The quality professional's expanding role as internal consultant: practical tips and survival strategies--Part I.

Expertise in quality and process improvement is becoming widely recognized as a valuable resource. The more objective viewpoint and experience of consulting firms or outside professionals in quality and change management often is critical to the success of organization-wide quality or change implementation. Outside consultants, however, are not inexpensive. It is predictable that there will be an increasing tendency for healthcare systems to look internally for organizational and quality expertise. Part one of this article discusses the approach and skills needed to gain a clearly defined and agreed-upon direction for the consulting mission. The importance of mental preparation and flexibility is discussed. Ethical dilemmas are a core challenge, and a number of real-life scenarios and associated strategies are presented.