Professional practice experience
Professional practice experience bridges the gap between a student and an employee. Through the practice, I was able to obtain the real world experience which greatly improved my professionalism.
| The correspondence between the policies and the processes in the health information management department and the government regulations. | The government policies are against the disclosure of the information shared between the patients and the physicians. The patients should be assured that the private information which they will share with the health care professionals will remain confidential. In the health organization the patients were very free with the health professionals and they could not hide anything from the doctors. That was one of the government policies which was complied with (Belar & Perry 1992). The patienst had also control over the information which was collected about them which is according to the government policies. The patients have a right to know what was collected about them, have a copy of that information and correct or amend that information. According to the government policies, the records of the patients who were drug and alcohol abusers were kept confidential. The reports could not go beyond the patient and the physician but it can be accesed by the person who is close to the patient incase the patient is not in a position(Belar & Perry 1992). . |
| Similarity betweenthe organization policies and external regulation in the health information management department. | I observed that in the health information management department, the staff was very friendly to their clients which seemed to keep the clients in a relaxed mood and made them free with the staff. This was according to the organization policy that the staff in the entire organization was to receive their clients in a friendly manner and serve them well(Belar & Perry 1992). . |
| Two licensing agencies in which the health organizations reports. | One of the licencing agencies of the health organization was the California department of public health. The other was the licencing and certification program. These organizations licensed, regulated and inspected the health organization where I was. Their facilities complied with the laws and the regulations of the state(Davis, & Taylor-Vaisey, 1997). |
The latest report of the organization approved the good work of the organization. The human resource department was highly recommended for their good work. Their work of developing the personnel management as well as creating and developing team work among the employees acted to the advantage of the organization in achievement of the goals. Personnel management regulatedthe recruitment of workers so well since there were no shortage or excess workers in an area or another. This department was also recommended for employee development, their relations and resourcing. The health information management department was also recommended for their good record keeping. All files were well kept and maintained. The other departments were also approved for contributing to the general success of the organization. The agency however put across that there was some restructuring which would contribute to more effectiveness of the organization. They said that there was need for expansion of the organization to avoid keeping the patients waiting for so long or sending them to other health institutions. The agency also pointed out some individuals who were supposed to amend their behaviors as they were disclosing the information on patients to other people. The patients were complaining and it was only one person who was being mentioned. The management of the health organization was supposed to address on that issue. The management made a project on the expansion of the institution which has come out to be successful. There is no more congestion in the organization and the personnel have also been increased due to the expansion. The patients are now served in time and the health care providers do not get hard time while serving them. The services being offered are now more effective than before (Davis, & Taylor-Vaisey, 1997). The issue of disclosing private information of the patients to the outsiders was addressed where the individuals who had been pointed out were privately called and warned. There are quality initiatives which are currently being addressed. The health information management department has got the plans to add more computers in their department to enhance the quality of their work. They also want to put more security measures on the information of the patients through putting passwords in the folders of all the patients to ensure that it is only accessed by those who are recommended. The administration has also got the plans of installing security cameras in the entire institution to help in improving the security especially in the health information management department(Labonte, 1994). The plans are in progress and the health information management department has already forwarded their plans of purchasing more computers to the administration. The administration of the organization has already provided a feedback saying that that was a brilliant idea and it would be worked on within the next six months. The issue of installing security cameras in the organization is currently being worked on and within the next one month the project will be complete. These changes will be of great help to the institution(Jamtvedt et al, 2006). If I were a member of the quality improvement team in the health information management department I would suggest the starting of educational programs for the staff of this department. The educational programs will help in improving the quality of services provided by the department. They will know the evolving modern ways of handling the records of the patients(Mann, Gordon& MacLeod, 2009). These personnel will acquire more information on the health data management, information technology and systems, organization and management. Gaining further education will help in the advancement of the careers of the health professionals and the individuals will qualify for upper management positions (Mann, Gordon& MacLeod, 2009). As a member of the information quality team I would advocate for the removal old system of keeping the patients records. Though the computers are being used to store information, still some records are kept in the form of hard copy. I would suggest that they store information in form of softcopy as that will help in keeping the department clean, the documents are safer and the one can easily retrieve the records they are in need of. I believe that my suggestion would improve the services