Be In the Know!

Chances are, you have presented inservices to your CNAs on the typical topics: standard precautions, confidentiality, nutrition, pain management and dementia. Without question, these are all necessary inservices for nursing assistants.

However, to develop a team of top-notch CNAs, it’s important to go beyond what is necessary or mandated. Coming up with pertinent topics can be a challenge when you’re trying to fit inservice education into your already busy schedule. Here are 5 ideas for inservices that will get your nursing assistants thinking outside the box—and, in turn, have a real impact on the quality of their client care.

1.  Teach Your CNAs about Being Assertive

Why?  Because top-notch CNAs are assertive people. They understand the difference between communicating passively, aggressively and assertively. They use their assertiveness skills to deal with difficult people and challenging situations. And, because they respect the rights of others without ignoring their own rights, they are excellent team players. Consider presenting an inservice that includes a “personal assertiveness assessment” so that your nurse aides can gauge their current communication style.

2.  Examine Conflict in the Workplace

On-the-job conflict exists in every health care organization, so how about teaching your CNAs how to deal with it? Provide them with practical tips for resolving conflict. Be sure to cover the dangers of gossip and bullying in the workplace and how they can handle conflicts with supervisors and clients. Armed with this information, your CNAs will focus less on “workplace politics” and more on the needs of their clients.

3.  Discuss Maintaining a Professional Distance

One of the toughest things for anyone in nursing is to provide TLC to clients without overstepping professional boundaries. A top-notch CNA knows the difference between personal and professional relationships and can spot the warning signs that professional distance has been lost. Giving an inservice on this issue will help your nursing assistants be caring without veering from the plan of care.

4.  Promote the CNA/Nurse Relationship

In the same way that the relationship between nurses and physicians continues to evolve, so does the relationship between nurses and nursing assistants. Outstanding CNAs understand the importance of delegation, assertive communication and mutual respect. They know how to give a great report, how to make the most of their performance review and how to work together with nurses as a team. Consider presenting this information to your CNAs and your nurses for a real boost to nursing teamwork.

5.  Practice Time Management Skills

Why are some CNAs better than others at completing their work on time? Nursing assistants who strive for excellence have learned how to avoid time wasters like procrastination, a lack of focus and a negative attitude. Help your CNAs become time savers by teaching them about setting goals and priorities and providing them with practical tips that help them work efficiently—whether they work in a facility or in clients’ homes.

Try incorporating a few of these topics into your current inservice schedule and see what happens.  (If you’d rather not “reinvent the wheel”, give us a call at 877-809-5515 or visit our store.  We have inservices on all of the above topics.)  Remember…when inservice education goes above and beyond the norm, it spurs critical thinking, enhances the quality of client care, and encourages professionalism on the part of your aides.

Happy Teaching!

Linda

Linda Leekley BS, RN

It’s a new year…and time for a fresh look at how you present your CNA inservices.  Are you making the most out of your inservice meetings?  Do your nursing assistants come away from your inservices knowing more about their clients and excited to put that new knowledge to use?  If not, here are a few quick tips to help you develop a top-notch team of CNAs in 2010:

Convey your passion for nursing during inservice presentations. If your nursing assistants sense that you are excited about client care, they are more likely to be enthusiastic, too.  On the flip side, if you seem bored while presenting inservice materials, your CNAs are likely to be bored by you and the inservice!

Help your CNAs bridge the gap between learning and doing. It’s great to present an inservice full of important facts, but how does that information translate to the “real world” at your workplace?  For example, you can teach your nurse aides that they should observe for the signs and symptoms of depression, especially in older clients.  But, what do you want them to do with their observations?  Go beyond the facts and have your CNAs practice documenting and/or reporting their observations.  Get a discussion going about what resources are available if a client is depressed.  By thinking outside the box, you’ll do more than teach; you’ll develop CNAs who think critically and follow thoughts with actions.

Listen when your CNAs voice their opinions. Some of your nursing assistants may have worked in health care longer than you have!  Show them that you respect their experience by encouraging them to voice their opinions about client care.  For example, you may feel like “tuning out” when an aide says, “In my previous workplace, we did it this way.” Instead, take notice.  Ask the CNA what makes the “old way” better.  This opens a discussion and creates an atmosphere where you both might learn something.

During your inservices, make use of real-life situations—with the names concealed or changed to protect client confidentiality. For example, when teaching about diabetes, prepare an example of a current or former diabetic client.  Give a scenario that calls for action from a CNA and ask for suggestions as to how they would handle it.  As you discuss each response, relate it directly to the information in the inservice.

Have a system for following up. To ensure that your aides retain what they learn during your inservice meetings, come up with a simple way to “test” them on what they know.  For example, at each inservice meeting, start out by asking three or four key questions about last month’s topic.  Offer a small prize or treat for the right answers.  This will ensure that your CNAs come prepared to answer your questions!

How do you make the most of your inservice meetings?  Do you have some tips to share with fellow educators?  We’d love to hear from you.  You may make a comment below or email me at lindaleekley@knowingmore.com.  Thanks!