A Review of Upskilling in The Healthcare Sector With Special Emphasis On Nurses

Abstract

The healthcare industry faces significant challenges, such as skills gaps, labor shortages, and the impact of the pandemic, making upskilling the workforce increasingly critical. Hospitals, as major providers of healthcare services, have a crucial role to play in preparing their employees for the long-term aspect and addressing required gaps. This study examines the current state of skilling, upskilling, and reskilling efforts in the healthcare industry, focusing on hospitals. The study aims to quantify the proportion of hospitals that have made consistent striving for betterment for the future of work through skilling, upskilling, and reskilling initiatives. Additionally, the study seeks to understand how training gaps are identified and how they are filled and readdressed to fill the performance gaps. To achieve its objectives, a review and data collection were deployed. The surveys will be administered to a representative sample of hospitals across different regions in Delhi NCR to collect quantitative data on the state of skilling, upskilling, and reskilling efforts. In addition, the interviews will be conducted with key stakeholders, including hospital administrators, human resource managers, and healthcare professionals, to collect qualitative data on the challenges and opportunities associated with skilling, upskilling, and reskilling in hospitals. The findings of this study will have significant implications for the healthcare industry in India. By understanding the extent to which hospitals are making deliberate efforts to prepare their employees for the future of work, healthcare organizations can design and implement effective upskilling initiatives that enhance the quality of care, improve patient outcomes, and increase the resilience of the healthcare system. Additionally, the study will shed light on the challenges and opportunities associated with skilling, upskilling, and reskilling in hospitals, providing insights into the best practices and solutions that can be adopted to overcome these challenges and leverage the opportunities. In conclusion, this study will contribute to the existing knowledge on skilling, upskilling, and reskilling in the healthcare industry, particularly in hospitals. The mixed-methods approach used in this study will enable a comprehensive analysis of the current state of hospital skilling, upskilling, and reskilling efforts, providing insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with these initiatives. The study's findings will inform healthcare organizations in designing and implementing effective upskilling initiatives that enhance the quality of care, improve patient outcomes, and increase the resilience of the healthcare system, making a significant contribution to the future of the healthcare industry in India. The study emphasized some important approaches like identification of skill updating, approach, process, and expected outcome from same; it is an important and equal responsibility of all to ensure that L&D is not limited to a day-today function alone but should be integrated with vision and expertise of the organization to benefit for all stakeholders largely. Moreover, it is applicable at all levels, from country to organization-specific applications, as the sample targeted nurses as one segment of the great workforce of the healthcare sector, which is the country's base or support system.