RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND RETENTION DEVELOPING A DYNAMIC ARTS IN HEALTHCARE TEAM Arts in Healthcare

Building a Team The success of any Arts in Healthcare program is directly related to the talent and consistency of your artists. Things to think about when building your program are: What do you want the artists to do? Will you expect them to act on their own? Are you building a “team” of artists or a “stable” of artists? How much do artists in your community know about Arts in Healthcare?

Identifying Excellence Recruitment – attracting your community’s best artistic resources to your program. Identify desired qualities based on what you want to accomplish with your Arts in Healthcare Program. Some of the most desirable qualities to look for are: Communication Empathy Process vs. Product Understanding the audience

Develop Roles Define your purpose and have a clear objective for artists who are interested in working with you. Will artists develop programs? Will they provide one time events or performances? Who will they work with – patients, family members, staff, students, adults, children? Set expectations and objectives Be prepared to consider unexpected ideas as viable solutions

Identify and Develop Leaders Training – providing artists with the unique skills necessary to succeed in a health related setting is critical to their success. There is no other environment like a hospital or care facility, and very few artists have an understanding of how they work. Conversely, very few people in a healthcare setting understand how an artist works, or why they do what they do. Creating an environment of mutual understanding is the key to success.

Identify and Develop Leaders Mentorship – at this point in the history of Arts in Healthcare, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. There are many resources available for training artists: Learn from other arts in healthcare artists Provide workshops for artists in your community Attend seminars and training sessions

Recognize and Reward Success Retention – developing a dynamic team of artists builds consistency and accelerates program growth. Rewarding those artists for their work is critical to your program’s development

Recognize and Reward Success Recognition for good work is essential. Develop standards of performance through recognition of outstanding service. Celebrate the extraordinary work that artists do everyday! Publications – submit stories of artists work in the institution to internal and external publications. Website – boast about your artists on your website. Receptions and events – organize events that recognize and reward your artists.

Support Structures Create a “family” of artists by building relationships through Rounds and Retreats. As your team grows more personally invested in one another, they become more invested in the mission of the program. Artists who support one another have a better opportunity for success and growth with this challenging work. Rounds and Retreats serve to: Enhance communication between artists and program leadership Cross-train from one discipline to another Provide needed support for emotionally difficult work Take an interest in the artists work outside the program.

Show Me the Money Compensation is the most obvious reward for excellence. It is important to communicate to your institution or constituents that your artistic talent are not volunteers, but trained experts in the field of Arts in Healthcare. Building the expectation is vital to your success. Internal funding – present your institution with a budget. Base your artists’ payment on other art related salaries in your community. External funding – expect to find funding from sources other than the institution, eg: hospital support groups or local philanthropic groups. Grants and Gifts – demonstrate that you are able to bring funding to the institution through grants and gifts.