Academic and Employability Skills for Success in Healthcare Management

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Academic and Employability Skills
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................. 3
Task............................................................................................................................. 4
Conclusion....................................................................................................................9
Reference List............................................................................................................. 10
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Introduction
In the healthcare field, it is crucial to develop knowledge and patient handling skills on a
regular basis. In general, employability skills are essential for a potential candidate to acquire
because it will help them in gaining an edge over other candidates. In this intensely
competitive market, employers are always looking forward to hiring competent people.
Therefore, the report will be written to analyse their own employability skills that might be
relevant to establish its position in healthcare and business management. Further, the report
will be written to highlight the perspective and expectations of potential employers in the
healthcare sector.
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Task
Part 1
Employability skills
Employability skills can be defined as certain behaviours or set of skills, which is essential or
necessary in a workplace. “Employability skills” is a vast term and it can be divided into job-
related skills, foundational skills, soft skills and work-relevant skills (Wolff and Booth,
2017). Individuals seeking to develop their foundational skills must focus on being organised,
and they need to develop good time management tactics as well.
Moreover, these individuals should be able to adapt to new situations and show flexibility at
work. It is quite common to face unfamiliar or challenging situations at work; however,
having a positive outlook helps a lot in dealing with situations. Similarly, “soft skills” usually
denotes interpersonal and communication tactics possessed by an individual.
Employability skills are transferable, and hence, another individual can easily acquire it
(Nagele and Stalder, 2017). The individual simply needs to acquire subject knowledge or the
academic skills and technical understanding of their job. Gaining relevant industry-specific
employability skills is crucial because the employers feel that it will help employees in
carrying out their job role effectively.
While working in a job, it is vital for individuals to listen and understand the viewpoint of
their co-workers and supervisors. Communication does not only imply “speaking” but also
“active listening” (Collet et al., 2015). Being able to follow directions easily is one of the
essential components of communication. After listening carefully, the individual should be
able to express his/her opinion easily. In case of conflict with co-workers, the individual
should know the art of staying calm and accepting change quickly.
Further, being able to function in a team is another vital, relevant skill. “Teamwork” implies
being able to act sensitively towards the needs of other team members. This, in turn, will
allow the individual to contribute towards the goals of the team. Work-relevant skills usually
involve being technically competent (Brown, 2016). It also means that the individual should
be capable enough to take initiatives and complete tasks with responsibility. Employers in
any industry tend to hire people who can work by following organisational ethics and
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responsibility. Being trustworthy, honest, mature and reliable can help an individual achieve
organisational goals.
The employability skills relevant in the healthcare sector do not differ much in comparison to
other sectors. It encompasses communication skills (written and verbal), ethical conduct,
setting priorities, possessing an open-mind and essential networking skills. Apart from the
general employability skills, the individual should also have the attitude of becoming a life-
long learner because the healthcare sector has been undergoing a change in recent times. It
should be noted that generic skills are given more importance than job-specific skills
(Messum et al., 2019). Gradually, the graduates can develop industry-related skills by
learning from experienced co-workers and managers.
Relevant employability skills of self
In order to establish my position in the healthcare sector, I have gained certain skills that I
consider pertinent. I have always wanted to build my career in Healthcare and Business
Management. Therefore, I have gained first-hand experience in running a small business.
It has been quite fascinating to gain such experiences. In future, I would be keen to establish
my own business.
Moreover, I am a reliable and independent individual who can easily cope in a competitive
and cutthroat environment. Since childhood, I have been an active participant in school
programs. Therefore, it is easy for me to take up new initiatives.
In the context of work experience, I can firmly state that since I have worked in a variety of
work settings such as business and retail, I am good at working as part of a team as well as
independently. While working in the retail sector, I have gained significant communication
skills, as I had to deal with a variety of clients. Further, I became adept at multitasking after
becoming a mother. It is crucial for me to be satisfied with my job and hence I have chosen
the healthcare sector. Moreover, supervising and teaching skills come easily to me. In every
industry, employers are looking more for hard working people rather than degree holders.
