Training Timeframe

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Hi all,

I have a dilemma. I have about 2hr 30 min. to teach/train employees about POCT every orientation. This group usually includes about 15-25 employees and I have to train/teach about Specimen Labeling/Collecting/Transporting (all specimens not just POCT), Accu-Chek testing, i-STAT testing, and Fecal\Gastric\Preg testing. Luckily, the bigger group usually ends with about 6/10 needing to  learn about more than Accu-Chek (other tests) which is a big help. We have a learning modules that employees are asked to complete beforehand but issues with the computers tends to happen a lot with new employees not being in the system or just app issues, that this does not always occur. I feel like I usually am rushing to teach so many employees about these different test devices that I may not be doing a huge service as this is a lot of information to cover, in addition to seeing if they can adequately perform the test). Do you all have any tips to speed up the training process or maybe things to really focus on? 

Does this seem like an adequate amount of time? I think I may just be overwhelmed!

4 Replies

Are you the only one teaching? If yes, that seems like a lot. Adequate time can be answered by if you feel like the new staff are properly trained and when they are on the unit can competently do the job. 

At my other institution, the nursing educators and point of care techs divide up the responsibilities. Definitely upper management needs to coordinate and delegate the various components for training. I think the new staff lose some things when rushed. 

Jo, I am the only one teaching. The nurse educators do not necessarily want to add more to their plate so that leaves me where I am today! Additionally, every clinical employee goes through these classes so there is a lot of follow-up with competency assessments as well.

Ren,

 At my previous employment (in central FL) I was part of the orientation that all clinical staff new hires went through. My part was 4 hours long including a 15 minute break:
 
  •  Blood culture collection
  •  Blood Bank pickups
  •  Reviewed phlebotomy in general
  •  Reviewed lab recollects 
  •  iSTAT, complete with Skill-check, QC run and competency paperwork
  •  Glucometer, complete with Skill-check, QC run and competency paperwork
 
This was at a ~250 bed hospital.  Classes were typically 15-30 people.  The second half of the 4 hours was specific to the two meters, about ½ of the group needed glucometer access and about a ¼ needed iSTAT access as well.  (So about ½ of the group were released at the mid-point break).
 
It was only me teaching, occasionally we’d finish up to ~40 minutes early, dependent on the group and their questions.
o   I was always mentally exhausted afterwards.
 
I would agree with you that are being required to do too much in 2.5 hours.

We have moved much of this into our online Learning system. We use Workday. Specimen ID & Labeling, specific hand labeling for Blood Bank, confirming patient armband ID, etc. is all done online.  Phlebotomy and Blood Bank used to do those in person, but we stopped and moved it all online. 

We do have Nova training and any other instrument/testing training in person with a POC Coordinator. For our glucometer (Nova), we have trainings split up into Nova-Agency RN's (fast track, they usually have experience) on every Monday, Nova - RN's on every other Friday and Nova - Unlicensed Personnel on every other Tuesday.  We have these classes at a centralized location for 2 hospitals in our network. I have 3 POC Coordinators that teach these classes with the Nova- Unlicensed Personnel taking the longest amount of time. We cut down the class time by having them to do prework of viewing content from Nova (it is a video) so that they are familiar when they get to in-person class. We also moved fingerstick class to an online module and then they get to actually do the fingerstick with their preceptors on the floor.

If a new coworker needs ISTAT, Preg, Blood Gases, etc, then that is arranged with us in POC on 1:1 basis, but for the Emergency Dept we have set class times on every other Tuesday and every other Friday. 

I would like to get to a point where coworkers have to be employed a certain # of days/weeks before we train them on non-waived testing at least, otherwise, it feels like a big waste of our time.

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Ren Bage
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