HR Pulse - Spring 2008 - (Page 11) [EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LETTER] Dear ASHHRA Members: In the day-to-day bustle of trying to manage and grow a workforce, health care HR professionals use up every minute of time and every drop of energy they have. And with all the administration-heavy tasks they handle—recruitment, training, payroll, benefits administration, accreditation, and policies—it’s easy to forget this profession is called human resources. However, today’s health care HR practitioners understand the importance of focusing on the whole employee. And nothing is more human, nor more difficult to deal with in the workplace than emotions. The challenge is particularly formidable in health care settings, where expressing feelings has traditionally been seen as a weakness and where anything that sounds like an admission of error raises the fear of a lawsuit. How ironic that a profession that confronts the profound issues of life and death every day is least likely to talk about the deep emotions that work evokes. In this issue of HR Pulse, we look at two organizations—the Schwartz Center and Medically Induced Trauma Support Services—that help health care providers deal with the emotions that inevitably come up as part of the work they do. From an HR perspective, there’s much to be gained by addressing these tough issues in an open way. It can help create a more supportive work environment, foster better communication and teamwork among all health care providers, reduce burnout, and improve patient care. Sounds like a pretty worthwhile investment. This issue also spotlights the efforts of the Philadelphia and Suburban Healthcare Human Resources Association (PASHHRA) to improve patient safety in Pennsylvania in response to the outrage everyone feels over the Cullen case. (Charles Cullen was the registered nurse who claims to have killed as many as 40 patients as he moved from hospital to hospital over his career.) Its initiative to pass immunity legislation is an outstanding example of the meaningful contribution a chapter can make to the health care system. This year promises to be busier than ever, as we look forward to rolling out the new ASHHRA strategic plan, convening our first-ever regional conference in Milwaukee in March, hosting our annual leadership meeting in Chicago in April, sponsoring the annual Hill Visit to Washington, D.C., in May, and holding this year’s national conference in Austin in October. We’re also excited to introduce our members to the benefits of the new ASHHRA Foundation, launched at the Anaheim conference this past fall. The Foundation is a nonprofit fund dedicated to promoting scholarship, education, and research that furthers leadership in the field of health care human resources. The staff and I look forward to a very productive year, and we look forward to working with you. Best regards, Cathy Sewell ASHHRA Executive Director 11 HR Pulse Spring 2008
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