Many businesses and industries focus on the maximization of profits. However, there are a number of industries, such as the healthcare and education industries in the United States, where one of the primary motivating factors for a given organization is to impart a vital service. When these services are issued in a fashion that lacks an appropriate level of quality, there is a greater cost in the long run, and many people suffer. ASQ is a global leader in the assurance of high-quality services within such vital industries. They offer a range of certifications for a large body of professionals, across the United States and internationally. The HQBK, or Healthcare Quality Body of Knowledge, is one of these areas of certification.
What Does a Quality Body of Knowledge Involve?
ASQ’s healthcare-related training and certification programs focus on several key aspects of the healthcare industry.
First and foremost is the overall quality of care afforded to patients at hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations. Patient safety and satisfaction are also a part of the certification program, with the former being particularly important to a wide range of public safety concerns, and the latter being crucial to individual recovery. Organizational efficiency is the third point of focus for ASQ’s programs; professionals are trained to be both efficient and resourceful, maximizing what they are able to accomplish with a minimum of resources expended. That leads to the bottom line of an employer’s organization: this area is also directly relevant to the training. A healthcare organization that can’t make ends meet isn’t going to stay in practice for very long, and in a modern healthcare setting every expense is crucial.
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How Is the Certification Obtained?
The ASQ training focuses on a core program known as the Six Sigma principles, with several levels of training involved. Each of these levels of training comes with its own independent certification, as well as separate recognition for its completion. Basic training is a common prerequisite for lower-level administrative and nursing positions, while more advanced training applies to mid-level healthcare management and senior executives. Each level of training incorporates several courses, a list of required reading, and a final certification exam. The entire process, from basic to advanced, may take up to two years to complete.
What Other Fields does ASQ Certify?
Quality Body of Knowledge certification is available for workers operating at every level of employment, across a range of industries. In addition to healthcare and education, government positions are also frequently certified through GQBK certification programs. Highly specialized manufacturing industries also benefit from the creation of high-quality standards. Due to the number of pressing public health concerns surrounding the efficient and safe operation of healthcare facilities, however, the HQBK is one of the most popular of the ASQ’s training programs.
The HQBK is a professionally accredited and internationally recognized training program for healthcare workers. Individuals operating at every level of the healthcare industry, across the United States, benefit from ASQ-sponsored training in a wide range of specialized disciplines. Standardized training methods, like that of the Healthcare Quality Body of Knowledge, help to ensure the even application of important professional and ethical standards, as well as helping to settle new laws and regulations smoothly into place.