Decades ago, automation changed the face of laboratory testing forever. However, the methods to manage the people staffing the laboratory have changed little:
Paper competency assessment forms.
Paper schedules posted on the wall.
Procedure manuals with signatures in ink on paper.
1950 or 2019?
The
problems that arise from these outdated, unreliable systems also
remain largely unchanged:
Pages of assessments that get lost or misfiled.
The new employee whose six-month competency assessment was missed.
Schedules that disappear or have changes scribbled out.
Procedures that never get signed off.
Manuals that are locked in an office on inspection day.
1950 or 2019?
There’s
little doubt that these systems — and their accompanying problems —
exist today in laboratories across the country (take a look at any
top-10 list of inspection deficiencies). They remain in use as there
are few if any software solutions in the marketplace that can cover
these foundational processes. Furthermore, attacking document
control, staff scheduling, and competency assessments has meant
purchasing three systems — and forget about integration.
That’s
where StaffReady comes in. They design, sell, and service the
StaffReady suite of Clinical Workforce Management Software. The goals
are straightforward:
Improve efficiency.
Increase morale.
Decrease stress.
Promote fairness and transparency.
These
problems, while seemingly mundane, can play a key role in job
satisfaction and ultimately, in retention. These are the irritations
that grind away at morale and drag a single department or an entire
organization down. Think culture keywords like fairness,
transparency, visibility, and accessibility.
Cost
of Turnover
The
cost to replace one position is estimated to run 20 to 50% of the annual
cost of the position. This agrees with the findings of the 2018 ASCP
Salary survey, which shows the time to fill a position being 3 to 6
months for a CLS position, and 3 to 12 months for a supervisor.
Some sources put the number even higher at up to two times the
annual salary. With the average annual salary of a bench
CLS position at about $68,000, and that of a manager at about
$86,000, a laboratory could easily be looking at $13,600, and as much
as $172,000 of avoidable cost. Keeping in mind that these costs are
per vacancy, and the sums are truly staggering.
Clinical
Workforce Management Software
StaffReady’s
suite of integrated modules automates and simplifies the processes of
document control, staff scheduling, and competency assessments. Their
powerful integration adds even more value — add an employee to a
new bench on the schedule, and the competency assessments for that
area of testing are automatically assigned. Create an exam or
competency document in document control, and it is secure and
unalterable.
Automation
has changed the face of laboratory analysis. Now you can automate
laboratory staff management, as well.
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We're going to the AACC Clinical Lab Expo. If you'd like a free pass to the Expo, use this link:
https://www.xpressreg.net/regi... We'll be at Booth #3707 - stop by to learn more!