Specialist and GP practice management: 6 tips for staff training and development

Effective specialist, dental and GP practice management requires not only focusing on daily operations but also ensuring your staff remain well-trained and motivated. 

So, how can you effectively promote the development of your team and ensure your practice continually improves? 

Here are 6 tips to help enhance training and professional development for all staff – from doctors and nurses to admin and support personnel. 

Every healthcare setting comprises staff with varied strengths and areas for improvement. Identifying these gaps through regular performance reviews and informal check-ins is crucial for delivering targeted training. 

For example, you might have a nurse who excels clinically but needs a refresher on infection control protocols. Or perhaps you have a receptionist who’s great with patients but struggles with appointment management. 

A digital GP practice management solution like PracticeHub can help bridge these gaps. It includes built-in training modules that cover essential topics, such as infection control, patient communication, appointment management and privacy laws, ensuring all staff receive necessary training. 

Personalised training plans that cater to each staff member’s interests and career aspirations can significantly boost engagement and motivation.  

For example, clinical staff may wish to specialise in areas such as chronic disease management or patient education, while non-clinical staff, like an admin assistant, might seek to enhance leadership skills or improve patient communication. 

Regular one-on-one meetings allow practice managers to assess skills, interests and career goals, and thereby create development plans that are meaningful to each team member. 

This approach keeps the team motivated and invested in their development, which is critical for sustainable growth in specialist and GP practice management. 

Balancing daily responsibilities with professional development can be challenging in a busy healthcare setting. Online learning platforms offer the flexibility to ensure staff can grow without disrupting daily operations. 

For example, a nurse can complete an e-learning module on infection control during downtime, while a receptionist may take patient communication training between appointments. 

With PracticeHub, your staff can complete training at their own pace and you can easily assign specific modules with a few clicks, then track completion through a central dashboard and automatic alerts. 

This helps you stay on top of training regulatory requirements, like those of the RACGP Standards. 

Offering a range of opportunities like workshops, mentorship programs and job shadowing can help staff develop skills that traditional education might not cover. 

For instance, clinical staff might benefit from attending external workshops on the latest clinical procedures, while your admin team may need customer service training to handle patient complaints effectively. 

Establishing a mentoring programme that pairs junior nurses with more senior colleagues can provide practical advice and foster professional growth. 

Encouraging peer-to-peer learning, where staff share insights from workshops during team meetings, can also create a collaborative environment where knowledge circulates throughout the practice. 

Regular, constructive feedback is key for professional development. While formal performance reviews should be held at set intervals, informal check-ins are just as valuable.  

These interactions not only assess performance but also provide opportunities to revisit professional goals and adjust development plans as needed. 

By providing actionable, growth-focused feedback, you can give staff clear direction on areas for improvement and the support they need to reach their goals. 

In the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, it’s essential to keep both your staff and practice updated on industry trends and best practices. 

Encouraging staff to join professional organisations, attend conferences and pursue relevant certifications helps them stay informed and maintain their credentials. 

It also helps ensure your practice evolves with the latest best practices in specialist and GP practice management.

Discover how this intuitive solution helps simplify training with built-in learning modules and progress tracking. 

PracticeHub can also help you reduce admin and enhance efficiency by centralising all your documents, tasks, risk management, HR and compliance in one digital platform. 

Book your demo today to see how PracticeHub can help transform your practice.