Engaging the Health Care Professional

There is no shortage of discussion surrounding the importance of achieving a highly engaged workforce in health care institutions. Despite the abundance of idealisms surrounding the importance of providing patient-centered care, some medical radiation technologists may consider this to be a contradiction, when they themselves do not feel valued or empowered by their employer. In addition, overwhelming evidence points to the fact that high employee engagement is directly linked to positive patient experiences and outcomes. Logically, it then follows that much attention should be paid to fully engaging health care teams. Highly engaged medical radiation technologists are more likely to provide personalized patient-centered care. Health care leaders can help to engage their teams by using effective behavioral and leadership styles that will be received favourably by most staff. With the evolution of the generations occupying the workplace, managers must adapt and vary their leadership styles, if they hope to effectively engage their teams and provide world-class patient-centered care.     

Optimizing resilience and wellbeing for healthcare professions trainees and healthcare professionals during public health crises – Practical tips for an ‘integrative resilience’ approach

Abstract

Public health crises, including pandemics, are associated with significant health risk and concomitant stress, fear, decreased sense of control, and uncertainty. Deleterious impact on both physical and mental health can result, including for healthcare professionals and health professions trainees. Changes in governmental policies and hospital protocols for healthcare professionals as well as disruption of educational formats and requirements for trainees can ensue. Difficult anxiety-provoking realities of public health crises including pandemics which involve caring for many seriously ill patients, moral distress including difficult care decisions, personal health risk, and/or potential risk to one’s family can take a dire toll on the mental health of healthcare professionals at all stages of the professional lifecycle. Educational disruptions can create significant anxiety for trainees about completing requirements and achieving competencies. Within this, coping skills may be challenged and strengths may be elucidated as well. Such crises create an imperative for medical educators to support trainees’ wellbeing through adaptive flexibility for curriculum innovation and culturally sensitive resilience and wellbeing interventions. Strategies (‘tips’) to optimize resilience and wellbeing with an integrative resilience approach of individual, learning environment, and organization/systems factors are presented.