Personnel Selection
Team member selection is critical to the success of a program. A primary determinant of the type of team members selected is the specific staffing requirements of the transport program in terms of roles and responsibilities.
Team members should be selected on the basis of their experiences and competence in the care of children in the inpatient setting and on other personality traits required for success. Human resource colleagues can be invaluable in preparing the team managers and directors for the interviewing and decision-making processes. The team members should collectively have the ability to provide a level of care that is similar to that of the admitting unit.It is imperative for the team leader to have excellent assessment skills specific to the transport patient population. Beyond basic certification or licensure, some services require completion of one or more certification programs (see Chapter 2 and Appendix E). These certification programs can be provided as a component of the initial and/or recurrent training programs. The possession of personality traits that ensure a high level of performance in the variable and unpredictable transport environment is crucial. These include leadership, flexibility, independence, initiative, intelligence, inquisitiveness, and ability to solve problems and exercise good clinical judgment. Transport personnel must demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Team members must have good crisis management skills, with the ability to negotiate, defuse stressful situations, and safely improvise as needed.