Do you struggle with effective communication in your medical office or healthcare environment?

Effective communication is an integral part of a successful and cohesive work environment in a healthcare environment. It is crucial that doctors, hospital staff members, and patients can all communicate with each other.

Communication in healthcare can mean the difference between life and death. The best healthcare environments are ones that have good communication. Medical and hospital staff cannot provide the best patient care without effective communication.

Effective communication in a medical office helps healthcare providers better treat their patients, create a positive patient experience, and improve employee morale.

Read on for more tips on effective communication in a medical office.

5 Tips for Effective Communication in a Medical Office

Effective communication in a workplace environment starts with the leader. The leader must do their part in showcasing what good communication is so that staff members can emulate it.

1. Actively Listen.

Listening is crucial for effective communication. Spend time actively listening to hospital staff members and patients. Be clear with your patients and staff about what they need to do, and listen to them if they have any questions or need any clarifications.

Ask staff and patients how you can help and if they understood what you told them. If a patient or staff member is going through a difficult time and needs someone to talk to, be there for them. 

Always acknowledge and respond to the people around you. Be aware of their non-verbal cues.

2. Get Clarity.

Many healthcare workers from different backgrounds work in a medical office. Each staff member has a different level of understanding of medical terms and procedures. Leaders and doctors must communicate these medical terms and procedures effectively to staff members and patients to ensure they fully understand what is going on.

By asking for clarity and repeating back directions or information, medical staff can ensure that everyone involved understands what they have to do. When hospital staff members, nurses, or other staff members repeat instructions, it ensures they fully understand what they must do. It also provides patients with the peace of mind they need when they know that their healthcare workers are all on the same page.

When patients confirm that they are clear with what a healthcare worker has told them, it ensures medical staff that the patient is fully aware of the medical procedure at hand - whether that be directions to take a drug or after-hospital care. 

3. Have a Positive Attitude.

Having a positive attitude is crucial to keeping up morale and communication in a healthcare environment. Lead by example by showing kindness to everyone and inspiring people with your leadership. 

Be mindful of what is going on around you and the sensitive situations that occur in a healthcare environment. You should also be mindful of how you and your staff deal with sensitive conversations.

Maintain eye contact, be positive, and try to lead with humor. Positivity can go a long way in an environment where people are sick and there is a lot of stress.

4. Body Language.

Body language is a crucial skill to have in the workplace. Body language is non-verbal communication, including gestures, posture, expressions, and mannerisms that help you better understand what people are saying and interpret their moods.

When someone does not convey a message with the correct body language, they can misunderstand the meaning behind what the other person tells them.

Using strong body language can help patients feel more confident in what their doctor or nurse says. Body language is also critical in leadership because it sends a message to the people you communicate with. It conveys intelligence and confidence.

5. Following Up.

In a medical environment, following up in written form or via a phone call can make a difference in whether someone understood a message. It is essential because doctors provide precise instructions for medical care, prescriptions, and directions that staff and patients must follow step-by-step.

It is crucial to follow up with staff members and patients to ensure they fully understand the instructions given to them. This is an integral part of communication that ensures there is no miscommunication. It also allows them to ask questions if they misunderstand something.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients' overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. 

We provide live training and speaking at events to help hospitals improve employee engagement and their patients' overall experience.

Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue. 

Liked this article? Here are three more!

• How to Minimize Digital Distractions in the Workplace
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• The Great Resignation

How do you empower hospital staff members?

In today’s healthcare world, most hospital staff members experience an abundance of stress - from an onslaught of new patients due to COVID-19, to strict new guidelines, to new health measures. A lot of people working in hospitals are also experiencing burnout.

When staff members experience burnout, it has a direct effect on the patient experience.

So how do we empower staff members to do their job, be positive, and improve the patient experience?

We do it through empowerment. Here are seven ways to do it.

7 Ways to Empower Hospital Staff Members Using the Empowerment Bundle

1. Service Recovery

When staff members work together to execute excellent patient care, the environment changes.

