Be In the Know!

At In the Know, we believe that lifelong learning is the key to both professional and personal success.  But, this isn’t just a meaningless mission statement stuck in a frame and hung on the wall.  Instead, it’s a way of life at our company. As the founder of In the Know, I created an atmosphere that encourages learning for each employee.

For example:  we have an In the Know library, filled with books relating to a variety of subjects—especially (but not limited to) health care.  Every employee has two hours of “library time” each week.  While they are encouraged to select reading material from the company library, they are free to read whatever they like.  The only “rule” is:  If you come across a great idea or are inspired by something you read, please share it with your coworkers.

What’s the result?  My employees and I are always reading, reviewing and researching…on a constant quest to continue learning.   Every day around our offices, you are likely to see a couple of excited employees huddled over a headline or hear someone say, “Wow…listen to what I just found out!”  New ideas are valued and it makes for motivated employees who enjoy coming to work.

How are things at your workplace?  Do you think your CNAs are inspired by you to add to their knowledge base and/or expand their skills?  At inservice time, do they sense your excitement about the topic at hand?  Do your nursing assistants know they can come to you for more information about a specific client care issue?

If you would like to promote lifelong learning among your aides, try sharing a few of these tips:

Instead of a “to do” list, keep a “to learn” list. Encourage your CNAs to jot down any learning needs they have.  For example, do they want to know more about diabetes, pressure sores or time management?  Put them on the list.  Would they like to learn more about quality improvement, patient rights or ethical issues?  They get added to the list, too.

Keep your eyes open! Suggest that your CNAs observe a coworker whom they admire.  A lot can be learned by watching, especially when you observe people who are really good at what they do.  Some of their habits may rub off!

Practice what you learn. Knowledge by itself is great…but it takes on real value when it is applied.  Share with your CNAs how you put new knowledge to work for you on the job and suggest they try the same thing.

Show others how it’s done. A great way to learn is by teaching others!  Ask your aides to help train new employees.  Or, each time you hold an inservice meeting, ask a different CNA to help lead the meeting.

Learn in groups. If your nursing assistants complete their inservices as self-study modules, suggest that they work together in groups of two or three.  They can bounce ideas off each other and, as a result, learn more than they would “going solo.”

Think outside the box. If your CNAs stick to the exact same routine every day, they may go on “autopilot” and stop learning.  Encourage them to switch things up a bit—as long as it doesn’t interfere with a client’s needs or rights.

Make learning a priority. The motivation to keep on learning has to come from within. Show your CNAs that lifelong learning is a daily habit for you and they may decide to make it a priority in their lives, too.

Do you have tips that have helped you create an environment of learning?  Please share them with us…we’re always open to learning new things!

Take care,

Linda

Linda Leekley BS, RN

President, In the Know

There is an old saying that managing employees would be so much easier if it were not for the people!  Of course that is not true for the most part, however, supervising employees can be a stressful job.  When you factor in different personalities, work ethics, unavoidable outside forces, client care, it is a wonder anyone does it!  Below are several tips on how to supervise effectively (and not make yourself crazy in the process):

• Communicate clearly.  Almost every “issue” in the workplace is caused or exacerbated by someone’s communication that is unclear, too late, too early, non-existent, etc.  Make sure your message is clear by communicating your organization’s vision and goals, and guiding others to accomplish them.

• Listen!  Take the time to truly listen to your employees.  Learn to listen twice as much as you talk.  One of the first signs of an organization in trouble is that communications break down. Err on the side of too much communication, rather than not enough.

• Prepare! Nothing can create a more peaceful workday than having everything well-organized.  Figure out what is not in place, fix it, and make it work for you.  If you are not the organizing type, get a co-worker’s help.  They will feel flattered and you will benefit by being better prepared for each day.

• Prioritize! Recognize what is important from what is urgent. As you well know, in healthcare, nothing is ever predictable.  Expect the unexpected.

• Address issues as they arise.  Convey performance issues as they occur.  It is not fair to the rest of your employees or clients if someone is falling behind in job performance.  Be specific about what you saw that you consider being a performance problem.  Follow your organization’s steps for performance counseling and address issues accordingly.

• Praise accomplishments. Take the time to recognize acknowledgments.  Saying “thank you” goes a long way in making a good nursing assistant feel appreciated and valued.  Write a handwritten note, or provide a treat such as a pizza party.  Your nurse aides work hard and deserve to have some occasional fun.

• Recognize your own signs of stress. Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.   Health care professionals experience a particularly high level of stress.  You are both a manager and a caregiver.  Pay attention to your stress level, and know when to “time out.”

