Educate the Educator
Behaviors for Success in HealthCare
Competencies 5 and 6
Module Competencies
5. Describe the responsibilities of users of the healthcare system.
6. Describe selected types of healthcare facilities/systems; including organizational
and financial structure, departments and services, types and levels of
healthcare personnel and common policies and requirements.
Competency 5:
Describe the responsibilities of users of
the healthcare system.
Competency 5
5. Describe the responsibilities of users of the healthcare
A. Discuss how one can participate in their own healthcare.
B. Describe how to choose a provider and healthcare plan.
C. Identify healthy habits.
Unit 5A: Participate in Own Healthcare
Recommended Content
When a person advocates and actively participates in their own healthcare it can
sometimes be a daunting task.
Some things to be aware of in the participation are:
• Educate oneself on diagnosis, treatment, medications, etc.
• Communicate and work in collaboration with healthcare providers
• Participate fully in treatment decisions
• Take care not to spread any diseases to another person
Unit 5B: Choose Provider and Healthcare Plan
Recommended Content
• Education of oneself is very important when choosing a provider or a health
care plan.
• Be sure to research providers and plans before selecting one.
Unit 5C: Healthy Habits
Recommended Content
Maintaining healthy habits can benefit a person their entire lifetime.
Some of those healthy habits include:
• Eating a health diet
• Exercising regularly
• Not smoking
Healthy Habits
Balancing Calories
• Enjoy food, but eat less
• Avoid super-sized portions
Eating for Better Health
Foods to Increase
• Make half you plate fruits and vegetable
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
Foods to Reduce
• Sodium
• Frozen meals
• Sugary drinks, drink water instead
United States Department of Agriculture. (2005)
.
Healthy Habits
Exercise Regularly
• Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy
• For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up
to at least 30 minutes a day.
• Some physical activities are not intense enough to help you meet the
recommendations. Although you are moving, these activities do not increase your
heart rate, so you should not count these towards the 30 or more minutes a day
that you should strive toward
United States Department of Agriculture. (2005)
.
Competency 6:
Describe selected types of healthcare
facilities/systems including organizational and
financial structure, departments and services,
type and levels of healthcare employees and
common policies and requirements
Competency 6
Nine units and learning activities :
A. Identify the structure, department, personnel, and services of acute care hospitals
B. Identify the structure, department, personnel, and services of long-term care
facilities.
C. Identify the structure, department, personnel, and services of physicians’
offices/clinics.
D. Identify the structure, department, personnel, and services of ambulatory
care/urgent care centers.
E. Identify the structure, department, personnel, and services of mental health
facilities.
F. Identify the structure, department, personnel, and services of community and
home health facilities.
Competency 6
G. Identify the ways (educational and entry requirements) in which individuals can
enter and advance within a healthcare career.
H. Name lines of authority.
I. Identify common facility policies.
Units 6A-F: Various Healthcare Facilities
Recommended Content
 At this point, Units 6A – 6F will be discussed as one unit.
 Various departments within a variety of healthcare facilities will be
discussed.
 The curriculum addresses the structure, departments, personnel and
services of various facilities.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Acute Care Hospitals
Long Term Care Facilities
Physician Offices/Clinics
Ambulatory/Urgent Care
Mental Health Facilities
Home Health Facilities
Various Healthcare Facilities
Physicians’ Offices/Clinics
• May be primary care providers or general practitioners
• May be specialties: Dermatologist, Surgeons, Nurse Practitioners
Extended Care (Long-Term Care) Facilities
• Independent living quarters
• Assisted living facilities
• Skilled nursing facilities (Intermediate Care)
• Extended Care (Long-term Care)
Various Healthcare Facilities
Mental Health Care Facilities
• Includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being dimensions of a person
• Mental health affects how people think, feel, and act.
• Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence
through adulthood.
Ambulatory/Urgent Care
• When a patient needs medical attention without the need for admission
• Includes several medical procedures or treatments such as blood tests, X-rays,
endoscopy, biopsy and vaccinations
Unit 6G: Entering and Advancement
Recommended Content
The ways students can enter and advance within a healthcare career are through
completing:
• High School courses/programs
• Technical and Community College courses/programs
• Universities courses/programs
Unit 6H: Organizational Structure
Recommended Content
Students will be introduced to an overview of organizational structures at this point
in the module.
Organizational structure refers to:
• The way in which a group is formed
• Its line of communication
• A means of channeling authority and making decisions
• Who does what, who supervises whom, and the reporting chain of command.
Unit 6H: Organizational Structure
There are two types of organizational structures.
Formal
Describes positions, tasks, responsibilities and relationships among people in
their positions in the different departments in the organization, and presented
in diagrammatic form called organizational chart.
Informal
Describes the personal and social relationships that do not appear on the
organizational chart.
Chain of Command
Recommended Content
Chain of Command = “Line of Authority” and responsibility along which orders are
passed within the department, the organization, and between units.
Every healthcare delivery system, and nearly every organization, has a chain of
command. In most cases, this chain of command is delineated with a chart, often
referred to as an organizational chart.
A person who uses the chain of command correctly protects himself/herself, the
patient, and ultimately the organization (hospital/clinic/agency).
Clavreul, G.M. (2011).
Chain of Command (4 Steps)
The four steps to using Chain of Command are:
1. Call on the charge person
2. Should this fail or if for some reason there is no charge person available
look to the Unit/Department head
3. Always move up the “Chain of Command” if you get no response/action
from the person you reported to.
Example: if the person that you reported to does not respond/act, then
contact the person immediately above & gradually move up the
organizational chart until you get a response/action to the situation.
Chain of Command (4 steps)
4. Document. Always use facts about the event & not opinions of personal
judgments of the situation.
Example: If a person is having trouble getting appropriate authorization to
administer medication or perform a procedure, be sure this is noted in the chart
Categories of Policies
Recommended Content
The information that the curriculum introduces to the student are the policies of:
• Corporate
• Safety guidelines of facilities
• Human Resources guidelines
Competency 6: Organizational Structures
Recommended Learning Activities
Assignment
Resources
Notes
BFS Competency #6:
Surgical Showdown
Assignment on
website
BFS Competency #6:
Employee Rights
Assignment on
website
Students review the
healthcare systems as it
relates to a surgical
procedure
Students review and reflect
on the Employee and Medical
Family Leave Act
References
Berman, A., Snyder, S.J., Kozier, B., & Erb, G. (2008). Health care delivery systems. In A. Berman, S.J. Snyder,
B.
th
Kozier, & G. Erb (Eds.). Kozier & Erb’s Fundamentals of nursing: Concepts, process, and practice (8 ed.)
(pp. 101-116). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Clavreul, G.M. (2011). The nursing chain of command. WorkingNurse.com. Retrieved from http://
www.workingnurse.com/articles/The-Nursing-Chain-of-Command
Fuzy, J. (2003). The nursing assistant’s handbook. Albuquerque, NM: Hartman Publishing Inc.
Fuzy, J. & Leahy, W. (2005). The home health aide handbook. Albuquerque, NM: Hartman Publishing Inc.
Juliar, K. (2003) Minnesota Healthcare Core Curriculum, 2e. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
United States Department of Agriculture. (2005). Dietary guidelines for Americans. Retrieved from http://
www.mypyramid.gov/guidelines/index.html
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