All employees must make it a part of their daily practice to “mess up, fess up, and dress up.” When we make this a part of our practice, habits, and culture, it displaces the old behaviors and becomes our cultural practice.

When we make a mistake, we have to be accountable for it and do our best to rectify it and learn from it. That’s what service recovery is all about.

2. Six-Foot Rule

In the days of COVID-19 and social distancing, all staff members must abide by the six-foot rule to keep a safe distance between themselves, other staff members, and patients.

Following the six-foot rule not only respects the people and patients you are working with but shows them that the hospital is doing its part to protect patients.

3. Managing Up

Managing up means saying something significant about another caregiver when you hand them off to another patient.

By doing this, the patient can rest assured that the staff member caring for them will do their best to provide the best service possible.

4. Platinum Live-it

The platinum live-it rule emphasizes the importance of following up. Whether you are following up with patients, other hospital staff members, a doctor, or another superior, doing so will improve the overall experience for both patients and staff members.

5. No Pass Zone

When you see an opportunity to help a fellow staff member or patient, do not pass it up. A culture of engagement builds off of teamwork. Do not pass up the opportunity to help someone in need.

6. License to Silence

Everyone is empowered to speak with a kinder, gentler voice, fix the noise, and honor and recognize quiet time, healing time, or hush time in the afternoons or evenings.

Never underestimate the power of silence in patient care. A patient’s perception of silence is more important in the day than it is sleeping at night.

As a caregiver, this is something you must always remember and practice.

7. Freedom to Clean

You are never too important to pick up something dirty on the floor, whether dirty bandages, dirty paper, or anything else. Think about how you keep your desk organized. Patients can see it, so it looks professional.

With the freedom to clean, we all have the empowerment to clean as we go.

Lead in the New Normal By Empowering Your Hospital Staff

It’s not easy to lead in the new normal. The above seven best practices of the empowerment bundle can help improve patient satisfaction in a hospital during these difficult times. They can also improve the morale of all your hospital staff.

By following all these best practices, everyone can train up. Everyone can be part of the solution.

Reimagining Healthcare Engagement Summit

In June, we hold a special one-day summit called “Reimagining Healthcare Engagement,” which will be 100% live streaming. Register to learn more about how to refresh the workplace through resilience, agility, and kindness.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's a Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints placed in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the skills you need to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

Why Your Hospital’s Online Reputation is Important to its Success
A Positive Attitude is Key to Great Patient Care
Non-Verbal Communication is the Key to Great Patient Care

Do you, or any of your hospital staff members, need to fix your attitude?

Do you ever wonder just how much a positive attitude contributes to creating a healing environment in healthcare?

A positive attitude plays a massive role in every hospital. There’s an old cliche, “it’s your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.”

Well, cliches are cliches for a reason - because there’s wisdom in there.

Attitude matters.

Here’s why.

Why You Should Fix Your Attitude in a Hospital Environment

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to fix your attitude so that you shine with positivity.

Being positive all the time - especially in a hospital environment - isn’t easy. But as a leader, it’s your job to inspire others and show positivity whenever you can.

When you fix your attitude and exude positivity in a hospital environment, your staff members will reflect it. Your staff members will then reflect it on their patients.

Your attitude can completely change a patient’s (and staff member’s) experience.

Positive Books Can Nourish the Soul

There are some great positive books leaders can read that inspire, educate, and nourish the soul. One book, in particular, is called ‘Nobody’s Home’ by Thomas Edward Gass.

The book tells a story about how Gass grew up with a single mother.

He went to seminary college, and when he graduated, he decided to travel the world. As he traveled, he lost touch with his mother. After receiving word that she was in her last few days on her deathbed, he returned to spend those days with her. When she passed away, he began working in a nursing home out of guilt and atonement.

Gass tells the story of the loneliness, friendships, hard work, and laziness of the communities that form in a skilled nursing facility.

His most profound sentence in the entire book was:

“Based upon our attitude, we can bring joy or misery.”