of the health information management department and the institution as a whole. The institution uses HIPAA security on the administrative, the technical and the physical safeguarding of the data of the patients from the unauthorized access. They use the electronic PHI. Mostly, they use the magnetic tapes, disks and the memory card. The HIPAA privacy rule is also used in the organization where it is ensured that the individuals can control the use of their information. The protected health information is never used by others when the user is against. The information belonging to the patients is kept confidential for them only(Wu et al, 2006). Adapting to an institution where I had to keep information confidential was not an easy thing. It was process which required some time. I am talkative and I had to device ways to ensure that whatever came out of my mouth was not about disclosing any patient’s information. I had to develop my own principles which would guide me in the profession. I have so many friends and as I talk to them, I ensure that what I disclose to them is nothing to do with the private information. I ensure that what we talk about is our own issues. Some of them are very witty and may try to access information but I ensure that I am keen on every word which comes out of my mouth. My principles included not just talking unnecessarily and talking less on the issues of my department to avoid making the mistake of disclosing confidential to the outsiders. When talking with the family members I ensure that I mind on the details of the subject we are talking about. The professional practice experience has made me gain a lot of knowledge on the protection of the privacy of the patients and the confidentiality of the information, disclosure of information development, use and the maintenance of the health information system(Haux, 2006). When the health agencies pointed out some individuals in the health information management department who had disclosed some private information belonging to the patients, I realized the seriousness of keeping confidential any information belonging to the patients. I realized that I had to represent the health profession to the public accurately, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in the situations which support the health information practice and I had to respect the inherent dignity and the worth of every person despite, the race, the gender, culture or religion. The professional practice experience has really changed my professional thinking. I am in a position to respect every individual and keep their private information away fromthe unauthorizedaccess. I handled my clients well and ensured that I offer them the services they expected so as to win their trust. The other members of staff also expressed high levels of discipline in the profession where they treat their patients with dignity. They are compassionate, truthful, ensured data and patients safety and showed dedication to the patients there by providing quality services in their professional roles and making wise decisions in their work. The managers of the organization have got leadership skills. That was evident when he was dealing with the issue of the individuals who had disclosed the private information to the outsiders. He called and addressed them privately. That was a good leadership skill. He also investigated on the matter and when he was sure on it, is when he dealt with it. From that incident I learnt that leadership skills are very important as one is able to deal with a diverse work force. It is important to learn the leadership skills whether one is training to be a manager or not. They get the knowledge on how to handle different problems. There are many types of problems and each problem has its own way of handling in order to solve(Pratt, Unruh, Civan, & Skeels, 2006). The manager has demonstrated supervisory skill sets in many ways. He is able to make effective decisions, he also knows how to lead and manage the organization. He makes informed decisions through gathering information which are based on facts and he shares them with the team. He also does not make decisions alone. He is also good at implementing the operational plans. Moreover, he manages the available operational plans so well and monitors the operationalperformance. He is also good at participating and facilitating the work teams(Berg, 2003). The mentoring skills which were demonstrated to me helped me feel more confident and self-supporting. A clear sense of what I wanted in my profession was developed. I also developed greater self-awareness and I was able to see myself from a different perspective. Generally the organizational skills were expanded and I realized that my mentors created strong incite towards building stronger teams(Berg, 2003). They also had the desire to help and provided good feedback and were good listeners. Generally the organization values the student engagement in the work place. The staff very welcoming and are always ready to help. The organizationsvalue the students because these students increase the workforce in the organization. As a student, I was given an opportunity to handle the customers and not only that, I was also to be in the health information management department where I was supposed to participate fully in the work there. That helped me gain a lot of experience in that field. I felt confident and I was ready to work. These experiences added so much to my career because my interest in the career increased and I found it very enjoyable. To be sincere I felt good being in the experience and I felt that everything was perfect. I could not change anything to enhance my learning experience since I was comfortable from what was being provided. The learning experience was very effective. This was because it includedinclusive practice. I was also guided on what to do and I received directions in both written and verbal form. A lot of demonstrations were also involved in the experience making it very efficient and reliable at the same time. The services which are provided in the organization completed the mission statement. These services include, the day surgery, ambulatory care, HIV and STIs testing, the offering of counseling to the patients, the inpatients and the out patients services which were all well catered for. Quality services were offered. The services offered in the health organization are repaid through processes like the acute care, ambulatory care long term and short term care. The payer mix of the organization knows the services provided in there and the expenses which are incurred. They know that the organization provides quality services and they therefor are assured of good results.
