You surely don’t have to be told there’s a certain, admirable heroic air around nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers. For those who focus on long-term care, dealing primarily with the elderly and facing end-of-life issues, there’s something even more special. No disrespect intended to pediatric nurses, of course, but that end of the spectrum is certainly colored with rays of hope that fade away more frequently at the other end.
Working in that kind of special environment requires special people. And behind those special people must be special processes, systems and functions to support their ongoing education. In an industry with little room for error, training takes on a whole new meaning.
David Hare certainly knows that. It’s engrained into his role as director of training and leadership development for Trilogy Health Services, a provider of long-term care facilities, providing nursing, rehabilitation and memory care for 5,000 residents across a network of 59 campuses around the Midwest in Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Within each campus, David said, professionals are providing services to residents, making sure their immediate needs are cared for. That’s a mission of utmost importance for the professionals laboring in the Trilogy environments, and David takes very seriously his mission to support their mission.
Give those mission-critical approaches, leadership development is paramount.
“Leaders are people-builders,” David said. “Effective leaders are mentors. We want to ensure that those at the front line understand the vision and mission of the organization and that alignment is consistent at every level of the organization.”
That’s a challenging goal in a single-shop environment, made even more so by the distances covered by Trilogy’s 59 campuses. Mentoring helps make it all functional
Each campus, David said, has a nurse mentor program, with different individuals taking two days of training, augmented by ongoing support. Back on campus, then, they become a staff resource, assisting in day-to-day tasks as well as employee onboarding. The mentors lead by example, he said, focusing on service, teamwork and providing value to the residents and their families. They’re creating, essentially, a campus-wide sense of caring, ranging from executive leadership to front-line providers.
“Learning is essential. We simply say the right employees make the difference,” David said. “Communication and training are the keys to success. So the importance of education to the organization? They’ve put that in the mission statement.”
Building on a philosophy that “employees are the only appreciating asset that we have,” David and his team at Trilogy support, and hire, employees interest in contributing to a culture of continuous improvement. They’re looking, he said, for the RIGHT employee, breaking out the acronym as:
- R – Recognize compassionate service
- I – Integrity
- G – Growth Focus
- H – Have humility
• T – Understand the Team approach
“That’s where we continue to see this ongoing process of growth,” David said. “It’s the business of ensuring that service stays personalized. Person-centered care is at the heart of what we do.”
Trilogy can benchmark that success in a few ways. Twice a year, David said, the company surveys both residents and family members to ensure everyone is satisfied with the level of care. If anyone isn’t pleased, executive leadership gets involved to remedy the situation.
Another benchmark, of course, is profit. Borrowing a quote from Ken Blanchard, David said that “profit is applause from our customers,” and even in a trying economy, Trilogy is seeing growth.
“There’s an opportunity and a need to provide exceptional service to a population within this country, within our culture,” David said. “They deserve this higher level of service. It’s about being a part of that. It’s one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever have to do. People have given so much and still have so much to give. It’s awesome to be able to spend time with them and care for them.”
It’s that mission – being part of a caring environment – that drives David and his training team. They’re busy no doubt, and soon to be busier: David is planning next to take the mentoring concept to the leadership level. He’s hoping to create a formalized mentoring structure with leaders as both teachers and students.
“We have formalized learning, but how do you continue the development of executive talent? One way is to allow them to be mentors of others,” David said. “It’s really creating that coaching culture, built on the foundations of service. It’s through that process that we see the results come; results that are rewarding for our residents and our employees.”