Bring Joy Everywhere You Go

Working in a hospital isn’t easy. From patient satisfaction to hospital ratings to ensuring employee morale is up, being a leader in health care has its struggles.

But when you’re a leader, you have to do all you can to promote a culture of positivity. You must lead by example.

Fix your attitude, and your attitude will reflect on everyone around you.

Remember: you can bring joy or misery wherever you go.

To keep a positive attitude, we recommend reading positive books that inspire and educate. We also suggest requesting a copy of our Operation Uplift Team Charter.

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.

The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.

Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.

Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• How to Lead Inspiring Meetings
• How to Connect With Humor at the Workplace
• Show Employee Appreciation by Noticing, Recognizing, and Appreciating

Consider this question: Why won’t patients give you honest patient feedback and tell you how they really feel about you while they’re under your care and control? Well, it’s because they’re under your care and supervision.

Think about it this way: Do you ever bother complaining about the food in a restaurant? Most people don’t, because what might happen to that food on the way back from the kitchen? There’ll be a new, invisible, moist crust.

Patients are very uncomfortable giving direct feedback. Nursing managers say this all the time, “I don’t get it. I talk with my patients, I ask how they’re doing, they say they love us, and then I get evaluation feedback, and they don't love us! What’s going on here?”.

When it comes to direct patient feedback, most people won't give you the truth. People are not comfortable being seen as a troublemaker.

Perception is deception. The way you think you’re doing may not be how your patients see you, which is why evaluations are so critical.

Five Questions to Ask About Patient Feedback

1. Do you know your latest patient satisfaction scores?
2. Do you know how the scores have changed since the previous report?
3. What are the top two things your patients say that you do best?
4. What are your top two patient dissatisfiers? What upsets your patients the most?
5. Do the people who report to you know the number one dissatisfier for their patients?

These questions are critical to your success. If your hospital staff members don’t know the answers to these questions, then you won’t be able to move forward and improve your patient feedback or win back patients.

It’s your role as a leader to educate your people to know and inspire them to care.

“The speed of the leader is the speed of the team.”

The Importance of Star Ratings

Never underestimate the importance of star ratings. Consider the following:

• A rating of 1 or 2 is a Zone of Defection.
• A rating of 3 or 4 is a Zone of Indifference.
• A rating of 5 out of 5 is a Zone of Affection.

Star ratings are essential. When people are searching for services, they can filter their search by star ratings. If your hospital has a lackluster star rating or a poor online reputation, your patient intake will reflect this.

Getting five stars means consistently meeting or managing patients’ expectations with kindness, care everywhere, which should always be the goal.

A study done by PressGaney, the largest patient survey vendor in the United States, found that there is no profitability unless you’re rated a four out of four, which is five stars. It is very hard to have a positive margin if you don’t have a positive star rating, so keep that in mind.

Good Patient Feedback Gets Your Hospital Ahead

By engaging, shifting, and educating your hospital staff members to implement best practices, you can improve your patient feedback and star rating.

A one-point improvement in your overall hospital rating equals a .4% profit margin increase. These funds can help your hospital get ahead. As the patient experience improves, operating margins improve, and nurse turnover goes down.

The patient experience makes a difference, draws your people, and gives you a competitive advantage. By putting the right strategies in place to improve patient satisfaction, your hospital can reap the rewards.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints placed in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the skills you need to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

Why You Should Be Promoting Your Hospital As COVID-19 Compliant
The Importance of Having a Culture of Engagement
How to Ask for a Referral in Healthcare: The Power of Patient Referrals

Do you know how to inspire, motivate, and engage your hospital staff members?

As the workplace is recovering from the pandemic, how do you, as a leader, inspire resilience, agility, teamwork, and positive thinking?

When the pandemic began, it was evident that all we could do as educators was to get out of the way because healthcare professionals had so much to do.

During this time, leaders recognized that there was a need to inspire caregivers at every level during these challenging times.

Here’s how.

