surgical Services Casey Liddy provided an update on the Employer of Choice core area as part of the ongoing efforts of the Medical Center’s two-year tactical plan. Liddy reported on the subcommittee on industry models, which is part of the Professional Career Development Committee chaired by Colleen Corish.

Liddy and his six-member group were charged with investigating mechanisms that prepare individuals for expanded responsibilities and career development. Their efforts focused on contacting 50 of the Top 100 Best Companies to Work for, both in and out of the health care arena. They learned that investing in employee training programs were a common element of success identified within these companies. Other studies such as the UHC Workplace of Choice Benchmarking Project support this finding.

  The UHC Workplace of Choice Benchmarking Project identified reasons why employees would leave organizations. They cited inadequacies in promotion opportunities and lack of other opportunities to develop skills as top concerns.

Within that list, the team was able to identify examples of best practices, either in or out of health care. For example, Baptist Health of South Florida was recognized for its standardized training curriculum available to all of its employees. Baptist Health lists all free training opportunities and presentations in a catalog which includes class descriptions, skill levels, prerequisites and other details.

Then, Liddy and the industry model team examined what training curriculum and similar resources exist at MUSC. The group suspects that a large number of educational offerings do exist for MUSC employees and staff. They believe their findings would be more conclusive following results from a query sent to medical center directors is complete. They may recommend that an MUSC catalog/resource program include cross-referenced fields that would allow participants to search categories listed by course/subject, instructor, date and time, location, etc.

The group also identified the value of additional management training programs, especially for new and experienced managers. According to Liddy, it is part of the culture at these best practice organizations that managers are expected to develop themselves and employees. For example, Baptist Health offers a 10-week management training course for staff. He cited additional training opportunities with the South Carolina Hospital Association and other professional organizations that MUSC is already investing in as positive trends in the Medical Center.

  In conclusion, the group recommended the need for a full analysis of costs and benefits for these potential education and development programs upon completion of the query and related research. From that point, a final recommendation would be made to hospital administration.

Announcements

q  Sharon De Grace, R.N., director of Critical Care and Emergency Services, introduced Brian Fletcher, as the Emergency Medicine’s new Chest Pain Center coordinator. Fletcher has worked previously in emergency room nursing and ICU nursing management. He is also a licensed HAM radio operator and serves as the Clinical Disaster Preparedness coordinator.

q  Carol Dobos, Ph.D., R.N., director of Children’s Services introduced Pat Votava, manager of the Medically Fragile Children’s Program. The program, which operates under a partnership between MUSC, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Social Services, will open at the renovated Baker Hospital site in June.


 

Friday, April 22, 2005
Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.