Employability Skills in Health and Social Care: A Reflective Account

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PEARSONBTEC LEVEL 5 HNDIN HEALTH AND SOCIAL
CARE
UNIT 23: EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Part 1- self-reflective summary.......................................................................................................3
Task 1.1 Key responsibilities at work..............................................................................................3
Task 1.2 Performance objective at work.........................................................................................4
Task 1.3 Recommendations for improvement.................................................................................4
Task 1.4 Motivational techniques used at work..............................................................................5
Part-2- appraisal meeting with peer-student....................................................................................6
2.1 Development of Solutions to the Worked Based Problems.......................................................6
2.2 Communication at Variety of Styles and Appropriate Applications.........................................6
2.3 Effective Time Management Strategies.....................................................................................7
4.1 Evaluating Tools and Methods for developing a solution.........................................................7
4.2 Strategies to Solve Problem......................................................................................................8
4.3 Potential impact on the business of implementing Strategy......................................................9
Part-3- post- appraisal reflective account (1000).............................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
Reference.......................................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
In hospitals, the patients are the recipients of services and they have access to trained doctors and
other medical attendants on a 24/7 basis. There are various attendants in a hospital who are
trained and qualified in various departments. These attendants have to be trained regularly on
various medical and nonmedical aspects. He has to be trained on latest instruments and he
should be taught various pain management techniques. He should also act as a counsellor who
not only takes care of patients but also counsels them on the benefits of taking medicines on
time.
Part 1- self-reflective summary
Few of the generic skills which the employers look at potential employees often determines
whether the employee is suitable for the position or not.
Task 1.1 Key responsibilities at work
In any hospital or nursing home, patients are the main stakeholders. The service is centred
around them. The main objective is to ensure that they get quality care and all the staff members
work hard to achieve this objective. In case of day care treatment, the patients have to be treated
with care and it has to be ensured that they get the treatment which will enable them to leave the
hospital in that day itself (Taylor, 2016). In case of patients who need to stay in the hospital for
more than one day, necessary arrangements have to be made to look after their well being like
arrangements of beds, medicines, deployment of a dedicated attendant to take care of the patient.
In case of surgery, the patient has to be given proper medications and other ancillary services
which he will need from time to time after the surgical procedure. First of all, he needs to take
medications and other necessary things which will prepare his body for the surgical procedure.
After the surgical process, extreme care should be taken for a few days. The area which is
operated needs some time to heal and proper guidance is an absolute necessity during that phase.
Here the patients should be thoroughly guided so that he can recover quickly after the operation.
If a patient is suffering from a particular ailment then all the necessary steps should be taken to
ensure that the patient is well aware of the nature of the ailment, precautions to be taken, pain
management. The patients should be encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle and also given a diet
chart so that they can avoid consuming unhealthy food.

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Task 1.2 Performance objective at work
Hospital industry comprises of the wide range of various companies and other non profit
organizations. The healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. It
comprises about 10% of the GDP of developed nations and thus it is considered to constitute a
huge part in a country’s economy (Messum et al, 2016). The hospital industry can be divided
into various parts like
1. Activities related to the hospital
2. Medical and dental care
3. Other activities related to human health
The third point deals with activities under the guidance of nurses, physiotherapists, pathology
clinics, diagnostic laboratories, other health professionals. Healthcare provider is an institution
that is entrusted to provide service like preventive, curative or rehabilitative to the patients. The
industry like any other industry has to follow a set of rule and regulations which has been set up
by the relevant authorities guiding them. The patients should be treated with due care . They
should be counselled about the benefits of undergoing surgery/procedures or taking medicines
from time to time. Many a times the patients or in some cases children don't take medicines on
time. Proper hygiene should also be maintained in the hospital premises. It should be ensured
that the premises is cleaned everyday so that there is no accumulation of dirt which may lead to
formation of germs and bacteria . The effectiveness of the medical attendants can be measured
by the patients hygiene, general well being and some other factors (Sisodia and Agarwal, 2017).
The services imparted to the patients should in accordance with latest medical guidelines and
other local rules and regulations. The attendant should also be punctual and helpful. Any kind of
constructive feedback should be taken very seriously and measures should be taken to improve
the quality of service from time to time. He should also behave in a proactive manner rather than
waiting for any unforeseen events to take place.
Task 1.3 Recommendations for improvement
There are few key areas where the medical attendants can improve upon. A researched
emphasized that the medical attendant or caregiver who accompanies the patient during the

