The number of Association for Talent Development members who work in the healthcare industry more than doubled between 2016 and 2018, which tells us that it's an industry with talent development professionals eager to learn more about their niche craft. Thus, during that time, we invited practitioners to write articles for the magazine with the goal of developing relevant, valuable content for the association's healthcare audience. And when we started planning for the magazine's 2019 issues last summer, we pinpointed healthcare as an industry to which we wanted to devote a theme—meaning two of an issue's feature articles (most notably, the cover story) would explore topics and trends associated with talent development in healthcare organizations. So, here we are.
In the first themed article, Christina Coidakis-Barss and Angela Patchell discuss silos and power dynamics—situations many companies are familiar with regardless of industry. The authors detail how their organization, Christiana Care Health System, has implemented and sustained interprofessional practice and education to improve patient care, increase quality outcomes, and minimize professional and disciplinary silos.
And in Kristen Fyfe-Mills' article, she examines the importance of healthcare workers' communication skills during the often difficult and delicate conversations associated with patients' (and their families') organ donation decisions. "Training is paramount, and communication skills training is critical to success," she writes.
In addition to healthcare, other industries we're keeping our eyes on are manufacturing and finance. If you're a talent development practitioner in either of these sectors, feel free to contact me about the opportunity to contribute to the magazine.
