Competency Manager:: Frequently Asked Questions
About the Competency ManagerGetting Started
Competencies
SAAS
Security
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About the Competency Manager
| A. | The Competency Manager is an online competency assessment and development system designed to aid practice managers and primary care teams to achieve exceptional performance in the delivery of patient care. The Competency Manager enables individuals and teams to:
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| A. | The Competency Manager 12 month subscription pricing is based on the number of users in your organisation accessing the Competency Manager. We currently have three levels of pricing which are as follows: Level 1: Up to six users, £300 All prices are exclusive of VAT. To receive a quote for your organisation, please email sales@hmc-elearn.com. |
| A. | The Competency Manager was designed to be used by those working within or with General Medical Practice. A subscription to the Competency Manager can only be purchased by an organisation who then appoints individual users. |
| A. | Yes. We will guide you through the set up process. Our consultants can walk you through creating new profiles and assessments; mapping competencies for individuals and teams; identifying and prioritising learning and development needs; and creating individualised and team learning and development plans. You will also receive an implementation resource pack upon purchasing a subscription to the Competency Manager. On-going assistance is available through our secure online user forums, our live chat support centre, our online user guide, and our online tutorials. |
| A. | Yes. A user guide can be accessed online at anytime by clicking on the user guide button or by clicking on the help icon that sits in the top right hand corner of every page. |
| A. | The primary account administrator has access to the account admin panel and on behalf of the organisation, can undertake the following tasks: enter the account details in the account admin panel; enter details for the secondary account administrator; update the account details; allocate User IDs and passwords to the level of the practice’s subscription; renew and upgrade their practice’s subscription; provide a first level of response to users who have forgotten their User IDs. |
| A. | No experience is necessary to use the Competency Manager suite of online tools. The tools are simple and easy to use. Help files are only a click away and can be accessed from every page within the tool. Those with previous experience of competency assessment and development planning will benefit from using the tools to generate highly detailed competency profiles and assessments, and richly informative learning and development plans. Regardless of experience, using the Competency Manager suite of online tools enables users to capture and summarise learning and development priorities and evaluation records which assist in tracking progress over time. |
| A. | No. The Competency Manager is a web-based application and therefore requires users to have access to the internet. |
Getting Started
| A. | Visit www.hmc-elearn.com and click on Purchase. An order form can be printed by clicking on Print Order Form at the bottom of the Purchase page. Complete the order form, select payment type/method, and return to us at the address provided on the order form. |
| A. | Once your purchase is complete you will receive an email instructing you on how to set up your account. An accounts manager will be able to help you through this process if required. |
| A. | For individual users, setting up the Competency Manager is very straight forward. Upon receipt of their User ID and password from the primary account administrator, individual users can visit the Competency Manager website at their convenience. The first time new users login to the Competency Manager they are prompted to complete the required User Registration Form. Upon completion and submission of this form, they are automatically directed to the Competency Manager home page. This takes less than ten minutes. |
| A. | This is entirely up to the individual but we would encourage users to give their work-related information. |
| A. | While we recommend that users enter their work-related email address, where it is more practical to use a private email address, this is also acceptable. There is, however, a possible increased security risk in using a private email address, as this is also the email address that is used by the our system for password reminders. All email reminders and notifications, generated by our system or sent by our system administrators, also utilise the email addresses in User Accounts set up during the registration process. Please note that we strongly recommend that you do not use an email address which is shared by others. |
| A. | The Competency Manager was developed and tested for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE). Macintosh users are able to access the Competency Manager using Apple Safari as well. The Competency Manager was not, however, developed for use with Mozilla Firefox. |
Competencies
| A. | A competency is any observable and/or measurable knowledge, skill, ability or behaviour that contributes to successful job performance. The two major components to a competency are the definition and the scale: The Definition - The definition gives explanation to the meaning of the competency and provides a common language that everyone within an organisation can understand in the same way. The Scale - Each competency has associated levels of proficiency which are described as a competency scale. The scale lays out a behavioural pattern for each level. |
| A. | Competencies stored in the Competency Manager are designed to help individuals and teams of Primary Care organisations develop their professional skills and proficiencies. |
| A. | A competency framework or model is a descriptive tool that identifies the skills, knowledge, personal characteristics, and behaviours needed to effectively perform a role in an organisation and that help the organisation meet its strategic objectives. A competency framework is made up of a collection of competencies, often organised into categories or clusters, which are considered important to an organisation and a particular role within an organisation. Individual competencies are usually defined and supported by key behaviours. Some frameworks may be general and apply to all staff, while other frameworks may apply to specific roles or positions. |
| A. | Our Competency Frameworks are listed below: Core Personal Attributes Communication Interpersonal Continuous Learning Specific General Management Practice Management Leadership Self-managed Teams Team Leadership Change Leadership Impact & Influence Facilitation Skills Harnessing Diversity Innovation & Creativity Culture Assessment Functional Human Resources Finance Project Management Clinical Service Management Customer Service Information Systems Health and Safety Administrative Support Technical Medical Health Care Nursing NHS nGMS Practice Management Competency Framework |
| A. | Yes, but they would have to be given to us to load into the system for you. This would be an individual request from your organisation and a member of our Customer Service team would have to discuss this option with you. |
SAAS
| A. | Software-As-A-Service (or SAAS) refers to computer based applications and services that are provided via remote delivery to users rather than packaged software and other computer applications to be purchased and installed by the user. With SAAS, you access your software-based services or applications using a web browser. You pay for these services on a per-user and/or per-service subscription basis. The cost of the hardware and infrastructure that hosts the software, the right to use the software, and all maintenance and support services are included in the subscription fee. |
Security
| A. | Yes. Every measure has been taken to ensure that the data entered into the Competency Manager is secure and that we do everything possible to comply with data protection and privacy laws: Firewall A firewall is a combination of hardware and software that protects computers and computer networks from being hacked. Our website is protected 24 hours a day by a top-of-the-line firewall, with a backup prepared in the event of firewall failure. Your confidential website information is always protected and secure. SSL Certificate Our website is protected with 128-bit SSL certificate. This is the highest level of protection available for encryption. Best Practices All staff are required to follow security precautions which includes cryptographically strong passwords, secured server rooms, and diligence in handling sensitive data. 24-Hour Security Our website is protected by 24-hour security systems: 24-hour front desk and security patrols, card locks, physical key locks, and separately secured server rooms keep your information safe from physical attack. |