Much has been written about the potential in the healthcare industry, especially with the silver tsunami reaching our shores.
But beyond the obvious fact that some new hospitals have opened and we’re all growing older (cue the growth of the intermediate and long-term care), it can be difficult to see the need for more efficient processes and how technology can make jobs easier so healthcare professionals can offer better standards of patient care.
Until the announcement of the Healthcare Industry Transformation Map (ITM) on 8 November 2017.
Through the development of skills frameworks, smart systems and innovative new ways of doing things (yes, centralised records are now accessible from every public hospital and polyclinic), the ITM will help to attract and retain talent, boost productivity and better improve the standard of healthcare.
But while the ITM highlighted a number of strategies to help attract more workers into an industry that is poised to offer some 30,000 new job opportunities between now and 2020, the changes will not happen overnight, and not without the support of stakeholders.
Turning Plans Into Action
As the industry shapes up, healthcare workers will want to know how they can grow in their careers. While the ITM has mapped out the process through new skills and professional qualifications for roles such as nurses, allied healthcare professionals and support care staff, Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) President and Nominated Member of Parliament K. Thanaletchimi feels that more roles could be included.
“The launch of the ITM is not a conclusion, but a continuous process that is consistently getting new views on the ground, identifying jobs at risk and fitting the workers into future job opportunities,” she said.
She also suggested that the healthcare clusters in the central, eastern and western regions of Singapore can work with workers, the union and institutes of higher learning to co-develop a nationally recognised skills framework for additional job roles. Based on feedback from engagement with union members, she highlighted roles such as dental assistants, community nurses and therapy support associates as ones that should be looked into.
More Skills-based Training
Ms Thanaletchimi also suggested that training for workers can be made more appetising so workers will be willing to upgrade themselves. Having shorter, more relevant skills-based courses in a modular format could better attract prospective mid-career switchers, she said.
“There should be many routes to enable people to achieve their highest potential in their dream profession,” she said.
And this writer agrees. Realistically, I would certainly prefer a quick and easy hands-on approach to learning something new over a long-drawn ‘formal’ academic programme that could span multiple weeknights for months on end.
Soft Skills Matter
Technical skills do matter, but as new opportunities arise, particularly in intermediate, long-term and community care sectors, workers will also need the relevant soft skills to cope with the more intense human touch required for these types of jobs, said Ms Thanaletchimi.
“Are workers prepared psychologically? Are they able to handle different emotions from their patients in different settings? Soft skills that look after the mental state of mind of individuals are equally important for employees.
“Where the union can value-add is in the development of soft skills programmes together with partners like NTUC LearningHub and e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to enable workers to serve the needs of their patients,” she added.
Read also:
- K.Thanaletchimi: Supporting Our Working Caregivers
