Spring Summer 2018

FEATURE www.ohca.com Spring/Summer 2018 The Oregon Caregiver 9 often stand out: “demonstrating regulatory expertise” and “managing conflict.” She said it takes a lot of skill to be able to manage regulations and keep a facility compliant. Regarding managing conflict, Haffenreffer mentioned a situation where she was asked to analyze a team with less experience and education related to communication and conflict resolution. “They had no leaders to go to, so the conflict just escalated among themselves,” she said. She said there is an opportunity in facilities to analyze why these conflicts are occurring. As an example, Haffenreffer recalled a story she had once heard about two caregivers in California who got into a dispute over the use of a Hoyer lift. She said, “Leaders need to step up to the plate to determine what is causing these conflicts. Is it the fact that there is only one Hoyer lift?” To improve conflict resolution behaviors, Haffenreffer suggests that leaders be diligent about managing and analyzing what is causing the conflicts. “They need to make sure there is enough equipment, and listen to the complaints of individuals,” she said. She also recommends that facilities do employee satisfaction surveys after an employee’s first 90 days and then once every year after that. “It ties into turnover, and is more proactive than exit interviews where you find out why people are leaving; many of them are leaving because of these kinds of situations,” she said. Avamere Health Services actively promotes a culture of growth from within. Vice President of Operations for Community Based Care Nicolette Merino said that the opportunity for upward job mobility is one of Avamere’s greatest strengths. “Of 13 assisted living buildings, 11 of the executive directors running those building moved up within the company. Some of them started as caregivers, medical records staff, business office managers, community relations staff, and numerous different positions within the company,” she said. Merino said the reason why Avamere’s operating team rarely chooses leaders from outside the company is that they strongly believe in the organization’s culture and core values. “We want someone who has proven to embrace those core values. If someone is going to drive our leadership team in our individual buildings, we want to make sure they’re just as engaged in our core values as we are. They know our systems, they know our expectations, and they know our people,” Merino said. As a part of Avamere’s career advancement program, new hires are immediately encouraged to engrain themselves in the culture and work toward advancing their career paths, if they desire. Merino said the program works by allowing employees, in any job type, to complete specific tasks related to advancement. “If I have a caregiver who wants to move up within the company, we have a career advancement program where they can complete eight or nine different tasks to move to the next level. Those tasks might be all caregiver related. It might be participating in a safety committee. It could be participating in a care conference. It could be participating in a food committee meeting. It could be participating in different types of activities in different departments so CONTINUES » Cynthia McDaniel teaches the “OHCA Resident Care Coordinator Training for CBC" class.