Briefly describe three or more insights you have gained in this course that will inform your
continued growth as a health care manager. Share one area of development that you would
most like to focus on, and indicate one or more strategies for doing so. Also describe steps
you currently take and/or plan to take to maintain your vitality and velocity.
See the Week 8 Discussion 2 area for complete instructions.
Discussion 2 – Week 8
Professional Development
The continuous change and complexity associated with the health care field necessitate that
managers pay close attention to future trends. They must consider how this will influence
the organizations in which they work-and engage in ongoing professional development to
meet the challenges they are likely to encounter.
In this Discussion, you will synthesize the insights about organizational effectiveness and
leadership you have gained throughout this course into strategies for your continued
growth as a health care manager.
In preparation, consider the following:
� What are the most important characteristics of organizations that are prepared to meet
current and future challenges? Consider what you have learned in each week of this
course.
� What kind of organization would you excel in? What are your key strengths that would
be of benefit to an organization given the future trends you have considered in this course?
� What are the most critical skills and dispositions of effective leaders in this ever-
changing environment? What are your strengths in this regard?
� Which area of health care management would you most like to focus on for
improvement?
� What steps will you commit to taking outside of this master’s program for continuing
your growth and development?
� Why is taking care of yourself important, from both a personal perspective and an
organizational perspective? What actions are you currently taking-and what actions will
you take in the future-to maintain your vitality and velocity?
Post by Day 3 a response to the following
Briefly describe three or more insights you have gained in this course that will inform your
continued growth as a health care manager. Share one area of development that you would
most like to focus on, and indicate one or more strategies for doing so. Also describe steps
you currently take and/or plan to take to maintain your vitality and velocity.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2
Professional Development
Health care management is the core of all the health care system globally (Sharon
Buchbinder, 2011) . As such, health care officials play an essential role in the health care system
to ensure that everything runs smoothly for a better and healthy society. For this reason, health
care managers like me have to continuously improve themselves at a personal level and a
professional level. The fact that health care managers make choices that affects other people’s
lives, it is critical that they be at their best on decision making and management skills.
Trends in the health care industry keep on evolving time and again. There are always new
diseases that come up every day that need new solutions. New inventions in the health care
industry keep on coming every day to make the lives of people better and easier. For a health
care manager to be efficient, he or she has to study the past events, current events and be able to
note specific trends with which he can make a decision (McKinsey, 2009) . The management of
people is also critical. A good health care manager has to be able to manage the people in the
best way possible. With this management, he / she will be able to create a pleasant and serene
environment in which health care practitioners and patients can be able to fully run the activities
at their best.
An organization that is able to meet the current and future challenges is dynamic and
innovative (Walshe, 2011) . The organization focuses on empowering its people to be able to
solve issues. People empowerment gives the organization the necessary skills to handle any
challenges while proper training enables the organization to anticipate future potential problems.
The dynamic nature of the organization is a clear sign of its adaptability to issues that arise along
the way. Health care organizations must also display care for its people. Care is demonstrated by
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 3
treating the people with respect and humanely. High ethical standards also characterize effective
health care organizations as they perform according to the highest standards of professionalism
possible.
Personally, I have good listening skills and also a lot of creativity. This gives me an upper
hand as a leader and a health care manager. In concise, my team is always having a pool of ideas
from which we implement policies. Involvement of other members of staff in decision making
processes has been of great help in the management process. The decisions end up being better
and well informed. However, I think I need to focus more on the area of innovation. There is
need to come up with better, faster, easier and applicable solutions based on the environment in
which we are. With limited resources, the only way to ensure that there is effective performance
in the organization and in the entire health care industry is through continuous innovation.
All health care managers have to consciously improve themselves through various ways
(Haddock, 2002). Personally, I am currently taking a masters degree course in the health care
management. This will equip me with more skills with which my work will be more effective. I
have also gained access to a lot of knowledgeable material on issues to do with healthcare from
attending seminars, discussions and forums where I get to interact with my peers in the industry.
Use of technology and social media has also come in handy. I have joined various groups with
other healthcare practitioners where we get to share our success and challenges while discussing
solutions for current and future problems.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 4
References
Haddock, C. C., & McLean, R. D. (2002). “Careers in Healthcare Management: How to Find
your Path and Follow It.” Chicago: Health Administration Press.
McKinsey. (2009). Management in Healthcare: Why Good Practise Really Matter. London
School of Economics.
Sharon Buchbinder, N. S. (2011). Introduction to Health Care Management. Jones and BArlette
Publishers.
Walshe, K. S. (2011). Healthcare Managemnet . McGrow Hill International.