I often reflect on how I can improve as a manager. With such limited time, I try to focus my reading and training in areas that I feel I need help. I am sure that if we thought about the list of qualities that make a successful manager, we could come up with an extensive list. They would include things like good communication skills, the ability to organize and build a cohesive team, a creative problem solver and humility to name a few.
As VHMAers, we also recognize that effective managers know when to use resources at our disposal to complete a task efficiently. In other words, we know when it’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel! We try to avoid getting bogged down developing original solutions to common issues. We have experienced the communal knowledge of the VHMA and are comfortable using those trusted resources and available tools to make our lives easier. It’s like a VHMA Life hack!
You can’t get on YouTube anymore without someone sharing a hack. There is even a TV show focused on these time saving efforts. With this in mind, I am pleased to highlight a new VHMA tool this month. A new Job Framework Tool, a job template for practice management professionals created to help managers and owners streamline the process of developing accurate job descriptions. The new tool allows the description to be branded, edited, and personalized and offers important information to understanding the scope of the job, the general nature, and level of work performed.
The tool clarifies the unique aspect of different management levels and spells out tasks and duties and even identifies the minutes per week the typical manager spends on each task. It even provides salary information from the most recent VHMA 2017 Compensation and Benefits Report.
The VHMA is full of great tools and Life hacks that make our jobs easier. While each of our practices is unique and personalized, so many of our needs and experiences are the same. The people and patients we care for is what differentiates us and allows for each practice to express themselves. This tool considers all those common needs and experiences AND lets you put your unique practice imprint on it.
You can download the new tool from the website and let your colleagues who don't have formal job descriptions know where to find it. That’s a VHMA Life Hack!
VHMA President
Jim Nash, MHA, CVPM