why-upskilling-in-occupational-health-is-so-important

Why upskilling in occupational health is so important

Reading Time: 5 minutes
Written by Joy Monaghan
06/05/2021

Many insist they would like to spend time upskilling if only they had more hours in the day. Finding time to fit in continuous learning once you’ve started working is easier said than done, but if you can make it happen, the benefits are well worth it. 

In the same way that food nourishes your body, information and learning nourish your mind, so you avoid becoming stagnant and always aim to fulfil your potential. This is why occupational health training is the ideal way to grow your knowledgebase. 

 

Whilst employers strive to cultivate teams of skilled and knowledgeable employees that will help them to excel from a business perspective, employees are hungry to learn and can be highly motivated if given the time and resource to make it happen. 

As technology, processes, and best practice move forward, it is essential that we move with it. Embracing continuous learning and any necessary training - whether online, in a classroom environment, or via a blended approach - are essential to sustaining a long and fulfilling career. 

Health care in particular is an ever-changing environment, and this is particularly the case within occupational health where expertise is increasingly required to provide an effective work force.

Aimed at health professionals working or aspiring to work in occupational health, delegates attending occupational health courses can learn what health and wellbeing at work is, and why it makes good business sense. Some of the key benefits of occupational health training and continuous learning are:

Invaluable employee satisfaction

It’s well-known that when people are happy at work their productivity significantly increases, as does their loyalty to their employer, meaning staff turnover is reduced. 

By offering continuous learning opportunities, employers highlight their commitment to individual staff members which naturally boosts morale and ensures employees feel happier and more content in their role.

Employee satisfaction has also been proven to have a considerable impact on operational success, so it’s a very worthwhile investment.1

Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) accredited

The Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) is a professional accreditation. It’s a supportive process which includes self-assessment as well as external peer assessment against accreditation standards, to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement.2 Having this accreditation is hugely valuable for both trust and credibility.

Occupational health services must demonstrate that they meet the relevant standards before they can be awarded SEQOHS accreditation. As part of the requirement for SEQOHS accreditation employees need to be suitably trained in their roles. This ensures that any gaps in existing services or processes can be resolved, and they can be the best that they can be.

Excellent networking opportunities

Quite often occupational health practitioners work in isolation, which can limit their interaction with others. Practical training courses can provide delegates with the opportunity to engage with people from similar organisations, share experiences, hear fresh ideas, and grow their contacts. Delegates often stay in contact with one another long after attending training courses, proving they are a great support network.

Better collaborative working

When employees are encouraged to adopt continuous learning in the workplace, it fosters a more collaborative environment. Instead of being apprehensive about making a mistake or taking calculated risks, employees forge good team relationships and work together to resolve situations. With professionals from different teams working together, organisations and departments can run more efficiently, productively and successfully, with happier employees. 

Improved staff retention

By nurturing existing staff, departments minimise the need to recruit additional personnel and increase the value of their team. When employees are given the opportunity to enhance their skills, they are willing and able to take on more responsibility and flourish in their career, benefitting both them, and the organisation.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Career progression is about finding new challenges, new opportunities, and getting the most out of a chosen career path. CPD enables you to develop professional skills and knowledge through interactive and participation-based learning, ensuring you can remain fully competent and work to the best of your ability within a given profession.

Independently accredited and registered occupational health courses can provide delegates with a number of CPD points and help raise professional performance standards for industrial screening programmes. Course delegates all receive a certificate on completion of the course.3

 

We offer several occupational health courses within audiometry, spirometry, and vision testing. Each course is designed for both experienced occupational health and primary care professionals, as well as for those with little or no experience who require more comprehensive tuition.

Our courses combine both theoretical and practical sessions, providing delegates with a broad understanding of the ‘why’ along with how to apply their learnings in practice. 

If you have a number of delegates who require the same training, we can deliver the course at a time and place to suit you. This is an effective way to train several delegates with minimal disruption, saving time, as well as potential travel and accommodation expenses.

Our expert tutors will take the time to understand the learning needs of your organisation, so that we can provide the right bespoke training solution for you and help you to meet your company objectives.

Each course offers delegates a number of CPD points under the accredited programme. Accredited by a UK professional and educational body which supports good practice.

For more information on our occupational health training courses please visit our occupational health training courses webpage, contact our customer support team on +44 (0)1865 880 846 or email.

 


Resources

1 University of Oxford (24th Oct 2019). Happy workers are 13% more productive. Accessible at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-10-24-happy-workers-are-13-more-productive

2SEQOHS. Accessible at:
https://www.seqohs.org/ 

 3CPD Certification service. Accessible at:
https://cpduk.co.uk/

"About the author:"

Joy Monaghan
Sales and Development Manager