Vertical Market Profile: Healthcare

Welcome to our first Vertical Market Profile. In this series, we will be interviewing professionals from all different areas of the security field to see what unique challenges they face in their jobs. This series will also look at the unique journeys of each profiled practitioner to see how they ended up where they are today.

Today's profile will be on Healthcare Security.

The Expert:

Kyle Slowe, CHPA

Security Training & Compliance Specialist at Beth Israel Lahey Hospital

Background Questions:

1.      How did you get your start in the security industry?

While attending UMass Lowell for my criminal justice degree, a professor who was retired FBI educated me on the opportunities within private security. I decided to explore that career path and grateful of that professor’s mentorship.

2.      Describe your general philosophy on security operations.

Accountability starts with leaders; train officers extensively and often.  Be consistent and always provide clear communication.

3.      Describe what a typical day is like in your current role.

My current role is Security Training & Compliance Specialist. My core responsibilities, in order of priority, are; administering our 80 training course for new security officers, instructing and certifying security and all nursing staff in verbal de-escalation strategies, crisis intervention, and workplace violence prevention/self-defense, and managing all compliance requirements, such as; CPR/First Aid/Naloxone/Stop the Bleed certifications, Workplace Violence Prevention Certifications, ILSM tracking, Safety Reporting Review/follow-up, and monthly, quarterly, annual fire/life safety drills & inspections.

4.      What is your favorite thing about working in your specific market segment?

Instructing healthcare professionals in all aspects of workplace violence prevention and experiencing the rewards of that dedication to education and training through interactions, communications, and trend analysis.

Market Specific Questions:

5.      What are some unique challenges affecting your specific market segment?

Hiring, retention, and increased violence toward healthcare professionals.

6.      How do you think your specific market segment sets best practices for the industry at large?

Healthcare security officers specialize in verbal de-escalation of patients and visitors in crisis. They often possess skills and specialized training on specific patient populations that experience crises in healthcare settings, such as patients experiencing mental health conditions, substance use disorder, and geriatric patients diagnosed with dementia/delirium.

One very unique area of expertise for healthcare security professionals is the restraint of non-compliant patients.  Although it can be an unfortunate outcome for a patient in crisis, this measure is only implemented as a last resort and only when ordered by a licensed practitioner to prevent imminent or ongoing injury. Healthcare security officers train in controlling and restraining patients for safety using techniques designed not to injure, proportionate to the behavior, and which are least invasive. Compassion, empathy, and education of trauma-informed care during and after the restraint process often result in a maintained or regained rapport between security and patients. 

7.      What opportunities for growth do you see in your field over the next 5 years?

Continuing to professionalize the role of healthcare security officers, ensuring sustainable career path, therefore reducing hiring and retention challenges.

8.      What is something about your market segment you think most people don’t know?

How demanding and dynamic the role of a healthcare security officer truly is. Hospitals are a microcosm of any town or city, and healthcare security officers are the first responders to all emergencies, taking on the roles of 911 Dispatch, Law enforcement, Firefighters, and EMS within that microcosm 24/7.

9.      What professional organizations and certifications would you recommend for someone working in your market segment?

• International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) with the goal of obtaining your Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator certification (CHPA).  IAHSS is a professional association with more than 4,000 members who are healthcare security, law enforcement, safety and emergency management leaders.  For over fifty years, IAHSS has educated and served members and the profession by offering exclusive resources and benefits including industry and design guidelines, local and international educational and networking opportunities, and the celebrated bi-annual Journal of Healthcare Protection Management.  IAHSS has certified tens of thousands of dedicated professionals who keep healthcare facilities, patients, staff and visitors safe and, in addition to the CHPA, offers the Basic, Advanced and Supervisor certifications and a Safety Certificate Program.

• American Society for Industrial Security International (ASIS International) with the goal of obtaining your Certified Protection Professional (CPP) certification.

• Obtaining an instructor certification within verbal-escalation/crisis intervention/self-defense program, such as; AVADE Workplace Violence Prevention, Crisis Prevention Institute Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (CPI NCI), Management of Aggressive Behavior (MOAB), etc.

Other:

10.   If you couldn’t work in your current market segment, what other market segment would you want to try working in?

If healthcare security was not an option. Then I would be interested in campus security at the collegiate level, where I could instruct and train verbal de-escalation/crisis intervention/self-defense to fellow security officers, but also the students. Those skills will be invaluable to students throughout their lives and in any career path.  If I couldn’t work in security at all, I’d love to try selling yachts!

To learn more about Kyle, check out his LinkedIn profile (link below)

LinkedIn_Kyle Slowe