University

Digital Learning: Muma College of Business, TGH Launch People Development Institute

From left: Moez Limayem, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business, was among the speakers during the launch of the People Development Institute, a USF-Tampa General Hospital collaboration.

From left: Moez Limayem, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business, was among the speakers during the launch of the People Development Institute, a USF-Tampa General Hospital collaboration. [Photo: Daniel Wallace, Tampa General Hospital]

By Keith Morelli ’78 | Muma College of Business

USF’S MUMA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS and Tampa General Hospital have launched a groundbreaking initiative to provide critical people skills to hospital staff ranging from top-shelf surgeons to valets.

Leveraging expertise from USF, the People Development Institute is designed to offer courses that equip not just TGH employees, but also hospital partners, vendors and associates with the tools they need to create better relations with patients, customers and the medical community. Nearly 90 percent of executives say there is a skills gap in the workplace, according to a McKinsey Global Survey, and the institute is a way to meet those challenges.

While medical programs excel at imparting lifesaving knowledge to medical personnel, critical people skills tend to get much less attention in focused medical programs. The ambitious professional development undertaken as part of this collaborative initiative intends to fill that very gap.

The People Development Institute awards non-credit Credly badges, which recognize digital learning that focuses on hard and soft skills necessary for an organization to thrive. Faculty from the Muma College of Business play a leading role in the course design, creation and delivery.

“For years, the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital have partnered in the business of health care, saving lives, training health-care providers and creating innovative new systems together,” USF President Rhea F. Law says. “The partnership between Tampa General and USF Health has strengthened the university academically and enhanced our role in the Tampa Bay region.

“Collaboration like this is in the DNA of both organizations – and it is vital to sustain healthy communities. The synergies between USF and Tampa General have been so positive that we’ve continued to ask: How else can we work together? How else can we benefit from each other’s strengths?

“As a result,” she says, “our newest partnership is in the business of business, and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of this endeavor.”

The initiative is designed to make health-care workers better employees while keeping them engaged through educational opportunities offered by hospital leaders and university educators.

“Tampa General Hospital’s vision is to be the safest, most innovative academic health system in America and that demands the best training and development for our health-care professionals,” says John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “This unique collaboration between TGH and the USF Muma College of Business will meet those needs and directly impact the professional growth of every one of our team members.”

With an aim to develop a one-stop shop for all the people-centric training needs at TGH initially, the hope is to one day provide access across the health-care industry, according to Matt Mullarkey, PhD ’14, Life Member, a Muma College of Business faculty member who spearheaded the effort.

The training will be offered virtually with plans to expand in a variety of formats, including virtual, hybrid and face-to-face instruction. Classes are free to all TGH team members. Tampa General will cover the cost of all training materials required for courses and the TGH Foundation has committed to fully funding the institute for its first five years.

The institute is a collaboration between the two organizations to identify specific, non-clinical training needs of TGH employees, ranging from transportation personnel and extending to surgeons. The idea is to keep employees trained in such a way that they can use people skills to enhance the patient experience as well as develop professionally.

The program also includes skill sets required by administrators. For instance, it provides training on leadership, motivation and use of analytics to capitalize on employee data to customize programs like onboarding and well-being campaigns. This can improve employee morale and retention.

The collaboration is in keeping with a strategic plan of the Muma College of Business, which is to engage with the outside business community.

“It is often said you are judged by the company you keep,” says Moez Limayem, Lynn Pippenger Dean of the Muma College of Business, “and we could not have picked a better partner with whom to collaborate on this project than Tampa General Hospital, a top-rated health-care provider in the nation.

“This groundbreaking collaboration should serve as a model for partnerships between higher education and the medical industry. It is unique and will strengthen the business operational skills of those who manage our health and care for us whenever the need arises.”

Classes are underway and will continue until 2025.