Working in the healthcare industry, undoubtedly, is an exceptional accomplishment. Being a part of a community that broadens medical research and makes a real difference in the lives of people they touch is an incredibly commendable feat. Healthcare professionals dedicate their whole lives to helping others, and this is the passion that allows them to put their patient’s needs first and deliver high-quality care.
Naturally, successful healthcare practitioners possess educational credentials and proper licenses to perform their job. However, obtaining good grades isn’t always enough to land a successful career in healthcare. Business skills are equally important, if not more, to round you out as a well-rounded employee.
The healthcare work environments encompass a substantial human approach. Therefore, showcasing business skills in a healthcare organization carries as much pressure as the technical expertise required to perform a specific job.
Today, healthcare enterprises are paying more heed to skills on resumes instead of considering the credentials alone. So, how can you ensure your resume remains on the top of the pile instead of falling short? Here we’ve rounded up some crucial business skills that every professional must embody for a promising career in healthcare:
Industry-specific knowledge
With the emergence of cutting-edge technologies and new scientific discoveries, the healthcare landscape has grown immensely competitive. As a result, healthcare organizations require leaders that can spur innovation, continue to provide optimum care and strengthen the organizational bottom line.
While it’s true that a degree can help you step foot in this industry, however, an advanced academic credential can give you a leg up in your career trajectory. For instance, if you are a healthcare manager wishing to take your career to the next level, an online MBA in healthcare might be what you need. The advanced degree equips you with communication, leadership, and collaboration skills.
What’s more, the online MBA curriculum is a unique blend of foundational business courses and healthcare studies. This way, it can help you bring about a positive change in the healthcare system. Plus, an online degree allows you to remain focused at work and maintain career momentum by pursuing advanced education.
Analytical thinking
Each day, healthcare professionals encounter different patients and situations. Thus, it is crucial to develop strong analytical and problem-solving skills to succeed in your career. You can develop analytical thinking skills while pursuing your degree.
For instance, your degree program can help you learn and practice tools such as Pareto Charts, cause-effect diagrams, etc. Additionally, utilizing your analytical skills to oversee the situation and find areas of improvement can help you make the healthcare facilities even better.
Moreover, you can track health data in real-time with analytical skills, interpret it, and derive valuable insights, providing personalized care to the patients.
Leadership and management
As a healthcare professional, you must possess strong management and leadership skills. It doesn’t matter if you hold any management position or not; leadership skills can take your career to the next level. Keep in mind being a leader isn’t about just giving orders. Instead, it’s principally about encouraging staff to perform better and promoting a culture of teamwork.
With your leadership skills, you must learn what motivates your employees. Furthermore, you should also incorporate the team’s suggestions, provide feedback, and acknowledge efforts.
In addition, being a leader, you must inspire others to offer the best quality patient care. An effective leader ensures employees feel satisfied at their job. Your leadership skills can help you get out of your comfort zone and accept new suggestions and ideas that work best in favor of the medical facility.
Emotional intelligence
Undeniably, the healthcare industry is an exciting one, continually in flux. And just as medicine and technological advancements provide us with life-sustaining products, individuals should also evolve to nurture a better human connection.
Healthcare professionals no longer only need to prescribe medications and maintain health records but also possess the ability to place a caring hand on another individual. Thus, it’s crucial to practice emotional intelligence in healthcare work environments.
Emotional intelligence is an all-inclusive term that encompasses four key concepts – self-management, social awareness, self-awareness, and relationship management. It primarily refers to the ability of an individual to comprehend their emotions and the ability to identify the emotions of others around them. A high degree of emotional intelligence empowers a person to practice more control over their actions and help attain team goals collaboratively.
Effective communication and relationship building
Effective communication is a crucial constituent of every relationship. However, it takes on a different dimension in the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers interact with staff members, health services managers, patients, and their families every other day. Thus, it gives them more reasons to speak, listen, write, and articulate their thoughts effectively.
Besides, working closely with team members becomes easier if you have built a strong rapport with them. While the benefits of relationship-building skills may vary contingent upon the job role, it doesn’t require much imagination to understand how this essential skill can yield positive results.
For instance, as a healthcare administrator, your job responsibility may include enforcing a new policy, which, let’s admit it, is a daunting task. However, if you have strong professional relationships with managers or team members, implementing a new policy might not be a big headache.
Final Words
According to BLS, healthcare will likely grow by 16% by 2030. And this astonishing figure translates to a myriad of job opportunities. However, while this is exciting news for aspiring healthcare professionals, it also implies the need for essential soft skills and strong business sense.
Today, healthcare organizations are in quest of individuals that possess employability skills and have the ability to thrive in cut-throat competition. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of business concepts and other critical skills can equip the professionals with the tools and confidence to spearhead new projects and make well-informed decisions.
However, when appraising the existing skillset for healthcare, first evaluate the skills you already possess. For instance, maybe you’re an excellent communicator but lack emotional intelligence. Or perhaps you know the art of handling criticism but fail to remain on top of deadlines. Remember, developing and honing the skillset for healthcare is an ongoing process. And it must stretch throughout your career journey.