Creating Positive Videos to Inspire, Motivate, and Engage Caregivers

To inspire your caregivers, record a five-minute video about delivering kindness care to patients, peer care for each other, self-care for yourself, and leadership nuggets of wisdom.

You can use these videos in different ways:

• Share a video at a daily meeting or patient experience meeting.
• Watch the videos and identify habits you like.
• Create a contest and get points every day if you practice one of those habits.

Fifteen minutes a day of watching and sharing these videos gives you 90 hours a year to inspire others and be inspired.

To inspire, motivate, and engage your caregivers, watch positive videos that touch your heart and inspire your soul.

Listen to people with positive attitudes that inspire you to be better. Think about what inspires you and how you can share that with other people.

Remember: it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to change a lifestyle. Investing 15 minutes a day watching, listening, and discussing these ideas with your peers gives you 90 hours a year to inspire and be inspired.

How to access our videos

You can access these videos in two ways:

1. Type in “Caregiver Heroes” on YouTube.
2. Download our “Everyone’s a Caregiver” app and self-register from your smartphone, tablet, or desktop. You’ll have access to these videos anytime, anywhere.

Just a few noteworthy people who are in these videos include:

• LeAnn Thieman, co-author of two books
• Marcus Engel, an inspirational speaker
• David Irvine

By creating and watching positive videos, you can inspire your caregivers, which will lead to better patient care. Lead by example and encourage them to have a positive attitude - even when facing challenges.

Videos that touch your heart and inspire your soul can do so much for you, your team, and your patients. Let’s get inspired today!

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.

The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.

Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.

Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• How to Be a Curious Leader: Lead by Wandering Around
• How to Improve Your Hospital Ratings Using the Star Struck Factor
• Service Recovery in a Hospital is the Key to Patient Satisfaction

Do you know how to model behavior and lead by example? Have you ever wondered why there are certain leaders you just want to follow and do whatever it takes to get their approval?

If you’re a leader in a hospital, it is critical to lead by example while doing your best to engage your hospital staff members and create patient satisfaction.

But what is that secret sauce? How does one person influence and motivate others? 

The secret sauce is showing kindness and care and the relationships you build.

Strong relationships with hospital staff members help leaders get things done. But how do you model this behavior?

You Lead By Example

How you model your behavior determines how people see you. Remember: the speed of the leader is the speed of the team. 

When you are kind to staff members, patients, and everyone in between, people will notice. Staff members, in particular, will start to model this type of behavior.

What you know and care about, and what you do and care about, is what your people will do and care about. 

By showing kindness and care to other staff members and patients alike, you can inspire the best in every employee. When you lead by example and model behavior full of kindness, your staff members will reciprocate this behavior, resulting in overall better staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction.

If serving is below you, then leadership is beyond you. We need to be servant leaders and examples to the people that we lead. We must truly inspire them to do better. When we model good behavior, it affects everyone around us. It will create better engagement with staff members, which will result in greater patient satisfaction and higher star ratings.

At the end of the day, kindness always wins. 

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” 

Three Things to Consider When You Lead By Example

When you lead by example, there are certain things you should consider. Here are three things to think about if you are a leader in a hospital.

1. We are attracted to leaders who model relationship engagement. 
2. The speed of the leader is the speed of the team. 
3. Being an example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing. 

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter. 

The charter includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more. 

Our next tutorial in this is “Lead With Purpose.” 

Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere. For more information on this topic, please visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• The Star Struck Factor
• How to Improve Your Hospital Ratings Using the Star Struck Factor
• How to Ask for a Referral in Healthcare: The Power of Patient Referrals

Do you lead with purpose? 

Are values and purpose things that you bring with you to work every day to inspire, motivate and encourage other hospital staff members?

What is all the fuss about values and purpose, anyway? And how important is it for leaders to talk about values and purpose?

Well, there’s a reason why most successful leaders leverage purpose as such a powerful force for good. Here’s why.

Why is it So Important to Lead With Purpose?

When it comes to the patient experience and patient satisfaction, value and purpose trump all.

"People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it.”

