Professionalism and Authentic Leadership
Professional Development
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- Report Out Update
- Transition to Practice Seminar went Live in November
- Standard Spotlight
- Professional Development Pathway
- AP (Assistive Personnel) Annual Education Process
Report Out Update
As we continued on our journey for ANCC accreditation in the Fall of 2023, we gathered information on our new grads’ progress. These data were collected on acute care and emergency department new grads that have started since the beginning of September:
Transition to Practice Seminar went Live in November
We were excited to start a significant change to our Transition to Practice Seminar, designed to enhance learning and provide new grads with more flexibility and choice. This seminar included ICU new grad RNs.
From 2-day intensive classes to monthly 4-hour sessions, the seminar was more interactive and helped reduce cognitive overload. In preparation for each in-person session, new grads completed 1 hour of prework that covered each subject of the seminar and acted as a foundation. Then, for the in-person session, participants had the power to choose which areas they wanted to dive into more deeply.
Standard Spotlight
Development and Design Standard 9: Describe and demonstrate how the program director or designee selects preceptors.
To select preceptors, we rely on our leadership teams identify individuals that will support our new graduate nurses and new hires! We have created Preceptor Selection Guidelines to serve as a reference when looking for new preceptors.
Professional Development Pathway
Professional development is critical for nurses at all levels, and UW Medical Center is dedicated to supporting growth. Some nurses want to broaden their clinical skills, while others want to enhance their leadership skills, or get involved in professional practice. We strive to provide opportunities and support for nurses across all care settings. The Professional Development Pathway is a tool for RNs to use during annual goal setting, or any time!
AP (Assistive Personnel) Annual Education Process
The University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) is committed to creating and maintaining a practice environment in which all nursing teams can maximize their professional knowledge and skill. In the Fall of 2023, Nursing Professional Development (NPD)provided an annual Assistive Personnel (AP)Education Day. UWMC recognizes the AP roles, which include inpatient Patient Care Technicians (PCTs), Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), and Medical Assistants (MAs) who work in the Emergency Department providing high quality patient care. In planning for the Education Day a “Needs Assessment” was sent out to the Managers and RN3s at the UWMC Montlake & Northwest Campuses to have better understanding of their needs. From the assessment NPD received 41 similar responses in areas of improvement in communication, safe patient handling, quality measures, self-care, and well-being.
The Education Days were involuntary for all AP staff and offered twelve 4-hour sessions over a two-week period. The instruction method included various teaching modalities such as i classroom didactic, breakout skill stations with hands-on simulation, games, and open discussion forums.
The goals and content of the topics included:
- Demonstrating communication skills to provide optimal patient-centered care.
- Describing key Safe Patient Handling interventions to prevent falls and promote personal safety.
- Identifying the impact of quality measures and verbalizing appropriate interventions to be implemented.
- Recognizing UW resources to support staff.
We had a total of 198 AP staff attend with anywhere from 1-5+ years of experience. Over 60-70% of participants found the content very helpful with another 15-20 finding the content somewhat helpful.
We also found that during the offerings we identified a gap in knowledge around a product we used called the “Pure Wick.” Since these offerings, NPD has partnered and collaborated with our subject matter experts to provide additional education and knowledge around the product and care of the patient to prevent pressure injury and miss use of the “Pure Wick.”
The feedback and impact from the AP annual education day proved to be a success! Participant feedback included:
General:
- "I liked that it was engaging."
- "All presentation and strategy on presenting it are all awesome."
- "It was very relaxing and easy comprehension of the materials because of the methods used."
- "All of the educators did an excellent job."
Communication:
- "Communication is key."
- "How to better communicate with my care team and patients."
Safe Patient Handling:
- "Tips and things to look out for regarding patient safety."
- "I like the Jeopardy style game over lecture format. Interactive activities are great."
Quality Measures:
- "CNA skills: central line care and how to shower patients."
- "Theraworks wipes and best practices of CHG wipes"
Care4U:
- "I learned about resources available for employees needing help and better ways to cope with stress."
- "There is support, and we are not alone."
- "It was valuable to learn what emotional/mental health resources are out there for us."