subject: A Doctors Guide To Developing Management Skills [print this page] As a medical practitioner, in addition to working towards developing your practice and increasing your patient base, you will realize that you also spend a sufficient time of your day trying to manage and supervise the other members of your team. In addition to people management, there are a number of other administrative decisions and systems that you need to look into on a day to day basis, because at the end of the day whether you are a Vancouver based dentist, paediatrician or general physician, you are still running a business of your own and it needs to be managed.
1. Financial Skills Among the many managerial skills that physicians and medical professionals find challenging, financial acumen is the most crucial. Especially since you and your management team will have to deal with money flow on a day to day basis and also interact with insurance companies regularly, it is important that you are able to build some skill in money management as well as investment management to make sure you wealth is being managed appropriately.
2. Delegation No matter how much you think you have the ability to do the job on your own, most people agree that a good manager is one that has the ability to delegate effectively. This is an essential skill to develop especially since physicians most often dont have time to accomplish all tasks by themselves. Believe it or not, effective delegation is among the hardest management skill to develop.
Delegation goes beyond instructing your phlebotomist to make a blood work appointment. It is about understanding the skills and capabilities of the person who you assign the task to, accepting their limits and expecting realistic outcomes in return.
3. Productivity Management As a medical practitioner and head of the healthcare facility, you are expected to take on the responsibility of ensuring satisfactory levels of productivity among staff members. It is up to you to set up a reporting system and create a work culture that is motivating. There may be times when you are required to spend time with staff members who arent performing to help them improve their skills.
4. Efficiency With patients to look after and the demands of day to day management keeping you on your toes, it is important that you build work systems that promote efficiency. Identify software and take help of qualified management professionals to ensure that your clinic or healthcare facility has minimal glitches in its day to day running.
Inventory management, hiring, training, financial management, and even Public Relations are crucial to the success of any medical practitioner. Today there are a number of short courses, distance learning programs and executive MBA programs which focus on healthcare management and encourage medical professionals to develop basic business skills which can help them in a practical setting. The competitive nature of the healthcare industry demands that physicians and members of the medical fraternity develop some basic skills in marketing, and other facets of business to sustain a progressive practice.
by: Stella Richard
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