Christiana Care and University of Delaware partner in Patient Experience Academy

Christiana Care and University of Delaware partner in Patient Experience Academy

Christiana Care and the University of Delaware Lerner College of Business are partnering in the development of a pilot program called the Patient Experience Academy. This 10-week course, part of the patient experience curriculum of the Value Institute Academy, takes proven customer service and engagement strategies from the hospitality industry and adapts them to a health care setting, aligned with the principles of The Christiana Care Way.

Shawn Smith, MBA, vice president, Patient Experience, welcomes his colleagues to the inaugural class of the Christiana Care Patient Experience Academy.
Shawn Smith, MBA, vice president, Patient Experience, welcomes his colleagues to the inaugural class of the Christiana Care Patient Experience Academy.

The course began April 29 with a cadre of 40 Christiana Care employees that consists primarily of front-of-house staff — patient guides, valets, guest services and environmental services staff — who are learning skills and techniques that will help them to create an outstanding first impression for patients and visitors at Christiana Care.

“This is an exciting milestone in our journey of The Christiana Care Way,” said Shawn Smith, vice president of Patient Experience, who developed the program working closely with colleagues in the Learning Institute and at the University of Delaware. “This is a great team, and based on the success of the first class, I think this Patient Experience Academy pilot program will serve as a model to offer advanced training to a wide variety of teams and individuals at Christiana Care, and help to foster a culture of excellence in patient experience.”

Ali A. Poorani, Ph.D., associate professor and director of Hospitality Associates for Research & Training at the University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, challenges participants in the Patient Experience Academy with an interactive exercise.
Ali A. Poorani, Ph.D., associate professor and director of Hospitality Associates for Research & Training at the University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, challenges participants in the Patient Experience Academy with an interactive exercise.
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