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overnight stay is more important in measuring patient satisfaction (van Harten et al, 2016). The
few steps needed for improvement of medical staffs are as follows
1. Imparting proper training to the medical staffs about the importance of quality care to
patients will help them to understand the topic in clear terms so that they can improve
their service.
2. By creating an environment of responsibility the attendants can be made to complement
each other and share the workload among them. In this environment, the medical
attendants are taught not to concentrate on only one patient to which he is accountable
but to all patients. This type of environment will ensure that the overall quality is
improved manifold.
3. The attendant should also be trained on various personality improvement programs,
behaviour, dress sense, ethics so that he can learn how to interact with various types of
patients. The attendant should also rely on proactive behaviour rather than reactive one.
A patient can have a problem which he may find difficult to communicate. In this case,
the attendant should understand the problem and take effective measures from before so
as to stop the occurrence of the incident.
4. The attendant also needs to be aware of various new technologies and trends in the
medical profession so that he can apply those changes to treat the patients according to
latest guidelines.
Task 1.4 Motivational techniques used at work
The needs of the patients are very complex in nature. Various patients have problems which are
radically different from each other. So the attendant has to understand the severity or uniqueness
of each individual patient's problem and act accordingly (Messum et al, 2016). On a few
occasions, the patient who is unable to manage pain becomes frustrated and mentally depressed.
The attendant here has to play the role of a counsellor. He has to explain the patients about the
benefits of proper medications. He has to inform the patients that proper medicines have to be
taken from time to time in order to be cured of the problem. The attendant should have a pleasing
personality and he should be always ready to help the patient and offer him tailor-made solutions

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to his problems. Counselling requires patience because the patient may not cooperate at all times.
So, it is the duty of the attendants to explain the pros and cons in a lucid manner. The patient
should also be convinced that the information collected from him by the counsellor will be used
only for his treatment and not for any other purpose. Before counselling the attendant should
always try to build a good rapport with the patient by winning his trust. If a friendly environment
is not created then it will be difficult for the attendant to get full cooperation from the patient
during the treatment. The trained attendant can show the patient's pre-recorded VIDEO of
previously treated patients and encourage the patient to work in a systematic way to recover
quickly.
Part-2- appraisal meeting with peer-student
2.1 Development of Solutions to the Worked Based Problems
Managers at various level face different types of problems in an organisation like problem-
related to communication, listening, leadership type planning. Professional knowledge is
important for every team leaders to tackle the team within the organisation (Messum et al, 2015).
The development of solution of above problems is given below.
Improving the team skill helps to increase the productivity of the organisation. In case of
increasing the team skill, personality development is important. Managers need to communicate
effectively regarding the team skill improvement process so that team members identify their
duties. The effective team effort helps to increase the productivity of the organisation.
Listening skill is also important in the teamwork so that every person can understand each other.
The better understand ability helps to develop organisational performance effectively (Beech et
al, 2018). Therefore, listening skill is vital to make the team effort effective.
Questioning is the important factor in case of building team efforts. Asking question before
conducting any work is essential. In this context, managers need to help the members properly.
Therefore, questioning is the important factor in the team skill development process.
2.2 Communication at Variety of Styles and Appropriate Applications

