An Educational Framework for Healthcare Facility Management: Preparing Future Professionals

Abstract

Purpose— The purpose of this research is to better understand learning outcomes essential for college students to be effective entry-level healthcare facility managers, establishing a healthcare FM education framework to further open FM academic programs as a sustainable source of new talent for the healthcare FM industry. Design/methodology/approach— A Delphi method was used for this research to draw upon the collective knowledge and experience of 13 experts over three iterative rounds of input. Phone interviews were also employed. Findings— This study shows that gaps exist in student learning outcomes for a comprehensive healthcare FM education; key technical topics specific to the healthcare industry are not being addressed by organizations accrediting construction and facility management academic programs. Many of these student learning outcomes could be readily combined into existing learning outcomes or used to develop a comprehensive healthcare FM education covering accreditation, regulatory and code compliance, infection control, systems in healthcare facilities, healthcare construction project management and methods, and clinical operations and medical equipment. Interestingly, academics in the field of FM generally disagree with industry professionals that these technical topics are important student learning outcomes. Consequently, FM academics prefer to teach students general FM principles with the expectation that specific technical knowledge will be gained in the workplace after graduation from college. Nevertheless, candidates attempting to enter healthcare FM without industry specific knowledge are disadvantaged due to industry perceptions and expectations. University-industry linkage must be improved to successfully attract students into the field of healthcare FM and open colleges and universities as a sustainable recruitment source in helping address FM attrition. Originality/value— This paper is valuable in establishing a healthcare FM education framework to elucidate college student learning outcomes upon graduation for successful employment as an entry-level healthcare facility manager. These student learning outcomes provide a framework for healthcare FM education to be used by industry and academia in preparing future professionals.

US healthcare facility management workforce trends: a comparison with demographics, compensation and tenure of facility management professionals in nonhealthcare industries

“…Because of these regulations and other factors in healthcare facilities, facility managers in this industry need to acquire substantial specialized knowledge to be successful in their positions (Avis and Morgan, 2018). For example, healthcare facility managers need knowledge of regulatory, code and accreditation compliance for healthcare facilities, systems regarding medical equipment, infection control, clinical operations and management of healthcare facility materials (Call and Sullivan, 2019).…”

“…Research has been conducted to understand the state of the overall FM workforce (Sullivan et al , 2010), but little research has focused on the current state of and trends in the healthcare FM workforce. Although insights into the overall FM labor pool have been beneficial in identifying opportunities to improve the workforce (IFMA, 2021), research focusing on healthcare FM is needed to better understand healthcare FM shortages and beyond expectations that healthcare facility managers possess skills beyond traditional FM competencies (Call and Sullivan, 2019). This study was conducted to obtain data regarding the demographics, compensations and job tenure of healthcare facility managers and nonhealthcare facility managers.…”

Evaluation of Nosocomial Infection Control Measures to Minimize the Risk of Aspergillus Dispersion During Major Demolition Work: A Case Study of a Japanese University Hospital

“…Mainly, education for construction personnel is imperative because construction activities are undertaken to reduce the risk of contamination and are generally performed by construction personnel (Mousavi & Bausman, 2020). However, construction personnel generally do not have specific technical knowledge regarding infection control in the healthcare built environment until they start their work (Call & Sullivan, 2019). All construction personnel need to receive sufficient training to be prepared to work in a healthcare environment to reduce the risk of infection from construction activities (Mousavi et al, 2020).…”

Renovation in hospitals: a case study on the use of control cubes for local repairs in health-care facilities

“…In spite of the diverse role of health-care FM, a shortage of workforce is predicted in the near future since the majority of existing health-care facility managers will be retiring in the next decade (Call et al , 2018a, 2018b). There is also a consensus among FM directors that there is a lack of new talent entering the field of health-care FM and a need to establish health-care FM education framework at the higher education level (Call et al , 2018a, 2018b; Call and Sullivan, 2019).…”

“…With the hospital environment being such an active setting with no downtime, proper preventative measures to control dust during construction renovation and remodeling needs to be considered (Hansen et al , 2008). A facility manager has to put emphasis on the regulatory environment, and code compliance for the health-care-built environment (Call and Sullivan, 2019). Health-care facilities require extensive design and planning qualifications along with validation due to regulatory compliance coupled with patient safety (Sharma et al , 2019).…”