Successful leadership in healthcare environmental services requires constant vigilance, ongoing education, willingness to identify opportunities for improvement in ourselves first, and staff second. In that spirit I share 11 principles and 14 traits for leading in this ever changing environment.
Resonant Leaders engage us. They evoke positive emotions and inspire us through their positive thoughts and clear vision. Leaders develop their resonance through compassion, hope, mindfulness and they maintain their resonance. Is it any wonder this leads to increased revenue in an organization? Leaders of all kinds possess these abilities. However, their level of emotional…
Sure it seems like a never ending cycle of cutbacks, reductions and expectations to do more with less. Some hospitals reach the breaking point sooner because they have been more efficient to begin with. Eventually even the over-staffed facilities will feel the challenge to keep up. Patient satisfaction scores are one measure of performance. While…
Housekeeping schedules should be planned, written and closely followed. Cleaning schedules should be developed according to the needs of each area. Without written routines and schedules your productivity and customer satisfaction are going to go up and down more often then a roller coaster.
A properly stocked cleaning cart will help prevent wasted trips to supply closets and should be equipped with any of the following items which are necessary for your work:
The major difference between cleaning a medical facility and any other building is the focus on the un-seen enemy, bacteria. Environmental Service’s job is to not only provide good visible results, but to reduce the number of surface bacteria to a safe level in order to control cross infection. This is an extremely important responsibility…
Here I continue to list cleaning standards. We use these as a guide to understanding our responsibilities in general cleaning. This is not meant to be a complete list, rather a broad overview. Enjoy your reading:
Environmental Services (ES) is important to any business because the visible cleaning results create the first impression of a visitor or customer. You’ve probably heard that “the first impression is a lasting one” and there is a great deal of truth in that. Our job is to make that first impression a good one. In…
Cleaning and maintaining the built environment of a healthcare facility, or a building where healthcare services are delivered is driven largely by regulations and guidelines. These include regulations set forth by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), The Joint Commission (TJC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), state and local agencies such…
In Environmental Services, we are aware that first impression of our facility is very important to our clients and other staff, so we strive daily to provide a clean, safe and attractive environment. We also ensure that patient rooms are cleaned to the highest level to prevent cross contamination. The hospital, staff and patient depend…
I had a request for basic cleaning principles for a doctor’s office. Here is a list for any healthcare facility, and for your home as well. Scrubbing is the best way to physically remove dirt, debris and microorganisms. Cleaning is required prior to any disinfection process because dirt and debris will decrease the…
INVINCIBLE There’s a simple way to become indestructible: have the intention to do your best at whatever you’re doing, right now. To gain the invulnerability I’m referring to, you must pass through the gate of the total vulnerability putting yourself on that line demands. Not BE the best… DO your best. Attempting to be the…
March 21, 2010 — The great healthcare reform battle of 2009 and 2010, for the most part, is over. Congressional Democrats today finally passed their bill. The only thing it needs now is the signature of President Barack Obama to become the law of the land. In a 219 to 212 vote, the House approved…
One of the organizations I am a member of, and actually the first that I joined, is the International Executive Housekeeping Association or IEHA. Since 1930, the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) has been a non-profit organization committed to raising professionalism in the cleaning industry and providing a cleaner, safer, healthier environment. IEHA members are…
Time sure goes by fast. Sorry to have been away so long. I’ve been staying very busy, writing 83 performance evaluations, finishing my totally updated training manual, and learning as much as I can to be a great hospital safety officer. I’m going to be posting some questions I’ve been asked recently, and give you…