QMS training for leaders
At Aso Iizuka Hospital, we offer practical QMS(Quality Management System) training to department managers and leaders in the form of internal audit.The department managers experience both sides of an audit and learn to analyze and improve the activities in their own departments more objectively.Furthermore, through internal auditor training, they gain overall understanding of QMS, ideas for applying it in their everyday activities, and the ability to advise their staff, in addition to learning the actual audit method itself.
QMS training for staff
In 1992, Aso Iizuka Hospital adopted TQM activities, thereby taking a lead in Japan’s medical industry. TQM activities are now established, creating the opportunity to learn the implementation of the PDCA cycle using QC(Quality Control)methods through practice. Every year, about 20 circles comprised of young staff tackle improvement activities from the standpoint of“ Patient First.” During activity periods, lectures on QC methods are given to the participants, and staff with thorough knowledge of QC methods regularly review the activities undertaken by the participants. The
participants in TQM activities learn about QC methods and how to implement the PDCA cycle naturally, through on-the-job training
(OJT) and voluntary study.In other words, TQM activities create an environment to promote quality and other improvements by encouraging staff to learn the QC methods, and sets the stage for better CS (customer service).
Aso Iizuka Hospital as an education hospital
Aso Iizuka Hospital is renowned as an education hospital. Since its 1989 designation as a residency training hospital, it has trained over 250 physicians. In fiscal 2011, we started using the training curriculums, one specified for each department, which were created based on the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) 6 competencies, under the guidance of an instructor from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Together with a system of training given by those who have just finished the training themselves, “a spirit of “sharing” and ample cases, the curriculums propel the high-quality residency training at Aso Iizuka Hospital. For nurse training, a program has been created to encourage career advancement based on years of experience. Training for new nurses enjoys an excellent reputation, with none of the 87 new nurses from fiscal 2012 leaving the hospital in their first year. The Clinical Support Service and Technology Unit and Administration Unit offer their own training. It is our solid system of training that supports our high-quality healthcare and sound management.
Language education
At Aso Iizuka Hospital, English education is offered to employees through courses such as “English For All (EFA)” and the “International Training Programme (ITP).” ITP was launched in 1988 with two native English speakers to “help employees develop awareness as members of the international community, have contact with foreign culture and absorb new knowledge.” There are four lecture-style classes catered to different English levels of individuals. EFA was launched in October 2010 with three goals: [1] to learn the internationally spoken language, English, towards globalization; [2] to learn to communicate in English with patients from other countries in the spirit of “Patient First;” and [3] to acquire the
English ability necessary to introduce or teach advanced medicine and to exchange information internationally. An employee will converse in English with two native English speaking teachers on topics of three difficulty levels, and if he or she gets a passing grade, a Yellow Belt, Green Belt or Red Belt is awarded, in this order.
Tie-ups with overseas medical institutions
Staff training goes beyond the hospital walls and country borders. At Aso Iizuka Hospital, we enjoy active exchange with medical institutions overseas to obtain techniques and information unavailable in Japan, and to improve the quality of care we offer. Exchange with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center produced great results in developing training curriculums for residents and fostering home-care doctors. Staff of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and Aso Iizuka Hospital have interchanges on quality improvement in clinical fields including neurology and circulation as well as nurse training. Through exchange with El Camino Hospital, we have gained knowledge on the development of medical equipment, advanced robotic medical devices and palliative care.
Aso Iizuka Hospital is as an external partner of the Institute for Cancer Care Innovation, a research facility of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and is engaged in joint research to provide better care for existing and potential cancer patients of all ages. In November 2013, we will start the Conference for HealthCare with the Virginia Mason Institute to discuss quality management