—Simon Sinek

Actions speak louder than words, but the reasoning behind the action always resonates with people.

Remember: people don't buy action. They buy the reason behind the action. And it is the purpose behind the action that matters.

We have to remember that a hospital setting isn’t retail. It’s not manufacturing, and it’s not agriculture either.

In healthcare, we change and save people’s lives every day. We show compassion at the end of people’s lives, and we touch people’s lives. We need to remind people why this is so important. 

Kindness Care, Everywhere

Our vision at Custom Learning is: “Kindness care, everywhere.” It is a healthcare leader’s role to remind people not just of this vision but also to stress the importance of creating relationship-based cultures of healing kindness. 

“When you understand the why any how is possible.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche

When we lead with purpose and lead by example, we instill the values of giving. We give to others, and we also help others. That is our purpose as healthcare leaders and healthcare professionals.

When we give to others, we share our love, kindness, and support. We show others that through kindness, anything is possible. With these core values and concepts in mind, we can empower and support both patients and caregiver heroes every single day.

Three Key Ideas to Live By in Healthcare 

Healthcare workers should strive to live by these key ideas every day:

1. People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it. Make sure you make it clear. 

2. When you understand the why, any how is possible

3. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” 

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter. 

The charter includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more. 

Our next tutorial in this is “Lead By Wandering Around.” 

Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere. For more information on this topic, please visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• The Secret to Inspiring the Best in Every Employee
• How to Improve Patient Feedback and Get Better Star Ratings
• Service Recovery in a Hospital is the Key to Patient Satisfaction

How to Recruit, Select, and Retain Hospital Staff Members

Stop saying there is no help

You have to stop saying, “the good help is all gone,” “no one wants to work in healthcare anymore,” “the young people don’t have a work ethic,” or “there’s a shortage.”

All of that talk is junk. There is help—maybe you had it, and you lost it. Remember: good people don't leave a job. They leave a relationship.

You have to quit blaming the person. Because as a boss, it is up to you to retain your staff members.

You need to focus on protecting current—and new—staff members. Here are five ways.

Clint Maun, nationally recognized for his innovative expertise in healthcare consulting, speaking and research, tells us about how to recruit, select, and retain hospital staff members.

How to prevent employee turnover

1. Don’t float new help for 30 days. Don’t pull them to different units and float them to another assignment just days later.
2. Stop the gamers. The people who constantly call in sick or have dead relatives. They pick up shifts when it's to their advantage. They’re the gamers.
3. Put in place mentors. They must be hand-picked to be a mentor and go through mentor training. The mentor is paid if the new employee stays.
4. Have seven interactions with the new employee in 30 days. Make a leadership grid of seven managers that will connect with the new employee. Have seven interactions with them in 30 days.
5. Put leadership rounds on steroids. Check-in with the patients. Check-in with new employees. Ask how they’re doing how you can help. Ask them questions about their lives. Get to know them—both professionally and personally. Show them that you notice them and appreciate them.

These are just some of the ways you can prevent employee turnover.

How to select new employees

Recruiting employees

• Been there for at least six months
• Show up for work
• Show up on time
• Have all their in services done
• Willingly do something extra five times a year
• Float,
• Pick up shifts
• Are on committees

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• The 12 Imperatives of Caregiver Inspiration
• How to Fix Your Attitude and Defeat Negativity
• How to Lead Inspiring Meetings

When the Community Education Committee sent out a general request for donations of homemade teddy bears for our pediatric ED and FMC patients, Nancy Wilbern, a dietary worker, took it upon herself to make the bears. By the time she finished, she had created 31 bears. She drove 30+ miles in one direction to purchase fabric that was extra soft for the kids to hug (with her own money). She was concerned about the safety of the children, so she did some research and learned how to make the bears child-safe by sewing the eyes and nose instead of using buttons. These bears will be given to kids and babies who are not feeling good or newborns at their very first appointment.

 Nancy is a true example of a caring, thoughtful individual who gives of herself to others.