Similarly, in the healthcare sector, hard workers go a long way. In the UK, the healthcare
sector is quite developed. However, in recent times, it has been observed that healthcare
institutions are lacking significant management (Ginger et al., 2018). Hiring the right
individuals for the right job positions is the need of the hour. Hence, I believe that with the
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help of my work experience, right skills and passion, I will be able to contribute positively
towards the healthcare sector.
Potential employability skills that can be developed in the future
In healthcare and business management, the scope for improvement is always present. Hence,
the skill requirements also change rapidly. It is mainly due to innovation and technical
change in the healthcare sector. In recent times, transformations have been occurring in
traditional jobs, and hence there has been rising job opportunities.
On the other hand, the requirements of employers are becoming difficult to fulfil.
Nevertheless, employees should focus on continuous growth and productivity (Acemoglu et
al., 2018). For job seekers, it is necessary to engage in training and education constantly. It
includes work-based learning as well as quality apprenticeships. After acquiring the
Healthcare and Business Management degree, I would like to work in the administrative
department. As I am eligible for working effectively in a fast-paced environment, it would be
easier for me to take advantage of growth opportunities.
It has been observed that apart from directly engaging with patient-related tasks like dealing
with illnesses, there is another side of the healthcare industry. It is simply the business
management part of healthcare. In order to become an effective manager in the healthcare
industry, it will be essential to learn good budgeting skills. This, in turn, will help in
allocating the different departments with relevant financial aid. Moreover, healthcare
managers are expected to be good coordinator (Taylor, 2016). The job is quite satisfying and
rewarding because both financial and aspects of philanthropy are present.
Further, it seems appropriate to make continuous development in the arena of “soft skills”. It
is easier to acquire soft skills but harder to retain the skills due to lack of practice. Hence,
transferable skills such as collaboration, teamwork, conflict resolution, planning and
management skills need to be continuously developed (Singh and Jaykumar, 2017). Apart
from this, the technical skills that can be improved involve budgeting, business
administration, scheduling and research.
In order to apply business management skills in the healthcare sector, the mere experience is
not enough. The first step towards improvement is gaining knowledge about the actual skills
required by the industry and skills possessed by the one. This, in turn, will ultimately help in
better performance or work output. For example, in order to become an effective leader, it
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would be appropriate to take up big or small projects and take new initiatives. It is crucial to
find a mentor who is an expert in the healthcare field and can help in identifying their own
skills gap (Moore and Morton, 2017).
It should be noted that after joining in a new job position, it would be appropriate to continue
the education. A bachelor’s degree is often not enough in the healthcare sector and therefore,
one can easily take up an online Master’s degree course. This in turn will help in adding
quality to own service delivery. It will be possible to build better proficiency and making
progress in own career will be convenient. Lastly, a potential candidate should be able to deal
with criticism effectively. It is important to accept that one does not know everything and in
healthcare sector, a healthcare manager might have to face criticism on a regular basis.
Perspective of employers in the healthcare sector
The employers usually prefer candidates who can easily learn as well as adapt to change. It
simply implies that they expect employees to work enthusiastically and find out ways of
learning from mistakes. Moreover, employers in the healthcare sector look for candidates
who are methodical and organised because they have to deal with clients having a multitudes
of healthcare needs (Rich et al., 2018). In other words, the employers expect healthcare
employees to work collaboratively with people who come from different cultural background.
Hence, I should use this skill for dealing with not only patients but also with co-workers.
Additionally, they want candidates who also possess basic negotiation skills. Here, the
negotiation skills can be utilised by candidates to understand needs of clients and express
own opinions or requirements in an unemotional manner.
In this competitive job market, employers are fundamentally looking for candidates who are
more capable and possess potential for growth. Research in this field has been carried out
and it has been concluded that certain skills are considered “desirable” in the job market. For
example, employers consider certain specialised management skills such as conflict
management, understanding of reports, delegation, administration, budget management and
data interpretation skills desirable (Cappelli and Keller, 2017). The candidate should also
possess good supervisory skills if he/she is aiming to become a good healthcare manager.
