Best Practice Survey Results: Creating Joy in Practice

Best Practice Survey Results: Creating Joy in Practice

The results are in!

Here are fifteen best practice strategies for creating Joy in Practice from members of the CHC Leadership Learning Program as of March 31, 2017.  We invite you to scan the list and choose one strategy (more if you like!) for implementation at your Center.   We also welcome more ideas for creating Joy in Practice at any time.  Click here to share.

1. Provide staff decision making authority in their area of practice; openly communicate successes and challenges of the organization; outward appreciate of staff contributions; delegate top down as much as possible to provide opportunity for growth/challenging work environment; adamant to be fair and consistent across the board.

2. We do special things at holidays such as writing valentines to teammates, filling Christmas stockings with small gifts, etc.

3. We optimized the space in two provider offices in one of our “Pods” by taking out the desks and putting counters around the wall. In this way the providers can share an office and medical records and scheduling staff members who are part of the team can be in the other office–right there and available to assist patients and support clinical staff.  It facilitates real time communication and improves flow.  This was done at the suggestion of the pod team and helped them to understand that we are listening and their needs matter.  We are working on implementation of a team care model and we feel this office set up will work especially well.

4. Recognition by Board Members: Every month we share one patient safety / patient experience story at the start of the board meeting. We share staff/provider names associated with great patient centered care delivery or improved teamwork. We ask the board to email these team members and thank them for their part in creating the patient experience shared at the board meeting.  This makes staff and providers realize that their good works are shared with the board, including them by name.

5. “One of the things our dental team has enjoyed here at the Rockbridge Area Health Center is a positive. “Shout Out” at the end of our morning huddle. It puts everyone in a good mood and makes them feel that their hard work is recognized.”

6. Electronic charting is a wonderful innovation, however it has created some work flow issues for some of our primary providers. To reduce the stress of electronic documentation, we have trained two volunteers to scribe for one of our primary care providers.  The two scribes are pre-med students from the local college. Thus far, utilizing scribes during the patient visit has had a positive effect on our providers and patients are pleased because their wait time is decreased since the doctor does not waste time during the visit charting.

7. At ESRHS we are trying to help staff understand their roll in PCMH and patient care. Without telling staff that this is PCMH conversation, we hand out sticky notes and ask staff to document at least one thing that they do for our patients.  Then we discuss what they wrote. At the end we explain that everything just discussed makes us a PCMH.  These postings were then stuck to a display board in the staff room.

8. Our Center gives employees their birthday off as one of their holidays. We are also instituting an extra PTO day during the month of December for Holiday shopping/prep/relaxing, whatever the employee would like to use it for. We have not come up with the official name as this is in the works as part of our leadership program project.

9. We have a “Spirit Team” here in our organization. We plan fun activities for each month and also spearhead our company picnic and Christmas party. In February, we held “Academy Awards”. We picked 5 categories and staff submitted the “best of” through a survey and we actually gave out small awards to the winners. We also give out candy bags, etc. for the holidays just to show appreciation. We have employee appreciation day, spirit week, etc.

10. “WOW Cards”. We can submit a hand-written note to any employee within our organization that has gone above and beyond to help out another employee or patient. These are hand delivered to the employees supervisor and then hand delivered by the supervisor to the employee.

11. Hold all-staff meetings

12. Huddles have brought joy to my practice

13. ESRHS rewards staff with “Pat on the Back” recognition. Amy employee may celebrate another colleague’s effort by awarding them a “Pat on the Back.” These citations are archived in our health center’s HR software (Performance Manager) and are reviewed during the employee’s annual appraisal so that those go above and beyond moments are not forgotten. Additionally, “Who made your day” comments from patients about our staff are read before the entire team each month at our staff meetings. These “Joy in Practice” initiatives keep staff engaged and make them feel valued.

14. Here at JHC, we have a brag wall on our internal home page, everyone can post a brag on each other for jobs well done. During our quarterly meetings, the employees mentioned the most times on the brag wall get a little prize. This has definitely brought joy to the organization and helps to boost the moral.

15. CAHN has implemented “Employee of the Month” which has created “Joy in Practice” for those who are recognized for going above and beyond. The various departments also recognize an outstanding employee of the month and they are acknowledged on our internal communication server, Compliatrics, which provides other employees an opportunity to publicly congratulate that team member.