Healthcare academy launched at TTSH
Launched at TTSH, the new Healthcare Academy will train workers to learn new digital skills, helping older employees cope with technological disruption
She used to worry about staying relevant, with automation threatening to take over her patient service job at the hospital.
But not any more, thanks to a programme by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), which allowed her to learn new skills such as drawing blood for lab tests.
Ms Toh Bee Lay, 41, said: "As a Patient Service Associate, a basic counter job, we just do registration and billing, so it's great I can upgrade myself.
"I feel more secure in my job now".
Ms Toh, who has worked in healthcare for almost seven years, is among 4,600 administrative workers whose jobs are affected by automation - as hospital records become fully digitalised and self-registration machines and payment kiosks become more common.
To combat this, the Healthcare Services Employees' Union (HSEU) and NTUC LearningHub (LHUB) are undertaking the largest training initiative in Singapore's healthcare by launching the Healthcare Academy.
The academy, which was launched at TTSH yesterday, will conduct courses at the LHUB at NTUC Trade Union House in Bras Basah.
The first phase of the academy's pilot programme started last Thursday with a two-day programme attended by 10 managerial-level participants.
The pilot, which will run for six months, will see a series of one and two-day programmes targeted at helping healthcare workers become more digitally literate, as well as teach skills needed to maintain a positive mindset to work place changes.
Ms K. Thanaletchimi, President of Healthcare Services Employees' Union, said: "The programme will help sustain employment for the individual by ensuring relevance and employability. This will then retain more workers in the healthcare industry."
She added that the academy's focus on the specific skills for its first set of courses is because a sizeable proportion - about one-third - of the workers who will be affected by technological disruption are middle-aged and older.
"There is a fear among some workers that technology will take away their jobs, or that they won't know how to use new technology," she said.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said that the Healthcare Academy will help workers be confident in their own adaptability and skills as well as to increase their productivity.
Mr Ng said: "They can be at the front desk, welcoming the patients, give them financial counselling and maybe an hour later, they can be in the patient's room, taking their ECG, drawing blood. This leads to higher quality of service."
With their productivity higher, these workers can be rewarded by the hospital better - whether in the form of a longer career or better wages, welfare and work prospects.
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