Chapter 10: Professional Development

How can a mentor enhance your skills?

A mentor can show you ways to progress in your career.

Which of the following situations is a mentoring situation?

A professor from the school where an employee got her certification helps her to meet people at a new university medical center.

Which of the following are ways to retain career skills and expand professional skills in a job? Check all of the boxes that apply.

Learn new skills such as problem-solving skills. Update knowledge.

Methods of Professional Development

There are many different professional development opportunities available for healthcare workers to meet the challenging requirements of continuing education

What is a mentor?

a knowledgeable and very experienced individual who guides another individual's professional development `

How can continued learning allow you to achieve your long-term goals?

helps you gain skills that can help you advance in your caree

continuing education programs

Professional development programs are sometimes this. Many continuing education programs only take an hour or two per course. Some are free, and some can be taken online. Many large healthcare facilities will pay to have employees attend conferences and classes in their fields.

Two important reasons for continuing education in the healthcare fields are:

Technological advancement New discoveries in health care

promotion

an official career advancement within a company that usually comes with an increase in responsibility and pay

professional association

an organization whose mission it is to enhance certain professions.

pre-service trainings

are training sessions that occur before a person begins work.

Which of the following are reasons why professional development is important? Check all of the boxes that apply.

can improve your job skills can help you earn higher pay can lead to more job responsibility

Professional development can help workers stay current on new ______________ in the healthcare industry.

developments

A(n) _______________ is a person who chooses to informally help a less experienced employee develop his or her career path.

mentor

Which of the following best describes professional development?

ongoing learning opportunities for professionals to upgrade and update their business knowledge

Careers that Benefit from Professional Development

All health science careers benefit from professional development, not just those that deal with patients directly. Staying aware of current practices will give you an edge in a competitive job market and benefit the patients who rely on you. For instance, if you are working with patient charts, you may be asked to take a seminar about keeping patient records on computers, rather than in paper folders. If you are working in food services, you may attend a workshop about cooking for patients with diabetes or heart disease.

Which of the following is an instructor-based training (IBT)?

An employee attends a class to learn about a new kind of cancer drug.

Which of the following situations involves professional literature?

An employee borrows an industry magazine to read a story about a new machine in his department.

Importance of Continuing Professional Development in the Healthcare Industry

Health care is constantly changing and evolving. New developments in technology, medicine, and research mean that people in the field must constantly update their knowledge to stay current. Professional development can help employees in the healthcare industry be aware of those changes and update their knowledge and skills.

Professional Development and Patient Health

Imagine that you have been suffering from severe headaches. Your regular doctor has given you several different medications, but nothing has worked. You visit a specialist, who has just been to a conference on cluster headaches. She prescribes a new drug she learned about there. Because of professional development, the headaches you have been suffering with are gone. Professional development is not only for doctors. All members of the healthcare community must keep their skills and knowledge up to date to provide the best possible care for patients.

There are many different professional development opportunities available for healthcare workers to meet the challenging requirements of continuing education. Some of these include:

Instructor-based trainings (IBT) Computer-based trainings (CBT) Certifications Coaching/mentor programs Professional associations, pre-service, and in-service professional development programs Professional literature

For the healthcare worker, there are many benefits to participating in professional development, such as:

Job retention and promotions Improved interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills Increased knowledge Improved relations with employer, coworkers, and patients Higher earning potential Increased potential for future opportunities Prolonged career and achievement of goals

What is the best way to advance in your healthcare field career?

Participate in professional development and learn as much as you can about your field.

Improved Skills, Knowledge, and Interpersonal Relations

Professional development helps workers improve their skills. Many interpersonal skills, including management skills, can come from professional development programs. This can help improve your relationships with coworkers and patients. Improving knowledge in your field will make you a more valuable employee, and your colleagues will begin to see you more and more as an expert in the field. Sharing your knowledge will help you learn how to train others, an important skill for an employee at any level.

How can an employee continue to expand his or her career-related skills? Check all of the boxes that apply.

Read professional literature in the career field. Work with a mentor or job coach. Take continuing education coursework at a local college

Technological Advancement

Technology changes very rapidly in the healthcare industry as new products, software, and other technologies are introduced every year. To stay current with technological innovations, workers need to update their skills regularly. The federal government made it a requirement that all hospitals and doctors put patient records on computers so that any healthcare provider can access a patient's history quickly. This was a major change from a paper filing system, and documentation workers had to learn the new system and adjust to it. Now, doctors and nurses can update electronic charts easily, making medical errors much less likely.

New Discoveries in Health Care

There are new advances in disease research, medicines, and treatments that impact health care.

Some of the areas that continue to have new discoveries include:

Vaccines - substances that serve to protect people from unwanted diseases Pharmaceuticals - drugs that help treat or prevent illnesses Medical testing - new testing procedures help ensure accuracy when identifying diseases People who enter and work in the healthcare field must keep up with current discoveries in order to stay productive in the workplace.

Which of the following are ways that professional development by healthcare workers helps patients? Check all of the boxes that apply.

