CHL
Supervision Continuing Education (SCE)
SELF-STUDY PLANS

Supervisory Continuing Education (SCE) lessons provide members with ongoing education focusing on supervisory or management issues. These lessons are designed for CHL re-certification, but can be of value to any CRCST in a management or supervisory role.

You can use these lessons as an in-service with your staff, or visit www.iahcsmm.org for online grading at a nominal fee ($5 per single lesson plan, or bundled packages are available for quantities of 6 lessons for $25 (save $5) or 12 lessons for $50 (save $10) for greater savings).

Each lesson plan graded online with a passing score of 70% or higher is worth one point (contact hour). You can use these points toward either your re-certification of CRCST (12 points) or CHL (6 points), but you can not use them for both.

Mailed submissions to IAHCSMM will not be graded and will not be granted a point value (paper/pencil grading of the SCE Lesson Plans is not available through IAHCSMM or Purdue University; IAHCSMM accepts only online subscriptions of the SCE Lesson Plans).

Lesson Plan CHL 307
Human Resources Management and the Strategic Planning Process
[Reprinted from Communiqué: May/June 2008]

Strategic planning is a systematic method of developing long-term plans to attain objectives by anticipating and adapting to expected changes. Many significant changes that confront healthcare facilities can be anticipated and, to the extent practical, they should be addressed. An overview of the process with an emphasis on the role of Central Service managers and their human resources function is desirable, because the “people” dimension of planning is important as plans are successfully developed and implemented.

Close Look at Strategic Planning Process
Many procedures can be used to develop strategic plans, and numerous consultants and consulting firms offer their services to facilitate the process for organizations desiring assistance. For the purposes of this article, we’ll consider the steps noted in Figure 1. It summarizes steps in a basic strategic planning process, and highlights the human resources concerns of Central Service managers in each step.

The steps in Figure 1 suggest a “roadmap” for strategic planning that emphasizes human resources:

Figure 1

• Step 1: Consider the facility’s mission – What the facility intends to do, and how it intends to do it should drive the planning process. Ownership of the mission is improved as employees provide input as it is developed. Central Service managers should publicize and support the end result: a philosophy to guide decision-makers. They can disseminate information about it to all staff members including during orientation sessions for new employees.
  
  
• Step 2: Scan the environment – Effective Central Service managers “know what’s going on” in their industry, organization, and community. They read print and electronic healthcare periodicals, are active in professional organizations including the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management, and participate in community organizations. They think about their department in the context of the societal, administrative, economic, political, and other changes that are occurring. They focus their attention on patients, employees, and implications of these trends, and share them with other leaders.
  
  
• Step 3: Analyze the situation – SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is a popular method used to address the current situation and consider influences on the organization. Planners can identify (a) strengths and how to increase them, (b) weaknesses and how to overcome them, (c) opportunities that might be “best” given the strengths and weaknesses, and (d) threats and how to overcome them.
  
  
• Step 4: Determine long-term goals– Results of the SWOT analysis help managers to establish goals that are in concert with the mission (step 1). Planners then consider how to use their facility’s strengths to take advantage of opportunities while addressing (correcting) weaknesses. Input about human resources is critical as managers emphasize current staff abilities and needs and advocate the human resources-related implications of the goals.
  
  
• Step 5: Establish strategies – Strategies are developed to attain the goals identified in Step 4 above. Example: a goal might be to develop sterile instrument processing procedures for a new clinic associated with the facility. There may be several ways to do this, and those judged best can be implemented with long-range planning (the next several steps in the planning process).
  
  
• Step 6: Identify interim objectives – Goals developed by long-range planning are meant to be attained within several (3-5) years. Interim objectives specify “how much” of the longer-term goal should be attained during a shorter time (usually 1 year). If a long-term goal of the new clinic (Step 5 above) is to increase the number of outpatients served by a specified number, interim goals of Central Service including space, equipment, and staffing needs can be defined. Human resources personnel can help assure that a full complement of properly trained staff are available. They can benchmark existing work methods, and assist in developing data gathering systems to monitor progress.
  
  
• Step 7: Assign responsibilities and time lines – Interim objectives identified will not be accomplished unless persons are held accountable to address them. Often these tasks must be accomplished in addition to other responsibilities. If not properly managed, this “overload” can create difficulties and stress and hinder attainment of objectives. A progress reporting method must be established to help indicate when corrective actions may help to revise the method(s) used to move towards the objective.
  
  
• Step 8: Communicate the plan – The long-range plan should be communicated to staff members as should progress in attaining it. If input from affected staff was solicited and utilized, the organization’s plans are “ours” (the employees) rather than “theirs” (the top leaders). Central Service managers help with communication activities and their assistance is important.
  
  
• Step 9: Monitor the plan; take corrective action as needed – Monitoring requires current and applicable data. There is “good news” when plans are being implemented according to targeted schedules. Otherwise, corrective actions are required. The role of Central Service managers in this step depends upon the implementation challenges that may require corrective action. Note: this and the previous step can occur almost simultaneously, because communication is required to indicate progress, note implementation challenges, and facilitate corrective actions.
  
  
• Step 10: Celebrate a successful plan– Responsibility (accountability) cannot be delegated, but success is not possible without the effective performance of one’s subordinates. Central Service managers should be responsible (held accountable) if plans are not attained, and plans can only be successful because of the cooperation and assistance of the staff members who complete the work. Acknowledgements ranging from a simple “thank you” to a compensation increase (bonus) are examples of how the attainment of plans can be celebrated.
  
  
• Step 11: Repeat the planning process – The planning process just described should be part of a rolling plan. A five year planning horizon is used. Each year planners should move one additional year into the planning horizon so that there are always long-term (5 year) goals. It is likely that a healthcare facility will have several (or more) goals addressing different dimensions of the mission. Central Service may also have a departmental mission statement which broadly defines its own role in helping the organization to attain the broader mission, and its plans can be “rolled up” to become part of the facility’s plan.