New Team-Building Curriculum Launched

With funding from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, PHI has created and field-tested its newest product in the suite of coaching approach skill-building tools. Designed specifically for employees working on the “front line,” the PHI Coaching Approach^SM to Building Teams (CABT) prepares direct-care workers to contribute to the synergistic impact of genuine teamwork.

The first edition of the curriculum was completed in late spring and PHI recruited five provider organizations to participate in field testing. Of these five organizations, two are skilled nursing facilities and three are home health agencies located in New Hampshire, New York, and Michigan. Using a train-the-trainer approach, these five organizations offered feedback that led to the second and final edition of the curriculum. These providers are in the midst of teaching CABT to their employees with great results.

The curriculum is designed to build upon the PHI Coaching Approach to Communication^SM (CAC). This experiential program can be taught in one full day, or broken apart into distinct modules. The CAC curriculum builds the core communication skills of active listening, self-awareness and self-management, and the ability to communicate using language free of blame or judgment. These foundational skills are critical to successful teamwork and typically have been underemphasized in the health care field. The CABT takes these skills to the next level with exciting potential.

In today’s environment of Accountable Care Organizations and the emphasis on reducing rehospitalizations, the ability to work as a high functioning team is more important than ever. Employees who engage in this high level of performance and are using the communication skills notice changes in condition sooner, communicate proactively, and get to the root cause more quickly for the best possible outcomes.

Contact Susan Misiorski if you are interested in more information about this new team building curriculum.