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Communication skill may be of two types either oral or written. In case of formal
communication written communication skill is adopted effectively and informal communication
takes place orally. Managers, nurses, doctors follow different forms of verbal communication
like telephonic conversation, video conferencing, face to face conversation (Wheelen et al,
2017). Video conferencing provided fruitful result where the information is shared by various
people. Telephonic conversation is suitable when conversation is made between two persons. If
information transmission is needed to be made formally then written communication is
appropriate. Fluency in English is important in case of communication. Lack of fluency in
common standard language creates conflict in the conversation process.
2.3 Effective Time Management Strategies
In the health and social care industry, time management is the important factor because doctors,
nurses work in tight schedule. Therefore, time management is very important to maintain the
organisational activities effectively. In case of time management process, activities are needed to
be identified as per the priority (Eriksson et al, 2016). Every work is needed to be done step by
step and priority wise. Everything is needed to to be arranged effectively before starting the
work. It is not possible to an individual to do different work same time and for this reason
priority is needed to give in the task accomplishment. Besides every work is needed to be
finished on time because in healthcare organizations situations are changed suddenly.
4.1 Evaluating Tools and Methods for developing a solution
Self Assessment is vital tool and method of developing solution. The self-assessment helps to
judge in what condition a person is prevailing at the current moment (Glasby, 2017). From the
self-assessment process, self-development skills can be developed easily. Speaking skills,
management skills etc. are needed to be justified properly so that one can identify loopholes
effectively. If weak areas are identified properly then that will be rectified easily. If nurses in the
healthcare organisation make an evaluation of their performance then strong and weak areas can
be easily identified.

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The feedback system is important tool and method of developing solution. The feedback system
is the important factor of the two-way communication system. In case of information
transmission, the receiver needs to provide positive or negative feedback so that sender can
identify whether the information is transmitted properly or not. Feedback system helps to know
whether a communication is properly completed or not.
Combination of different types of results is essential because if an analysis is made through a
combination of various results then an overall solution can get (Chaovalitwongse et al, 2017). If
anyone justifies the self-assessment and feedback system combined way then the strong and
weak areas of the outcome can be analyzed easily.
4.2 Strategies to Solve Problem
For implementing the strategies to solve a problem at first the problem is needed to find out
properly. The focus is needed to be made on the main problem for overcoming the problem.
After finding the problem the same is needed to be defined properly so that actual reason for the
problem is identified. The definition of the problem helps to implement correct strategy
practically.
After defining the problem idea is needed to find out correctly because if the idea cannot be
implemented properly then the problem cannot be solved. New ideas are to be considered so that
problem can eliminate easily.
After identifying different types of ideas best one is needed to be selected and implemented so
that same type of problem cannot occur repeatedly (Gershengorn et al, 2014). The best
alternative is needed to select as per the possible outcome. Therefore, best idea selection is a vital
strategy in the problem-solving process.
After identifying the best alternative that is implemented and after implementation the actual
result is compared with the estimated result and deviation is ascertained. The fluctuation is
measured to evaluate the strategy of problem-solving effectively.

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4.3 Potential impact on the business of implementing Strategy
Implementing strategies for solving the problem will help to develop the standard of healthcare
business effectively. Besides different types of strategies will help to develop the productivity of
business in the healthcare sector. Various tasks can be accomplished effectively by adopting new
strategies.
Proper time management strategy will help to avoid risk in the healthcare business which will
ensure the development of the business. Avoidance of risk will help to improve the standard of
quality of service in the healthcare sector.
Improvement in the communication skill will help to develop the effectiveness of the
organisational performance (Aveyard, 2014). If communication among the various level of
management is made effectively then it will increase the team effort in the organisation and
every task will be accomplished properly.
Developing professional and technical knowledge will help to increase the performance of the
organisation effectively. Proper knowledge sharing will increase the productivity of the
healthcare organisations. Proper knowledge helps to attain organizational objectives accurately
and it develops the standard of the enterprise.
Part-3- post- appraisal reflective account (1000)
In the health and care sectors, the employees were provided with different responsibilities on
behalf of there working roles. For proceeding to the particular role different educational and
training strategies were provided for the employee in order to train the person to pursue the
solution for any vital situation he or she is proceeding. The role of duties is provided for the
different working head of that particular sections. Sections were divided upon the different slots
of working processes available within the organizations. Distributions like the team leader,
senior nurses, junior nurses, ward boys, and assistance are present. The working of each
individual is responsive to the workers of their own roles. The reason of which different persons
were not been allocated to work in others role like the ward boys are not permitted to overcome
the role of the nurse, and the nurseries are not allocated to do the work of the doctors during the
doctor is not available in the critical situations. Moreover, the senior nurse has the full

