Training and Development - Explain Why Training and Education Are Vital in Health Care

Training and Development

Education and training are essential if one wants to be successful in the healthcare field. Training should not be viewed as a luxury but as a necessity, strategically and competitively. Education is beneficial because it shows the employer that the individual applying for the job has the desire and drive to commit to learning and applying the information. This paper today will discuss why training and education is so vital in the healthcare field, the importance of measuring competencies as well as the process for tracking and evaluating training effectiveness.

Explain why training and education are vital in health care

According to About.com, 2011, "probably the most obvious reason education is important is to acquire the subject matter and basic knowledge needed to get by in everyday life." Through education, one learns the basic skills needed to be able to function in society. For example one learns how to communicate ideas clearly and being able to communicate is essential in dealing with others. Knowing basic math skills is also important in today's society. Granted there are calculators easily available to anyone who needs them but it helps to be able to do basic computations or calculations in one's head or on paper.

When it comes to training, there are many benefits not only for the trainee but for the employer as well. According to Kelly Healthcare, 2011, "training is more than just building the skills and knowledge of each individual of your team for their own personal benefit." Some personal benefits that companies, which have invested in training, have seen are improved recruiting, higher retention and better output (Kelly Healthcare, 2011). When it comes to improved recruiting, job applicants are looking for a job that they have the potential to grow and develop their skills. This in turn leads to retention because an employee is seeing that the company that they work for is interested in their personal growth so they are more apt to stay with the company. Those that decide to stay produce better output which results in lower turnover (Kelly Healthcare, 2011).

Explain the importance of measuring competencies

According to Dictionary.com, 2011, an individual that is competent is defined as someone "having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; properly qualified." When it comes to measuring competencies of an employee, one would want to ensure that the individual possesses the skill to perform the job. There are several different ways that competency can be measured. The top five ways to measure would be fluency, comprehension, implication and nuance, engagement and expression.

Those that are fluent can comfortably use words and they are able to use those words correctly. When it comes to comprehension, the individual should be able to use words of the trade comfortably but they should also understand what they are saying. Implication and nuance ensure that the individual understands what the word means but also where it will lead. That person should start to understand, the individual who is talking, meaning before they are finish talking. Those that are engage are not afraid to get in and help, even possibly getting their hands dirty if necessary. They don't try to pass the problem off to someone else or appeal to higher authority. Competent individual

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