Workers may learn about new advances in health care, drug therapies, and medical technology. Workers may learn ways to improve patient care and diets. Workers may learn about ways to improve patient records, making fewer medical errors

Advancing Your Career

You may have started out as a clerk in a documentation department, or a junior physical therapist, but in a few years, you may hope to be in a different position, earning more money. Professional development is one key to advancing in your field. Although other elements play a role, such as the economy and the number of jobs available in your field, your education and commitment to learning can often make the difference in whether you stay at an entry-level position or advance to a more responsible position that pays more.

job coach

a person who is assigned by an employer to help a new employee learn a job. The job coach is usually a person who has been doing the job for a while.

What is a job coach?

a person who is assigned to train a new employee

What is certification?

a process that validates that an individual is qualified in terms of particular knowledge or expertise

Which is an accurate description of an in-service training program?

a training that is hosted once the employee begins working for the company

A _______________ of specialized skills validates that an individual is qualified in terms of particular knowledge or expertise.

certificiation

Computer-based training (CBT)

does not have a teacher or speaker involved during the instruction, although experts and teachers were involved in the creation of the program. In a CBT course, a single student reads information and answers questions about it. CBTs are usually very specific. A new employee might take a CBT on the proper way to deal with a blood spill, for example.

You are an assistant working in a medical center. Your employer tells you that she is going to send you to another city for an in-person workshop led by a professional in your field. This kind of professional development involves:

instructor-based training

Which of the following are benefits of professional development? Check all of the boxes that apply.

job retention and promotions improved skills increased knowledge higher earning potential and increased future opportunities

Professional literature

literature that is credible, reliable, and related to a particular profession. These reference materials range in subject and scope, but they are all written by industry professionals. Each profession has scholarly journals specific to its field. There are also industry magazines for most healthcare fields and new materials put out by drug companies, medical technology companies, and your own clinic or hospital. New books in different areas of health care come out annually, and some medical facilities have libraries where employees can borrow these new books. The library may also subscribe to journals about different healthcare topics.

earnings

refers to the amount of money a person is paid for working. Earnings are often determined by skill level; people who are professionally trained often earn more than people who are not, even if they do the same job. Professional development can increase your earnings. Taking courses, attending conferences, or even participating in online training can increase your earning potential. Keeping current with your professional skills can also lead to future job opportunities.

Which of the following are methods of professional development in the healthcare field? Check all of the boxes that apply.

seminars, online trainings, and classes certifications

certification

specialized skills, such as a nurse practitioner or midwife certification, is an official statement that an individual is qualified to do a particular job and has specific knowledge and expertise.

Identify two main reasons for the strong need for continued professional development in the healthcare field. Check all of the boxes that apply.

technological advancement new discoveries in health care

Electronic patient records are one example of a new _________ that workers will have to learn through professional development.

technology

What is professional development?

the development of skills, knowledge, and experience that will help you advance in your career

Professional development

the development of skills, knowledge, and experience that will help you advance in your career. For example, you might take classes, read books, or participate in other activities that help you gain new skills, knowledge, and experience. Professional development can help you get raises and more job responsibility, or it may help you move to a more advanced job.

Instructor-based training (IBT)

training in which a teacher provides material and feedback. This can happen in person, such as in a college classroom or at a conference or workshop, or online. For example, nurses are required to have continuing education credits to maintain their licenses. They can receive these by attending conferences or taking short courses at a local university hospital. Pharmacy technicians might attend an online training to learn about a new technology, such as a new machine for making IV bags.

in-service trainings

training sessions that take place for current employees who have already started working for a company

Which is true about professional development?

It can increase your earning potential.

Why is ongoing professional development important in the healthcare field?

It is constantly changing because of new developments.

Professional Development and Continuing Education in Health Science

Professional development is especially important in health science careers, because new medical findings and improvements in procedures are constantly being introduced. Many health science careers require that employees commit to regular professional development to stay employed.

You are working in a hospital kitchen and have recently taken a course in the needs of elderly patients. How would your coursework benefit your patients?

You will be able to cook food that addresses the health needs of elderly patients.

certificate

documentation that shows that the person has completed the certification. Many healthcare jobs require certification before an employee can be hired, or require that certification be achieved shortly after hire. Examples of jobs that require certification include pharmacy technicians and X-ray technicians. Certifications can lead to higher salaries, bonuses, and new employment opportunities.

Identify the skills that can be improved through professional development. Check all of the boxes that apply.

interpersonal skills job-specific skills problem solving skills

Identify some methods of professional development. Check all of the boxes that apply.

online trainings certification mentors professional literature

You are a technician working in a hospital and are asked to spend an hour reading a health journal article about a new drug that treats breast cancer. This kind of professional development involves:

professional literature

Job retention

refers to keeping a job. Professional development can help employees keep their jobs when an employer has to reduce the number of staff, since people with updated training and skills are more likely to keep their jobs than others. Professional development can also help with promotions

mentor

someone who chooses to help and advise a more junior employee with career goals. The relationship is usually private and informal, rather than one requested by the employer. A mentor may help an employee determine the kind of continuing education needed to advance, or may be able to provide networking for an employee who is ready to advance.

Why is it important to keep up with current discoveries that are made in the healthcare field?

to stay productive in the workplace