How do you “survive” being a supervisor?  What tips do you have for being an effective leader?  Please send your comments along.  We would love to hear from you!

Happy Teaching!

Linda Leekley

Back to "School" for CNAs

Summer is almost over and thousands of children and adults are headed back to the classroom for another year.  As for many teachers and professors, providing informative and interesting educational materials can be a challenge for nurse supervisors.  Researching topics, creating inservices and handouts…how do nurse supervisors keep learning interesting?  Below is a list of ten of our favorite tips that we believe can enhance your CNA education program:

• Do use the information from your CNA evaluations to determine what topics to cover.
• Do plan ahead!  Map out your inservice topics for the year in advance.
• Do find a local health care professional who would be willing to present on a topic they know.
• Do solicit a different nursing assistant to help teach each inservice.
• Do choose a theme for each inservice, and have goodies that you can give away.
• Don’t choose topics that are not relevant to your nurse aides and their clients.
• Don’t forget your CNAs who do “self study.”  Make sure you follow up with them in person to discuss the inservice.
• Don’t just lecture or read from the inservice material:  imagine if you were in the audience!
• Don’t forget those CNAs who can’t make it to the inservice.  Make sure you review the material with them verbally.
• Don’t talk down to your staff.  They are professionals just like you.  Many of them have decades of health care experience.

We hope the above tips add a zing to your CNA continuing education program so your nursing assistants can start this fall on the right foot…and with renewed energy!

How do you keep your nurse aides engaged in their continuing education? What teaching tips do you have to share?  We would love to hear from you!

We all know that ongoing education leads to reduced turnover and greater job satisfaction. Not to mention that

Do your CNAs retain knowledge from inservices?

continuing education is a yearly requirement for nurse aides! But, how do you know the information you provide to your nurse aides “sticks?”  Here are some staggering statistics regarding adult learning retention. Over a period of three days:

• Adults retain 10% of information that is read
• Adults retain 30% of information that is seen
• Adults retain 50% of information that is seen and heard
• Adults retain 90% of information that is said and done (applying learning to real life situations)

Many factors affect adult learning retention including age, level of prior education and motivation.  In some of our previous posts, we have given you ideas on how to motivate your nurse aides by keeping education fresh and interesting.  Below are some additional strategies your organization can take with continuing education to ensure that your nurse aides actually retain the information you are giving them.

• Touch upon a medley of learning styles – As you know, our inservices may be used in a group setting or as self-study modules.  If you choose self-study, perhaps get the group in a few times a year to interact in team activities.
• Encourage nurse aide participation – If using the self-study option, set aside time to address any questions your nursing assistants may have regarding the inservice material. If using group participation, use real-life situations, etc. to stimulate discussion.
• Use variety – Adding visual aides to reading material, such as PowerPoints, greatly enhances learning retention.
• Use active learning – Group discussions and activities, problem solving activities that involve critical thinking skills, games, etc. all lead to greater learning retention.
• Review job performance – Check for retention by making sure your caregivers are applying what they have learned to their responsibilities.  Give continuous feedback and address any issues as they arise.

What do you do to make sure your nurse aides retain the information you share with them? Please share any tips and suggestions with us.  We would love to hear from you!

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!

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

Have you ever hired nursing assistants and, after HR paperwork and a quick tour of your facility or agency, sent them off to a full day’s work? Does orientation seem like a waste of time with CNAs? After all, many of them don’t stick around long, so why bother? Well, here’s a tale from my past that spells out the problem with that theory:

When I started my first job as a new nursing graduate, it was on a busy hematology/oncology unit at a big teaching hospital. I was green, intimidated and in need of a good orientation. Did I receive it? Nope…instead I was thrown into a full patient assignment. (There was a preceptor assigned to me, but she was busy with her own caseload.) When I expressed my concerns to my preceptor, she said to me, “Look, we know an orientation would be nice. But, you’re a warm body to fill a spot on this shift. Just do the best you can because none of us have time to help you.”

What happened? Well, thankfully, I avoided causing any harm to my patients! But, my stress level went sky high; I felt alienated from my co-workers; and I spent my days off worrying about work. Before long, I developed strep throat and walking pneumonia. After a month, I transferred to another oncology unit where the staff was willing to orient me.

So, guess what? Once again, the heme/onc unit was short staffed! Their neglect of my learning needs was shortsighted and cost them another “warm body”. And, as time went on, I found out that the cycle continued; very few nurses wanted to work on that unit. Their attitude about orientation harmed everyone: the supervisor, the staff and the patients!

