Be In the Know!

As you are well aware, a nurse aide’s job can be quite stressful.  Being on the frontlines of client care is tough!  Most nursing assistants are not fully prepared for the challenges that lie ahead on a daily basis.  As a result, job burnout and quick turnaround of CNAs are very real problems being faced by many administrators.

One way to help reduce the stress felt by your nurse aides is to implement a relaxed (but professional) continuing education program.  Here are some ideas for doing just that:

Home Study…Having the flexibility to study the material from the comfort of home is a great option.  With In the Know inservices, you have the freedom to make as many copies as you need (within your single facility) of the inservice topic.  You can send the learning materials home with your aides.  (If you have email addresses for your CNAs, you can also simply email the “learner’s section” of the inservice to each of them.)  All you’ll have to do is grade and file their quizzes!  This method allows your CNAs to complete their necessary continuing education at their own pace.

Grab a Partner…Allow your aides to partner up (or assign them a study partner).  Most of the time, having to work with someone else creates a higher sense of accountability.  Working as partners also fosters teamwork, promotes problem-solving skills and gets your CNAs talking amongst themselves about the learning materials.  They can think out loud, share ideas and learn from one another.

Take It As It Comes…Another idea is to create a library of inservices that is accessible to your CNAs during their work hours.  Develop a “sign up sheet” (or use the one provided by In the Know).  Then, allow your nurse aides to complete the inservices at work “on the clock” as time allows. Not only will you have more time for other aspects of your job, but your aides will feel like they are in control of their own learning.

With a flexible inservice plan, you’ll head off burnout and CNA turnover at your workplace.  For more information, give us a call at 877-809-5515.

Do you have any different methods for inservicing your CNAs that you’d like to share?  We would love to hear them!

As the “baby boomer” population in the United States ages, the need for additional nurse aides is something that cannot be ignored.  The Census Bureau projects that by 2030 there will be over 70 million Americans aged 65 and older, more that twice their number in 1995.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the overall number of nurse aide jobs is projected to grow an additional 36% — from 2.1 million to 2.9 million jobs.

Further, experts project there will be a demand for nearly 1 million more of these workers in the next decade, and perhaps a total of 3 million more by 2030 — when all surviving members of the 78-million-strong boomer generation are older than 65.  Attracting and retaining quality nurse aides will become an even greater focus for most healthcare organizations. One way you can do that is via a high-caliber continuing education program that helps your CNAs prepare for the demands of their jobs.

The consequences of ill-trained and overburdened nurse aides can be costly and painful to a healthcare organization.  A quality education program, attracts, retains and empowers your nurse aides to put their best foot forward everyday.  After all, knowledge is power!  And, the more your CNAs know, the more they can achieve.

The numbers are dramatic.  An older population means more people with health and personal care needs and greater use of health and long-term care services.  Are your nurse aides ready?  How is your organization preparing for the aging baby boomers?  We would love to hear from you!  Any tips or suggestions are highly encouraged and much appreciated!

Please add your comments to this blog or simply email me at mariaeaston@knowingmore.com.  Thanks!

Give your CNAs a "thumbs up"!

There is nothing more uplifting for a CNA (or any employee for that matter) than when they are recognized for a job well done.  Many employees feel that their boss is quick to point out any deficiency or mistake, but feel that getting positive reinforcement is difficult and infrequent.  If your nursing assistants are deserving of recognition, here are a few ways to show them that you appreciate it…without spending a dime!

1. Send them a handwritten note. A CEO of a Fortune 500 company frequently handwrites “thank you” notes on $2 bills.  In more than 3 years of doing this, only one employee has asked if the bill could be spent.  This tells us that instead of spending the $2, the employees prefer to keep it as a positive memento
2. Share the love. Ask each employee to write something down about an exemplary aide who has earned their respect and admiration.  Put all of their comments into a small picture frame and give it to the aide.
3. Up-front parking. Create a sign for the best parking space at your office or facility.  The sign should read: “Employee of the Month,” or something similar.  Make the right to this parking space competitive, and you won’t believe what lengths your aides will go to in order to win the competition, and the parking space.
4. TGIF. Allow a deserving CNA to take off early on a Friday afternoon.  This may not be possible due to client care responsibilities, but if you feel that you can get along without the aide for the afternoon, offer him or her the rest of the day off.  Naturally, you’ll want to treat these few hours off as time “on the clock” as a reward for this employee.
5. Well days. Many people can relate to this:  You need a day off.  You may have something really important to do, or you may not.  So you decide to call in “sick.”  Most of the time this makes you feel guilty about missing work, right? Reward a job well done by allowing your employees to earn “well days.”  These are days off when an employee can do whatever they need or want to do, but does not have to fib about feeling ill.
6. Rank and Title. It may or may not come with a raise in pay, but if outstanding aides continue to show that they are responsible and accountable, offer to add “Senior” or “Shift Leader” to their title.  It is amazing how much pride your new leaders will take in this small gesture.
7. Go public. Create and distribute a company-wide newsletter detailing an employee’s exemplary performance.  This will honor that particular nursing assistant, while creating motivation for the rest of your staff.A quick “thank you.”  The most cost effective way of acknowledging hardworking employees is to simply thank them…and it only takes a second.  Everyone appreciates being appreciated.