Nancy dedicated a significant amount of her personal time outside of work, and the associated financial costs, to craft these teddy bears. Her willingness to invest both time and money into her workplace, without any hesitation, exemplifies her commitment and generosity.

Whenever you encounter Nancy in the dietary department, she always has a smile on her face and greets everyone by their first name. Her positive demeanor contributes to enhancing the overall ambiance within the hospital's halls.

- Submitted by Casey McDonnough & Gloria Przygoda at Pinckneyville Community Hospital, Pinckneyville, IL

In 1986, nurse Sandra Clarke faced a heart-wrenching moment when she couldn't stay with a patient who requested her presence, and returned to find the patient had passed away alone. Driven by compassion, in 2001, she initiated the "No One Dies Alone" program, enlisting volunteers to sit with terminally ill patients lacking companionship. What began as a local effort has now evolved into a global movement.

No One Dies Alone serves as a volunteer program that ensures the comforting company of a dedicated volunteer for patients in their final moments. Supported by the nursing staff, these companions play a crucial role in offering patients the profound gift of a dignified death.

The No One Dies Alone manual, a resource guiding compassionate volunteers, has been distributed to over 400 hospitals, hospices, and AIDS care facilities worldwide. Remarkably, this all-volunteer initiative operates without significant funding, relying only on a modest grant to cover manual printing costs.

The individuals who step up to volunteer for No One Dies Alone represent a diverse and captivating mix. From hospital staff including carpenters, administrative heads, maintenance workers, nurses, secretaries, to kitchen workers, a broad spectrum of individuals has enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to contribute to this meaningful cause.

You can learn more about the program by visiting https://how-we-die.org

- Submitted by Lynn Sullivan 

"There's no limit to what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.” - President Reagan

4 Ways to Practice Employee Appreciation

1. Be timely. Show appreciation right away. Don't save it up for the Christmas party - acknowledge people when you see them doing something good.
2. Be spontaneous. If you're walking down the hallway and you notice a nurse being nice to a family member, point it out to them!
3. Be specific. Saying "everybody did a good job" doesn't count. Instead, say something like, "the way everybody got together and organized that test drive-through in 24 hours was amazing.” Now that's a compliment!
4. Gear it towards the individual. Acknowledge each employee differently.

Get to Know Your Employees

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• Service Recovery in a Hospital is the Key to Patient Satisfaction
• The Importance of Having a Culture of Engagement
• How to Lead With Purpose and Value

What would be the value if you could learn the 12 imperatives of caregiver inspiration and do it all in ten minutes or less?

Caregiver inspiration is all about inspiring others and leading by. If you’re interested in the 12 different ways to provide caregiver inspiration, you’ve reached the right place.

Here’s everything you need to know about inspiring the caregivers and the hospital staff members around you.

The 12 Imperatives of Caregiver Inspiration

1. Inspire 5-Star Patient Kindness

Inspire patient kindness by telling stories of your contribution to others that go above and beyond.

When you tell a story, it captures people’s imagination. It’s possible, supportive, and can help them through difficult times.

2. Selflessness

One question that will guarantee your role as an inspirational leader is: “am I more concerned about myself or others?”. When you’re concerned about yourself, it’s about ego, but when you’re concerned about others, it’s selfless.

When you show concern about others, you focus on service to others.

3. Your Staff Members Are Stars

If you want your people to perform like stars, you must first help them see themselves as stars. You must believe in them. You must bring out the confidence of people who struggle with low self-esteem.

Show them that you care about them and believe in them.

4. Lead By Example

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

5. Lead WIth Purpose

People want to know ‘the why’ behind ‘the how.’ You need to stand up for your values and your beliefs and do just that - lead with purpose.

6. Lead By Wandering Around

Find time every day as a leader to check in with your people. Be curious about how they’re doing. Ask them questions about their lives and be there for them.

Be a brilliant conversationalist by listening to them and talking about their lives.

7. Notice, Recognize and Appreciate

The number one reason people leave their jobs is that they don’t feel valued and appreciated.

