Interpersonal Skills for Health Care Management
Empathy
In health care, it’s important that you can empathize with patients and the difficult
situations that others are facing. According to an article in the British Journal of General
Practice, empathy is often cited as a core aspect of effective, therapeutic consultations,
though there is limited research into its impact.1
Communication Skills
The core of many workplaces is communication, but for health care workers it’s even
more important. Health care workers need to speak with patients and their families in
addition to routinely communicating with coworkers. According to the Institute for
Healthcare Communication, evidence indicates that there are strong positive
relationships between a health care team member’s communication skills and a
patient’s capacity to follow through with medical recommendations, self-manage a
chronic medical condition, and adopt preventive health behaviors.2
According to an article in the Journal of Ambulatory Care Management, patients’
perceptions of the quality of the healthcare they received are highly dependent on the
quality of their interactions with their healthcare clinician and team.3 This suggests that
strong communication skills are vital for effective patient care and satisfaction.
Teamwork
An important trait in health care workers is a team player attitude. Many health care
fields are like team sports, with many people working toward patient care. It’s vital that
you know how to collaborate with these peers in the best interest of the patient. A study
in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found that higher team functioning
is associated with better patient outcomes.4
Personal Skills for Health Care Workers
Work Ethic
Work ethic is a set of values based on hard work. There are many components of work
ethic, including professionalism, punctuality, your overall attitude and behavior. Some
businesses define work ethic as the belief in the moral benefit and importance of work
and its inherent ability to strengthen character.
Because many health care fields require hours that go beyond your standard 9-to-5 job,
it’s vital that future health care employees nurture a strong work ethic. Health care is a
demanding field. The hours are long. The subject matter can be grim. Without the drive
to succeed in your career, you may find it stagnates.
Stress Management
In health care, literally, lives could be at stake. That’s a lot of pressure to have to handle.
According to studies, health care workers are at high risk of burnout if they do not have
proper stress-management techniques.5 Burnout is the experience of long-term
exhaustion and diminished interest in work.
The most successful health care workers not only know how to handle pressure, but
they also thrive on it. But to avoid burnout it’s also important for health care workers to
have good stress management practices and to know how to take space from their
demanding careers.
Positive Attitude
All employees can benefit from a positive mental attitude but in health care, this soft
skill is particularly useful. Because of the demands of the job, the stress of teamwork,
and the frequent meetings with patients, it’s important that health care workers keep a
sunny outlook. The harsh realities of health care can easily wear someone down, which
can lead to stress and other negative consequences.
Flexibility
Because many careers in health care don’t stick to typical 9-to-5 hours, flexibility is key
to working on a team. Your peers may need you to pick up a shift or stay late. A
demanding patient may take up more of your day than you planned for.
Beyond just dealing with your schedule, you also need to be adaptable so as to handle
new, different, or changing environments. Health care fields deal with something
different every day. If you don’t know how to abandon a routine and adapt easily you
may struggle in your career.
Time Management
Time management is vital in any career but in health care where lives are literally on the
line, it’s even more important. You’ll often be pulled in multiple directions at work so
it’s important you know how to prioritize and triage pressing matters.
A health care professional’s day can be very busy and it can sometimes feel like there
aren’t enough hours in the day. Focusing on priorities can help you be more successful
in your career.
Confidence
Because health care roles are patient-facing, it’s important that you project confidence in
your work. According to an article in the Patient Experience Journal, confidence is
recognized as one of the most influential factors to affect performance. Beyond that,
according to the study, confidence resulted in higher scores on patient evaluations after
treatment. Feeling confident in your skill set directly communicates with patients and
affects their experience.6
Receptive Attitude
You don’t know everything, no matter how excellent your training was. A receptive
attitude means you can handle criticism and enact change when needed. Health care is
an ever-evolving field. Even employees at the top of their game will ultimately have
gaps in their knowledge due to advances in medicine, technology, and procedures. You
need to have the ability to accept and learn from criticism.
Consider Customer Service in the Medical Field
In medicine, much of what you will do is patient-facing, which is really just customer
service. Many skills that apply to customer service roles will serve you well in medicine.
This includes:
Attitude
Communication
Confidence
Patience
Attentiveness
Adaptability
Good customer service in the medical field permeates all levels of employees. Patients
want to have good medical care, prompt billing, friendly and knowledgeable
technicians and helpful staff. Patients can be scared about their health and need health
care workers with a soft touch to help improve their patient experience.