If one or more of these rewarding gestures appeals to you, give them a try with your staff.  Then, come back to this blog and let everyone know what the response was to your show of appreciation.  We would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading,

Evan

Evan Leekley

evanleekley@knowingmore.com

Lack of support has often been cited as a major factor in the turnover of nurse aides.  One way your organization can reduce the crushing expense of nurse aide turnover is to implement a quality inservice program.  Think about this…….it costs on average, a year’s wages to replace an employee.  Do you know your nurse aide turnover rate?  It’s easy.

Divide the number of CNAs who terminated with you (for any reason) during the past 12 months by the average number of CNAs you had on staff for the same 12 months.  You will get a percentage number.  Ideally, the closer you are to 0%, the better, however, that is nearly impossible for any employer.  Did you know the industry average for CNA turnover is 93%?  That means that at least 9 out of 10 CNAs leave their employment within a 12 month period of being hired!

What can you do to keep the turnover rate low in your organization?  Consistent on-the-job training can make the difference between a CNA staying or leaving.  Certainly, competitive pay ranks as equally important but many employers find that their workers care very strongly about the training and education opportunities available to them at work.  Ongoing training is imperative to keeping nurse aides enthused and informed about their job responsibilities.  Most importantly, it gives them the tools they need to perform their duties properly.

Nursing assistants are the heart of your business!   Time is precious in the healthcare field, however, your nurse aides are on the “front line” everyday with their clients.  Empowering them with a solid, quality education program will result in lower turnover rates, and most importantly, enhanced client care.

How is the nurse aide retention rate in your organization?  Please share any tips you have for keeping quality nurse aides.  Or, share the challenges you have with your organization’s retention.  We would love to hear from you!

Best wishes,

Maria

Maria Easton (mariaeaston@knowingmore.com)

Are you looking for new ways to present In the Know Inservices to your staff members?  We’ve been fortunate to have so much helpful feedback from nursing supervisors over the years.  In this blog entry, we will share some creative ideas that will keep your continuing education classes fresh and exciting.

• Try handing out the supplied puzzles and word searches the day before the classes so your CNAs know how much they need to learn.  From what might presumably be quite a few wrong answers, or from the multiple questions that they can’t answer, they will understand the importance of the upcoming inservice training session.
• Some supervisors tell us that they have improved their aides’ attitudes towards their monthly classes by making them more interactive.  Everyone likes to offer input.  Allowing each aide the chance to offer their perspective on the topic improves the training atmosphere immensely.
• Try splitting your class into two or more groups.  Have each group come up with a discussion question for another group to answer.  This promotes leadership, problem solving, self-reliance and cohesiveness among the aides.
• Another supervisor told us that she pulls interesting facts from each of our inservices and distributes them on separate strips of paper to the class.  Throughout the inservice, she asks each participant to read his or her fact to the class.
• Some nurses keep the interest level high by having each aide “teach” an inservice topic once a year, with the assistance of the inservice coordinator.  This opportunity helps the aides practice assertiveness (a much needed asset for working with difficult clients) and also allows them to shine in a public presentation.
• We’ve heard about a supervisor that tapes a $5 bill in two or three copies of the inservice each month.  Word is that the CNAs get very excited about “winning the prize” every month.
• Additional pay per hour is offered by some administrators if any of their aides complete a certain number of In the Know inservices in a year.
• After the inservice has been presented, some instructors ask each participant to tell the class something new that they have learned about the topic.

If you have used other games or can think of some fun ways to present an inservice topic, we’d love to hear from you.  Please leave your comments!  Thanks and happy teaching!

Evan Leekley
In the Know, Inc.
evanleekley@knowingmore.com