| Recommendations made by an accreditation visit and the changes made in the organization | All the staff members were recommended for their cooperation in running of the organization. Specifically the human resource department and the health information management department were congratulated since these two departments had done the best in the period. The agencies however felt that there was need to expand the organization inorder to reduce the congestion in the health care organization. The agency also pointed out that some individuals from the health information management department were disclosing private information to the outsiders. |
| Response of the organization | The organization took the initiative of expanding the organization to reduce the congestions. On the issue of disclosure of information they decided to put security cameras all over to enhance security. There were some improvements in the organization. |
The health information management reaps some benefits from their work. They are not paid as an individual but as a department. The amount they get after sharing boosts their monthly salaries thereby raising their standards of living. There is also training which is offered to the nurses every year. That helps them to acquire knowledge on the advanced nursing practicePratt, Unruh, Civan, & Skeels, 2006). They therefore are able to provide more quality services to the patients. There has also been training for the staff of the health information management department where their information skills have been improved and they have gained knowledge on the modern storage and information systems. The health information management staff is highly qualified and the ongoing plans for purchasing more machines will have a good impact in their work. Their skills are highly improved and their ethics are recommendable. The individuals who wereunethical have now changed and the entire group is disciplined. They work as a team and there is a lot of harmony in their work. They also do not disclose the private information to the third parties. To conclude, I have greatly benefited from the experience and I feel very confident. The knowledge and skills I got from there will greatly help me when I get employed. I have professionally developed as an individual and with what I have now in me from the experience, I believe I will be the best when I get employed.
References
Belar, C. D., & Perry, N. W. (1992). The National Conference on Scientist-Practitioner Education and Training for the Professional Practice of Psychology. American Psychologist, 47(1), 71.
Berg, M. (2003). Health information management: Integrating information and communication technology in health care work. Routledge.
Davis, D. A., & Taylor-Vaisey, A. (1997). Translating guidelines into practice: a systematic review of theoretic concepts, practical experience and research evidence in the adoption of clinical practice guidelines. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 157(4), 408-416.
Haux, R. (2006). Health information systems–past, present, future. International journal of medical informatics, 75(3), 268-281.
Jamtvedt, G., Young, J. M., Kristoffersen, D. T., O’Brien, M. A., & Oxman, A. D. (2006). Audit and feedback: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2(2).
Labonte, R. (1994). Health promotion and empowerment: reflections on professional practice. Health Education & Behavior, 21(2), 253-268.
Mann, K., Gordon, J., & MacLeod, A. (2009). Reflection and reflective practice in health professions education: a systematic review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 14(4), 595-621.
Pratt, W., Unruh, K., Civan, A., & Skeels, M. M. (2006). Personal health information management. Communications of the ACM, 49(1), 51-55.
Wu, S., Chaudhry, B., Wang, J., Maglione, M., Mojica, W., Roth, E., … & Shekelle, P. G. (2006). Systematic review: impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and costs of medical care. Annals of internal medicine, 144(10), 742-752.