Technology Simplifies Planning and Enhances Effectiveness of Nursing Orientation Program
A progressive regional healthcare provider, this West Florida medical center is dedicated to providing quality, compassionate care. Its mission of excellence begins with a commitment to recruiting the best talent and providing ongoing training to assure its clinical staff is following best practices and maintaining the highest standard of care.
With 10 to 15 in-class training sessions to manage each month in addition to its online courses, the medical center’s team of three training professionals had a significant load to bear. Monthly new-hire programs were particularly challenging. Beyond general organizational and benefits orientation, the training team conducts a three-day orientation session for all incoming nurses which involves the entire training staff and contributors from seven outside departments the second week of every month.
The Challenges
The devil was in the logistical details of producing and assembling customized training materials for the individual job functions of 20-30 new hires. Each month’s orientation included a different mix of RNs, LPNs, CNAs and emergency department techs. Having the right materials for the right new hire was essential to classroom effectiveness and for easy reference, once on the job.
“I was paying our two RN educators to be copiers to assure every training kit was right. We wanted to be sure nothing was missing or misplaced, and when policies or procedures changed that all the related forms and formats changed accordingly and they were included in the training materials,” said the director of Education & Staff Development. “We were spending three to four days just copying and assembling materials.”
For all their efforts, it was not uncommon for documents to be missing or inserted in the wrong packet, as they sometime relied on volunteer help when pressed for time. In those instances, the classes would come to a halt while someone ran out to make needed copies. Moreover, the readability of the content varied widely as copies of forms and instructions were copied again and again.
The process was exasperating and the output sometimes disappointing. The folder of assembled materials was adequate for training, but unsuitable for reference. Most were lost or languished on a shelf once orientation was completed.
The Solution
There seemed to be little hope for improvement with most funding earmarked for direct patient care, until the training director came across a carefully organized, bound handbook Human Resources was using for general orientation. To her surprise, it was printed and assembled very cost effectively – using Standard Register’s Web-based procurement platform, SMARTworks, and the on-demand printing and kitting capability of Standard Register’s local printing facility.
Now all documents are conveniently housed electronically in SMARTworks, so just a week before orientation, the Training director orders pertinent training materials for each incoming RN, LPN, CNA and emergency department tech, based on the new-hire list provided by Human Resources. A few extra sets are produced for each to accommodate any last minute hires that might walk in.
One Central Point for Training Materials
With one central location for all forms and training materials, educators have everything they need at their fingertips. “If a policy or form is changed, I know I can find the most current version in SMARTworks.”
More Time to Focus on Training
It’s clear that the technology has added efficiency and sanity to the training preparation process. Educators no longer have to spend two to four days every month, copying and assembling training materials. Training has eliminated 15-20 hours of overtime per educator per month. Now they have more time for classes to enable nurses to earn CEUs and to take education to the units where they are providing real-time training at bedside, based on the objective for that month.
Improved Training Effectiveness
According to the Education Director, Standard Register’s people really added value to their training materials. “At their recommendation, we not only organized training content into sections with convenient tabs, but we also added pages to each section where participants could take notes on what applied to their unit and them. We added actual examples of the documentation – the flow sheets for daily assessments, the flow sheets for pain management -- for course use and later reference.”
Even test materials were included in the handbooks, and then the entire package was spiral bound with a durable cover. “It really enhanced the training experience while providing a convenient reference. The nurses may not use it every day, but they know where they can find the information when they need. It’s particularly helpful for nurses who float from department to department,” the director said.
As a result, she reports that evaluation scores for nursing orientation have increased and unit directors applaud the approach because nurses come to the unit better prepared with documents and notes as reference.
Greater Control over Costs and Training
The medical center and its educators have full confidence in Standard Register and its SMARTworks technology. “They give me everything I need in one place. I have full control over my costs and know what my orientation program is costing me. I know what’s been ordered and I can change at anytime. And all of it is done without paper in hand. It’s done from my computer which saves me time.”
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