The Most Understated Healthcare Workers
Today’s healthcare workers wear a lot of hats, and that goes double for the facilities they work in. Here are the most understated jobs in the healthcare industry.
Have you ever been to a hospital? It’s amazing just how many people and facilities work in tandem to create a well-oiled healthcare machine – and it wouldn’t happen without some critical unsung heroes who handle invisible but essential tasks.
While the doctors and nurses are the ones who handle interactions with the patients most often, and the front-desk team handles much of the intake and data, there are many other critical players.
Some might work during hours when they don’t see many patients, and some might even work outside the facility, but they have one thing in common – they make the healthcare work possible.
5 Most Understated Healthcare Workers
Here are five of the most understated healthcare workers:
1. Administration And Safekeeping Of Records
The healthcare world has changed a lot in recent years, with a major shift towards electronic health records and telehealth.
While in-person healthcare has returned in the aftermath of the pandemic, the digital-forward infrastructure is here to stay, and that means doctors will be responsible for safekeeping their patient data.
Unlike in the past, when patient files were kept in locked drawers, now it’s key to have someone who understands the infrastructure used to collate and protect the data.
Some techniques include medical coding to ensure that details remain easy to access and provide some privacy in case of a breach, which is why many doctors are taking advantage of a medical coding guide for beginners.
2. Housekeeping
Many medical professionals have made the mistake of underestimating the complexity of keeping a medical office clean and relied on outside workers they didn’t vet to do the job.
That’s a mistake because proper cleaning of a medical office is more important than ever. Keeping contagious diseases from spreading and eliminating biohazards are both critical, and anyone responsible should understand the best practices for cleaning.
This includes simple techniques like starting with the cleaner areas and moving on to the more complex jobs to keep pathogens from spreading.
Every office should have a set of cleaning procedures that the person in charge of housekeeping can refer to when starting their job.
3. Human Resources
One of the biggest challenges facing healthcare offices today is simply keeping themselves open and fully staffed.
This is partially due to the worker shortage coming after the pandemic, as many workers have shifted to remote or freelance work and others are hesitant to enter a workplace that might be seen as riskier.
The key to keeping your office staffed is remembering that it’s about the quality of team members, not quantity.
In a healthcare environment, it’s critical to be able to trust every member of your team. Your human resources manager is responsible for vetting new team members, handling interoffice conflicts, and ensuring a positive work environment.
They’re one of the most critical members of the team, and they might wear many hats depending on the size of the office. No matter the size, make sure you know who’s in charge of the office environment.
4. Materials Procurement
Another challenge offices face today is keeping themselves stocked with the critical tools needed to provide healthcare. This can be bulk supplies of things like common medicines and syringes, or it can be specialized drugs or testing tools that are critical to a focused office.
It’s important to get ahead of the game and make sure orders are in well before they’re needed because shortages are becoming more and more common.
Much like with human resources, it’s common for the lead doctor to perform this function in smaller practices, but larger practices should have a point person for their supply chain.
Not only will this keep things organized, but building a personal relationship with suppliers over time can make it easier to get critical information before a supply crisis emerges.
5. Security Services
Healthcare offices always hope everything will go smoothly, but unfortunately, that’s not always possible. Having a skilled security team on hand to de-escalate conflict and remove troubled people from the office is key to providing a safe environment for patients and staff.
Today, this includes a cybersecurity team, which is often contracted out to an outside source. Hacking of healthcare offices has become increasingly common, which can result in doctors being locked out of data or even facilities losing key functions.
Your office can only provide a high standard of care if it’s secure and protected from outside forces that might want to shut it down.
A Team Effort
Who is keeping your healthcare office afloat? Do you know who is responsible for the key functions that run it on a day-to-day basis? You might be surprised by how many offices are operating without one of these key functions.
Records administration and security are key to keeping your patients safe and secure. Human resources and materials procurement keep things running smoothly. Housekeeping ensures a safe and sterile environment.
All these types of healthcare workers are necessary for the ideal operation of a healthcare practice.
