Customer service and customer satisfaction are at the forefront of the health care industry. Providing superior customer service is challenging in and of itself. Accomplishing this goal when the customer is facing an illness or crisis requires providers to be equipped with a unique set of tools. You, as a health care employee, are responsible for understanding who the customer is and what defines his or her essential needs.

Standardized systems that survey, monitor, and measure the quality and efficiency of care are in place. The introduction of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey has given the health care customer a valuable method to express his or her perceptions of the hospital experience. This collected data will raise the bar for quality in hospital experiences.

 

Health care is a profession with more opportunities and job prospects than any other current field. While the healthcare field demands the same level of professionalism as any other, there are some additional considerations healthcare professionals must take into account in order to be successful in this field. While working in the health care industry, it is crucial that all professionals understand the role they play, as well as how to behave in a professional manner at all times in order to ensure the care of all patients as best as possible. This resource will examine the healthcare professional as a whole as well as those characteristics that make healthcare professionals successful in their field. Additionally, this resource will take students through the cultural competencies necessary for working in an environment of diverse professionals as well as the personal and professional skills necessary for proper patient care and a successful work environment.

The evolution of the job market as a result of the Internet has, in some ways, returned applicants to the “old way” of searching for a job. Think about how people used to get jobs. Instead of using a résumé, people would be hired based on recommendations and on their work—which makes sense. After all, you wouldn’t hire someone to build your house if you had never seen his or her work, would you? Although the job market is more dispersed than it was a hundred years ago, technology bridges this gap, enabling candidates to not only post their qualifications in writing but also to be judged on their actual work.

Personal brands are comprised of myriad impressions that you make over time. Use branding to its fullest potential to advance yourself and your career. Thinking about your brand, beginning the long process of creating a brand, and gaining a competitive edge through your brand puts you ahead of the curve.