Remember, things that get recognized and rewarded get repeated.

8. Embrace Humor in the Workplace

The team that plays together stays together. The more we can create sticky, humorous relationships between colleagues, the better.

9. Lead Inspiring Meetings

Always open meetings with good news.

Have everybody share something positive that has happened in their lives, personal or professional.

End every meeting with ‘good of the patient.’ Invite people to share the best idea or insight that will enhance service to the patient.

10. Have a Good Attitude

“Based upon our attitude, we can bring joy or misery.” Be positive, and your staff members will be positive too.

11. Perpetually Motivate Your Caregiver Heroes

Motivate your caregivers. Have them create five-minute videos about what inspires them.

12. “We cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good that we can do.”

Caregiver inspiration is about trying to do good. Always.

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.

The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.

Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.

Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• How to Inspire, Motivate, and Engage Caregivers
• How to Fix Your Attitude and Defeat Negativity
• How to Improve Your Hospital Ratings Using the Star Struck Factor

How to Navigate the Great Resignation During Turbulent Times

1.  They do not feel valued by their organization.
2.  They do not feel valued by their managers.
3.  There is no sense of belonging to the organization.

What Keeps People in an Organization?

1. Development and growth
2. Learning and growing
3. Relationships with management and colleagues
4. Culture

The Value of Mentors

Acknowledge and Listen to the Little Things

Culture: The Biggest Barrier

Drive Success By Asking Questions

• Why did you join this organization?
• Is it still delivering what you thought it would?
• When was the last time you thought, “I love my work?”
• Where were you?
• What were you doing?
• Who were you with at the time?

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Are you interested in patient care? Check out these articles!

• How to Earn a 5-Star Rating Using the Custom Learning Advantage Overview
• How to Fix Your Attitude and Defeat Negativity
• A Positive Attitude is Key to Great Patient Care

Inspiring employees is one of the best ways hospital staff members can ensure five-star service and great patient reviews.

But how do you do that?

It can be extremely difficult working in a hospital environment, particularly in today’s world. Most hospital staff members are experiencing burnout from COVID, and some staff members aren’t even getting the support they need from their leaders.

The best way to get great employee engagement is to do it through your leadership. Inspiring employees is one of the most important things a leader in a hospital can do - but it’s not easy.

How do you motivate employees who lack confidence and self-esteem?

The answer may surprise you!

Inspiring Employees is the Answer

We all have crosses to bear, and for about 80% of us, it’s low self-esteem and constantly questioning and doubting our judgment and abilities. 

“Love what you do, and you’ll never work another day of your life.”

A lot of hospital staff members appreciate the privilege of serving others. They’re life-savers, and they work very hard, but not everybody loves their job or themselves, and that’s why we need leaders to do their best to inspire their employees. 

If you want your people to perform like stars, you must first help them see themselves as stars. By inspiring employees, you can motivate them to live up to your positive expectations.

By showing employees affirmations and demonstrating great values and behaviors, you can inspire them to grow, develop, and do their jobs to the best of their abilities. You can inspire them to love their jobs.

A great leader helps improve an employee’s values, behaviors, professional habits, and practices. A great leader shows their employees the value they bring to their job. 

A great leader believes in their people.

Believe in Your People

Hospital staff members are exposed to so much negativity. They need positive affirmations to help them get through their days. They need a leader who can inspire them through their actions.

Here are tips on how to inspire employees:

1. Love what you do, and you’ll never work another day in your life. 
2. The challenge is not everybody loves their job or themselves, which is why we need you. 
3. If you want your people to perform like stars, you must first help them see themselves as stars. 

Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today

To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter. 

The charter includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more. 

Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.

For more information on this topic, please visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue

Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers

Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to better improve their patient's overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.

Are you interested in-patient care? Check out these articles!

• Service Recovery in a Hospital is the Key to Patient Satisfaction
• Why You Should Be Promoting Your Hospital As COVID-19 Compliant
• How to Improve Your Hospital Ratings Using the Star Struck Factor