Tips and Tricks

What are you over? Hospitals, Clinics, Both?

Ashley, I did the same thing.  You can email me at karen.updegraff@guthrie.org and I can give you ideas and some good articles to build a POCT quality assurance program.

Ashley,

I have several suggestions in no particular order. Feel free to use them or not how they fit you and your situation.

1. Knowledge is power. The more cognizant you are of the regulations you answer to and the application of them to problems, the more objections you will be able to overcome. Know that these change frequently.....

2. Be patient with yourself and others. You will find yourself doing tons of education as to who you are, why you are there and what you can do to help the end user. You will also find things that have you thinking " What?!! How can they do this like this?" Again, educate.....they are not lab people...see #3.

3. Learn to speak the language of your audience and take a vow to never add to their workload using the regulations as a guide. (Patient care personnel) Things like double charting, treating them like lab people instead of like patient care personnel are going to be resisted. QC chart explanation: " this is charting on your instrument which is just like charting on your patient. This is assisting in getting a sound answer to treat your patient."

4. Interface as much as you can as soon as you can. This eliminates the paper component of POCT

5. Try to gain access to your corporate learning system if you can. Tests and comps in there make things much easier at inspection time.

6. Try to gain knowledge of things like Return on Investment (ROI), computer networking items like IP addresses, static and dynamic networks, some minimal contracting items etc.. All of these items will assist you down the road.

7. Develop your network-internally and externally. "Who can I ask to assist me to do X?" This list server is a good start. There are web casts and other things for a POCC to learn from peers. Ask the list server if you need something/a question answered. Some one has probably "Been there.. done that. " I have not written a procedure my self in years. I ask the list server.....and then cite that procedure in my references.

8. To start, go and perform "Management by Walking Around." This gets you out...and allows you to be identified. Also, make sure you know the procedures that exist. This will assist you in finding out what is NOT there that needs to be there...…

9. This is the best job that an MT can have. I tell new MT that POCT is where it is at. In the lab there are few opportunities to be more than a MT. POCT provides you with opportunities to be more than an MT and to develop skills that are in demand in other industries. As an example, because of all the projects I have done as a POCC, I am taking my Project Management Professional (PMP) test.

Good luck and I hope you love it.....I have for 25+ years. Feel free to call me if you like.

Deanna Bogner

210-297-9657

The AACC has a relatively inexpensive class on Quality Management Systems on www.aacc.org/education. 

Best Wishes

Ashley,

Call or email if you would like to talk.  919-681-6706 noone003@mc.duke.edu

Chris

Hi Ashley,

I'm not sure if you have to build the position of a POCC or if you have to start from scratch, take whatever a bench tech/someone in the lab has tried to do in the way of POCT oversight, and build a POC Program for your hospital. Either way, there are many here who are more than willing to help you.

My #1 tip is to try to not cave to the pressure to rush to get something in place. Most of us starting our programs were put under stress we were not used to. It comes from places and leaders who didn't know we existed before we were put into this position. The result can be a 'piecemeal' approach to building a position or a program. Then patch jobs follow.

Sidenote: the med techs/CLSs here will appreciate that the 3 reviewers for this class Penny mentioned are med techs/CLSs! All 3 gentlemen that I noticed were listed as reviewers were on the AACC CLS Council. We are making strides at AACC, folks. Wahoo!

Penny suggested:<The AACC has a relatively inexpensive class on Quality Management Systems on www.aacc.org/education.> 

I think you have come across a very wise resource in Deanna and I'm going to brag on her a bit because of a shared connection. Check out 2003.

www.pointofcare.net/POC_of_the_Year.htm

I've done the true POCC position in another life, with and without extensive resources. My current positions for the past 8+ years have been to support multiple micro-hospitals with moderate complexity labs with POC personnel (nurses, ER Techs/Paramedics, Rad Techs) and equipment (Piccolo, iSTAT, Triage, Clinitek, etc.) without the benefit of middleware in the role of Technical Consultant, Lab Director, and LIS Administrator. I wholeheartedly agree with Deanna's observations about the position, it's rewards, its ... challenges..., and the skills and mindsets to develop and foster.

