Community Expert Insights

During 2019 IMSH, Group Editor Marty Kauchak discussed topics of interest to the healthcare simulation and training community with Amar Patel, CAE Healthcare’s CLO. An extract of the interview is provided below.

Amar Patelbrings to his Chief Learning Officer position at CAE Healthcare a richbackground of community experience, including time in the S&T industrysupporting the early life cycle phases of training devices, serving in the fireservice/EMS community, holding a position of responsibility at the Universityof Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute and finally delivering training tohealthcare professionals in a university hospital and healthcare system. Patel’srecent trajectory in the community led him to be a presenter on two topics at2019 IMSH.

Regardingthe Leadership Developmentpresentation, Patel explained, “This was about growing the future simulationleader, with a focus on what are the competencies, behaviors and trainingneeded to get from here to another position – to allow the community member togrow in simulation, to be that next leader and help advance the industry.” Indeed,Patel noted this presentation was in response to the observation that allemployees want to grow professionally, and the emerging demand for leadershipdevelopment – which may be as simple as honing leadership traits and knowledge,to being competitive for a specific job with increased responsibility. “This is‘untouched’ area in the industry and people are screaming for help,” thesubject matter expert added.

A solid foundationfor advancing professionals to increased positions of responsibility in thecommunity is for the individual to develop roadmaps, educational and competencyplans, and leadership pathways to help meet his or her career objectives. Morespecific, Patel offered the “70-20-10” approach as one way to achieve a goal.For instance, in order to achieve an objective, 70 percent of the effort may bejob related, 20 percent of the time may require formal interaction and 10percent of the requirement could be met by formal education. “We’re focused onthe individual,” Patel emphasized, adding, “helping them get from point x toy.”

Coachingis also a foundation of leadership development, but with a twist. Whereas onecommon coaching stereotype is the proactive, “on the field” coach, Patel’s LeadershipDevelopment model calls for a multi-dimensional strategy – with the coach beinga motivator, driver and even change agent, helping the individual see what heor she may not be cognizant of. “They are there to help you along and notanswer your questions – they don’t tell you the solution, but to fix theproblem and then guide you,” Patel added.

Patel wasalso delivering a second presentation – on cross-linking simulation andtraining in civil aviation with healthcare. Of significance, CAE, as a major forcein the global aviation sector, is also addressing why aviation has beensuccessful in reducing its accident and fatality rates, and inquiring how thehealthcare sector can similarly improve its patient safety ratings.

Askedabout the impediments to the healthcare sector improving patient safety, Patelresponded, “The bigger gaps are the lack of transparency in healthcare. When wemake an error, we aren’t willing to disclose or admit to it.” And there ismateriel interoperability, whereby healthcare community training devices don’tcommunicate with each other well – a different construct than may be found inairline training organizations’ training device bays.

Patel alsocalled attention to big data. While the 24/7 news cycle typically elevatescivil sector incidents to the attention of broad audiences, it is not so withmost errors and similar mishaps in the veiled confines of healthcare facilities.Further, CAE and other members of the civil aviation enterprise are stepping upthe use of big data to improve the quality of individual and crew training –for example, allowing instructors to detect and closely review learningaudience performance trends in simulators and other training devices. “Thehealthcare sector is very, very protective of private information. One maynever know about an error, or when someone gets hurt – so the big difference istransparency. Think about if a simulation program was able to share the work itwas doing to create a proactive template for wider risk mitigation andresponse,” Patel reflected. Noting that patient-safety related incidents arenow the third leading cause of death in the US, he concluded, “Shouldn’t we bechanging that direction? Whereas in civil aviation, those trends are going theother way.”