Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
We see training as an investment in our staff and the overall clinic. We close our clinic doors once a month for half a day to hold our monthly staff meetings. We first break up into teams (based on roles) for a couple of hours and then regroup for the last couple of hours. We try to focus on one to two key topics each month.
In addition to online workforce training that our new/existing staff complete on an annual basis, we also do a two-day staff retreat every year. During these “retreats”, we spend at least half a day doing team-building/team-bonding activities.
Staff training and continuing education opportunities are also reported to the CQI committee on a monthly basis.Our providers and staff are no strangers to the Social Determinants of Health. However, our clinic has not implemented an organization-wide screening tool to collect SDoH data. With that said, we’ve been collecting and reporting SDoH data for quite some time. Our front desk staff collects demographic data that we present and discuss during our monthly meetings. We use this data to determine staffing needs and ensure that our team is representative of the community we serve. The front desk staff is also tasked with calling patients who no-show to appointments to determine barriers to access (e.g. transportation). Our pediatric providers are great with performing weight/physical activity/nutrition counseling and referring patients/families to our Social Worker/Care Coordinators for additional counseling and resources. Any patient who scores positively on a depression screener (administered during triage) is flagged for our Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who through a warm hand-off administers additional screeners and schedules the patient to be seen by an in-house Mental Health provider. Finally, we have daily Social Services hours that are available to all members of our community.
To be quite honest, I am still struggling with the costs vs. benefits of being one of the first health centers in the State to take on such a project. For those who were in a similar boat, but have since implemented the PRAPARE tool (or something similar), what argument finally convinced you and your team to move forward with the tool? Was it a grant for SDoH funding that came along? Or does the data from the tool truly provide unique insight into the needs of your patient population? Thanks in advance!
3. What are the pros and cons for recruiting by word and mouth or people you/staff know?
I would argue the pros and cons for recruiting by word of mouth/people you know may differ depending on the position your organization is recruiting for. We’ve had great success recruiting Patient Navigators/CHWs from the surrounding community. For example, one of our patient navigators for cancer screening is a middle aged woman, who is incredibly well respected in our community. This is a population we’ve had trouble getting in for screening. Due to her status in the community, this patient navigator is able to persuade certain community members to come in for cancer screening even when our providers cannot. On the flip side, we have not had as much success with recruiting other support staff (e.g., medical assistants, front desk) by word of mouth, because more often than not, we see a negative effect on workplace dynamics. There is an increase in complaints of favoritism from supervising staff toward specific employees and “cliquish” behavior. At the end of the day, you should not hire the person who is most convenient for the job, but rather the “right person at the right time” for your patient population.
I see them now. Thanks!