Ashley,

   AACC also has a Point-of-Care Specialist course:

https://www.aacc.org/education-and-career/online-certificate-programs/certificate-programs/point-of-care-specialist-certificate-program

The course covers quality Management, Regulations, Instrument Selection and Validation, POC Connectivity, and more.

Both. 

Deanna, that is an excellent synopsis of the important aspects of POCT! 

If you have the budget, I'd also like to recommend "The Poor Lab's Guide to the Regulations" You can get it on the Westgard website.

https://www.westgard.com/guide-sample.htm

I ordered one for each of my sites, as a reference on the regulations. Some things might change, but it's got the basics.

Good luck! All of us seasoned POCCs are here for your questions.

Hi Ashley - I started up POC at my large/muti-site clinic a little over a year ago having been a med tech there for 9 years/no POC background. I took the AACC POC specialist course (work paid for it, although I paid to become a member). It was helpful, but only after the fact. I can look back now and understand more what they were talking about.

I found this site and the Whitehat communication (whitehatcom.com) POC Webinars very helpful. You can listen to the old 2019/2020 so far webinars (skip ahead to about 10 minutes to get to the actual meat of the lectures). Lots of good info there. I also joined a POC group in my area (NWPOCT) and was able to travel to 2 of their meetings. I met some great people/found resources.

And, like someone else said - start walking around, introducing yourself, finding out what everyone is currently doing - I'm still learning new things about different departments. Just yesterday I found out our Nephrology department is running rapid strep tests for patients who maybe don't have a PCP on site (but none of them have competencies for this test, so I have to go in and do that). 

Lots of folks here can also help you with procedures/QC logs etc if you ask (myself included - jill.dwyer@polyclinic.com)

Good luck!

You guys are spectacular! I have taken notes based on your responses and plan to look into each website, handbook, group, etc. Thank you so much! I've been a bit overwhelmed but seeing everyone that was willing to respond helped me know I have resources and contacts when I am lost. 

The posts from 'you newbies' (I say affectionately!) brings up how useful this POC Groupsite is for all of us who participate. Also for those who lurk (which is OK, too).

Not sure newbies know but someone is paying for this on our behalf. I don't know if the person support$ng us reads the posts to know how thankful we each are for the generosity of our 'mystery sponsor'.

The above advice is excellent and I have only one comment to add.  I can't emphasize enough the importance of "management by walking around" as Deanna put it.  The reason it's so hard to find a qualified and willing POCC is that lab techs tend to NOT loving socializing--that's why most chose lab work.  But 'socializing' is so vital to doing the POCC job well!  Your cohorts/victims/customers/patient care providers can see you as a "regulatory body" (hide when you come near, expect to only hear criticism from you, believe you're leaving your cushy resort-like office to crack the whip on lowly workers who are providing ACTUAL patient care, aka power tripping with nothing better to do than harass them while you rake in the big bucks *eye roll*) or as an advocate protecting them from the "regulatory body's claws and teeth" and enabling them to succeed and provide quality patient care with everyone's best interest at heart..

In other words, it will be an uphill battle for compliance if others don't trust you and honestly believe you're serving them.  One of my favorite examples is when a Provider pressured a CMA to walk across the hall to another clinic and "borrow" urine test strips to perform an off-menu urinalysis.  The "borrowed from" clinic's manager alerted Point of Care and you can guess how it went from there.  The CMA called me, incredibly upset because "I felt like I let you down and I'm so sorry!"  I want that type of relationship with those I'm serving--where everything is personal because we're all in this together and where I can apologize to others when I've let them down and I know I'll find forgiveness as well.

In my opinion, the biggest "challenge" as a POCC is lack of authority but others may not experience this with their employers.  Remember the following adage credited to many celebrities on memes but whose origin is unknown:  "Be careful what you tolerate.  You are teaching people how to treat you."  Don't let people rush you into a decision so you don't cave too easily or stand too strong.  Doormats and brick walls are ineffective.

And welcome :)