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responsibility for the nursing acts in the sector because of the experience she had (Cameron et al,
2014). Moreover, the allocations of the works are being done by her to identify the individuals
the responsibilities of workload the other are responsible. The effectiveness of the junior nurse
came in an act for daily checking the routine of the individual as well as to take care of the
activities and documentation part for the patients care. Assistant and word boys were responsible
for the physical movements of the patients as well as to provide the machine in need for the cares
of the patients. The duties were prescribed to individuals who have taken the proper educations
for the area of interest as well as capable to overcome the problems related to his or her own
duty. It is observed that in many cases there was a rise of conflicts among the employees
regarding the pursuing of the responsibilities at some occasions (Tavares et al, 2017). Like it is
not possible for the junior nurse to check after every individual's role of duty but on certainty act
of another employee, the work turns to be done, the effect of which no major issues or
threatening situations arise that lead an impact upon the services. There were many other
sections present in these particular sectors on which a proper attention and improvement are
required in order to enhance the effectiveness of the team.
Coordinating working procedure of the team members is the first problem among the team
working (Pennel et al, 2015). Moreover, a lack of coordination between the senior and juniors on
the same departmental work also identified, whilst the senior members related the works to the
juniors in a much-articulated manner. It can be said that the prosecution of the teamwork along
will the perfect coordinators will be pursued by the seniors as they were highly experienced in
there particular departmental works. So the responsibility of the senior members is to percolate
the junior members in their work. This whole procedure can be done through a proper orientation
development in order to inform the new employees about the importance, need and strategies to
achieve the goal from the coordinate teamwork. Secondly, a group discussion with the senior
members should be held in order to provide the information against the grievances and issues
generated in order to achieve a solution. The second problem is the crisis of communications
among the seniors and the junior members of the team (De Raeve et al, 2017). It is often
observed that during the change of duties among the different timing slots, some information that
would be important for a particular patients, as well as required precautions, got missed. The
reason of which there lead to the development of conflicts and misconducts plans prosecuted
among the employees. This process of conflicts among the team can be avoided if a proper

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documentation of pieces of information along with special developing knowledgeable
approaches were taken by the organisation so that the information would be carried out the other
stuff while the preceding person is not present at that moment. Moreover, with the development
of technology, many new processes have come with the advanced machinery for the patients to
take care with so that the requirement of the patient is identified by mean of advanced
technology.
Suggestions like the requirement of the weekly meeting are specscribed. So that the interactions
among the seniors as well as the junior of the team workers should turn more accurate.
Beneficial of which the problems among them would be satisfied upon the suggestions of others.
Moreover, the defaults of the pursued week were also be overcome here, by identifying the
solution for the problems that were caused (Gradinger et al, 2015). Although the knowledge of
smartness in pursuing the solutions strategy in some critical situation lead to the development of
ideas to other employees also, so that if next time any other employee faced the same related
issue then the procedure could be applicable in order to take proper care for the patients as well
as the person. For creating smooth communication among the members of a team these meeting
strategies became more useful since the procedure lead to developing motivational
characteristics among the employees. A 360-degree feedback system for the employees should
be implemented in order to develop a pattern of behavior of different employees was generated
(Lawrence et al, 2016). The reason of which the employees could easily identify the faults of
their own in order to not pursuing the same fault ever after. This feedback system helps in
generating awareness among the employees for further promotion in there working place. To
avoid negative feedback the employees should be kept in though the reason of which the worst
feedback resulted, so that if the person prosecuted the same issue once again when he or she has
to provide the perfect reason of happenings to the higher authority.
Conclusion
Doctors and other people from the medical fraternity have to work with patients. They take care
of patients so that they can recover quickly and resume their normal activities. But before that,
the persons entrusted with the activity to treat the patients should also get sufficiently trained so
that they can deal with any emergencies or can deal with any patient. The attendants have to
remember that the needs of each patient are different. So they should prepare a need-based plan

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for each patient separately. Proper scheduling of work and effective time management goes a
long way to serve the patients in with adequate care and support.

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