Furthermore, the demand for healthcare managers is increasing, as there is lack of good
management in the healthcare industry (Shanks, 2016). Patients often remain unsatisfied with
the service quality. For example, they might have to undergo long waiting times, short
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visiting hours, improper behaviour of healthcare staff, carelessness while dealing with
patients suffering from chronic illnesses. Hence, there is a constant need for managers who
would take up administrative and management roles. The skills that the potential candidates
should possess must fulfil the job targets and specific needs of the service users. For example,
an effective manager should be able to develop their staffs. It simply means that, managers
should have the capability of evaluating the good as well as bad attributes of the staff. It can
only happen when the manager is able to maintain a functional relationship with his/her
subordinates. Timely supervision is essential but an empathetic approach is fundamental as
well.
Additionally, time management skills are also expected from a potential healthcare manager
because the entire industry is quite fast-paced (Daft and Marcic, 2016). Clients arrive with
emergencies and therefore, managers are supposed to keep up with rising demands of the
service users. Moreover, someone who is currently working in the healthcare industry should
always identify ways of making advanced improvements.
Hence, employers expect managers to make continuous process improvement. It is also
fundamental to update oneself regarding new laws and legislations related to patient health
and safety (Hall et al., 2018). The employers expect potential managers to manage overhead
costs, billing and patient fees as well. The managers are also expected to look after different
departments like surgery, physical therapy or nursing and they are responsible for keeping an
eye on the activities of the subordinates. Therefore, it can be stated that depending upon the
surroundings or setting, the job role of a healthcare manager is quite demanding and diverse
in nature.
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Conclusion
The report has been written to gain an insight into the relevant academic and employability
skills required to become efficient in handling business related tasks in healthcare sector. In
the beginning of the report, a brief idea regarding employability skills and its importance in
the healthcare sector has been outlined. The importance of soft skills has been mentioned as
well. Thereafter, an analysis of own employability skills has been stated. Research has been
conducted on potential future employability skills in the healthcare sector. Lastly, it has been
concluded by gaining insight into the perspectives of employers regarding job requirements.
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Reference List
Acemoglu, D., Akcigit, U., Alp, H., Bloom, N. and Kerr, W., 2018. Innovation, reallocation,
and growth. American Economic Review, 108(11), pp.3450-91.
Brown, A., 2016. The role of career adaptability and flexible expertise in developing
individual innovative behaviour. In Human Resource Management, Innovation and
Performance (pp. 249-265). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Cappelli, P. and Keller, J.R., 2017. The historical context of talent management. The Oxford
handbook of talent management, pp.23-42.
Collet, C., Hine, D. and Du Plessis, K., 2015. Employability skills: perspectives from a
knowledge-intensive industry. Education+ Training, 57(5), pp.532-559.
Daft, R.L. and Marcic, D., 2016. Understanding management. Nelson Education.
Ginter, P.M., Duncan, W.J. and Swayne, L.E., 2018. The strategic management of health
care organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Hall, M.A., Orentlicher, D., Bobinski, M.A., Bagley, N. and Cohen, I.G., 2018. Health care
law and ethics. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
Messum, D., Wilkes, L., Jackson, D. and Peters, K. 2019. Asia Pacific Journal of Health
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employability, and the ‘skills gap’in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 42(3),
pp.591-609.
Nägele, C. and Stalder, B.E., 2017. Competence and the need for transferable skills.
In Competence-based Vocational and Professional Education (pp. 739-753). Springer, Cham.
Rich, C.R., Singleton, J.K. and Wadhwa, S.S., 2018. Sustainability for healthcare
management: a leadership imperative. Routledge.
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Shanks, N.H. ed., 2016. Introduction to health care management. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Singh, A. and Jaykumar, P., 2017. On the road to consensus: key soft skills required for youth
employment in the service sector. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, (just-
accepted), pp.00-00.
Taylor, L., 2016. What is employability and what does it mean for you?. How to Develop
Your Healthcare Career: A Guide to Employability and Professional Development, p.1.
Wolff, R. and Booth, M., 2017. Bridging the gap: Creating a new approach for assuring 21st
century employability skills. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 49(6), pp.51-54.
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