Page 46 - Security Today, April 2021

“Hospitals are emotionally charged environments, creating a landscape that must be navigated effectively by well trained and highly capable security professionals.”
HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
In light of these risks and challenges, recruiting for a healthcare role involves considerations beyond that of a traditional commercial se- curity job. To find talent with the right mix of experience, skills, and temperament necessitates that direct compensation and additional benefits equate to the dangers and difficulties personnel would be expected to handle on a daily basis. A healthcare security officer of- ten provides the first impression to patients or visitors. Screening for professionalism, a sense of responsibility, positive attitude and at- tention to detail, empathy and strong communications skills is vital.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, new recruiting challenges have also emerged for healthcare roles. Recruiters must consider a can- didate’s willingness to protect others and themselves when it comes to infection protocols and proper PPE usage. Although required immunizations and vaccinations are not new challenges for creden- tialing healthcare security officers, COVID-19 has brought the new realities of candidate trust, opinions on vaccine safety and legal considerations related to what employers can and cannot require.
Furthermore, these positions now have the added obstacle of considering a candidate’s potential health risk factors. Someone who may have been a perfect fit for the role but suffers from an underlying condition that puts them at greater risk from COV- ID-19, may no longer be an appropriate candidate.
TEACHING TENETS
While certain personality traits are inherent, security companies must provide the necessary depth and breadth of training to en- sure staff are prepared, safe and successful in their new roles. This means specialized, augmented training specifically tailored to helping staff manage high-risk situations.
Instructional content should include pre-assignment training, as well as continual education on critical topics relating to patient and officer safety, compliance and risks unique to the healthcare environment.
Core universal subjects include security operations, customer service methodology and culture, prevention, mitigation, re- sponse, recovery and protection techniques, and verbal de-esca- lation methods.
Industry-specific modules include explanations of the health- care environment, nuances of differing care and departmental challenges, the patient and employee experience, accreditation stan- dards and regulations specific to the industry, and patient rights.
CALIBRATED AND REFINED TRAINING
Over the last year, healthcare organizations have found them- selves responding to new challenges, whether it be patient influx,
operational shutdown, or a major workforce protection policy decision. Because of this, security companies must be able to adjust on the fly, consistently updating trainings about new poli- cies and procedures. This, coupled with an increased demand for security staff in healthcare, has led to changes in training delivery methods along with content.
The days of in-person pre-assignment training are insufficient for today’s healthcare environment. Security companies must focus on methods of delivery, concise communications and pro- cesses, limitations of scope and client expectations.
The clearest option is virtual training, which allows for consis- tent delivery across multiple locations. When virtually training staff, content organization is important. Ideally, topics should be present- ed to emphasize the most critical curriculum first. Once pre-assign- ment curriculum is completed and officers are stationed within a facility, additional topics can be delivered in an automated manner within a fixed schedule to ensure compliance initiatives identified in accreditation and healthcare survey findings are reinforced.
Virtual training also allows for just-in-time modules, which has been especially timely during the pandemic. For example, these can be used to address regulatory enhancements, civil un- rest incident response, or the latest CDC COVID-19 recommen- dations. It is also recommended a library of electronic training programs is maintained to address any issues and allow continual review by employees.
It is also important for security companies to gauge and mea- sure the success of training programs. One way to do this is with automated testing that shows students’ progress and real-time results. By analyzing this information, classes can be modified to emphasize areas in which results are falling short of pre-de- termined standards. This allows for continuous improvement to training programs, student comprehension and job performance.
While the security industry does not have required national training or licensing standards, a top tier security company will provide significant hours of pre-assignment training rather than regressing to state minimums.
To attract the right candidates to the role, these positions also require a greater investment to match the increased risk and ad- vanced skill set of the preferred applicants with more competitive pay. It is necessary to explore creative approaches to allow the hospital to reinvest savings from synergies found in peripheral services to invest in the most important element of maintaining the safety of the campus - the security officer.
To prepare officers, it is critical security companies identify people with the right base-level characteristics and train them extensively and effectively. When officers receive the proper train- ing, retention, recruitment efforts and officer performance all improve. This is key as healthcare customers
can count on a more educated and competent security force to handle delicate and complex situations.
Andy Bedlack is the executive vice president of G4S.
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APRIL 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
HEALTHCARE SECURITY