It’s the same with nursing assistants. If they are not oriented properly to their role within your workplace, they are likely to become stressed, overwhelmed and anxious to move on to another job. This vicious cycle is part of why CNA turnover is so high across the United States.

There is good news. Studies have shown that, on average, when an organization institutes a high quality orientation, their turnover rate decreases by 50% within two years! That’s one reason why we developed a complete CNA Orientation Program entitled, “Getting Off to a Good Start”. We wanted to help you with your aide retention rates AND provide the tools and support that nursing assistants need when they begin a new job.

“Getting Off to a Good Start” includes information on professionalism, communication, teamwork, patient rights, infection control, time management, stress management, personal wellness, customer service, cultural diversity, quality improvement, documentation and LOTS of practical client care tips. And, the program gives the learner SIX hours of inservice credit…right off the bat!

If you want more information on our CNA Orientation Program, please feel free to give us a call at 877-809-5515. We’re happy to answer any questions you have and/or email you a preview of the program.

Happy Hiring!
Linda

Linda Leekley BS, RN
www.knowingmore.com

Continuing education should do more than fulfill annual inservice requirements. It should meet the learning needs of your CNAs and, in turn, have a measurable impact on client care. That’s what you get when you use inservices from In the Know. Consider these examples from just a few of our customers:

Renee F. at Fountainbleau Nursing Center: “We were having a large number of falls among our residents. We gave our CNAs the ‘Understanding Fall Risk Factors’ inservice to educate them on this issue. In the past month, our falls have been cut in half!”

Temika Y. at Generation Solutions: “After presenting the ‘Understanding Diabetes’ inservice to our home health aides, one aide recognized the signs of hypoglycemia and impending insulin shock in her client. She called EMS and literally saved the client’s life because of the information she learned from In the Know!”

Beth R. at Bellamy Fields Assisted Living: “Our CNAs had poor documentation skills–and were even using ‘White Out’! We purchased In the Know’s inservice, ‘Reporting & Documenting Client Care’, and made it a requirement for every nursing assistant. Their documentation has improved significantly!”

Wouldn’t you like to see measurable results like these from your inservice program? You can! Start developing top-notch CNAs today by creating your own library of In the Know inservices.

If your budget is tight, start with one key inservice that addresses a specific aspect of client care that you’d like to improve. We also offer special discounts when you buy three, six, nine or twelve inservices.

And, be sure to download our FREE inservice, Customer Service in Health Care. Many of our customers have noted a measurable increase in both employee and patient satisfaction after presenting this inservice to their nursing assistants. So, take action today and start seeing measurable results tomorrow!

Happy Teaching,
Linda Leekley BS, RN

Are you responsible for selecting inservice materials for your nursing assistants? If so, here are a few tips to help you get the best product for meeting the learning needs of your aides.

1. Look for a Wide Range of Well-Written, Relevant Topics
Most nursing supervisors agree that providing aides with knowledge of problem solving, communication skills, self-care and stress management are just as important as teaching them about a disease process. When selecting an inservice provider, make sure the company offers a variety of topics including mandatory topics, psycho-social issues, basic skill reviews, disease processes and professional development issues.

Find out who develops the inservices. While it may look impressive to have physicians authoring the inservices, how much direct experience do most physicians have with nursing assistants? Ask if the authors have taught and/or supervised CNA’s.

A first-rate inservice provider should offer current information in each inservice and should update topics on a regular basis. And, since a good way to encourage retention of your nursing assistants is to create a “career ladder” for them, review the available topics to see if they support career advancement for your aides.

Do the inservices contain quick “soundbytes” of information on a variety of topics or are they an in-depth study of one topic? To be of real value, look for inservices that get to the real heart of a subject.

Quality inservices should also help learners think “outside the box” so they are prepared for the unexpected situations that will occur during client care. Pick an inservice provider who encourages critical thinking.

2. Make Sure the Inservices Are Easy to Use
Time is probably the most precious commodity for any nursing supervisor, right? A good inservice provider recognizes this and will help you save time in your busy schedule.

Look for inservices that can be utilized in a variety of ways. For example, can the inservice be offered as a self-study packet as well as a group presentation?

Videotapes may seem easy to use, but consider the fact that learners have no way to review the information later, at their own pace. Your aides may prefer an inservice which provides handouts that they can keep and reread.

Sometimes, the need for an inservice is immediate. Find out if the inservice provider can get you the materials right away, via email, when you need them.

3. Consider the Value You’re Getting for Your Money
Creating an inservice yourself can easily eat up 12 hours—or more—of your time each month. Multiply that time by your hourly salary and you’ll see that each inservice is costing hundreds of dollars! Keep this in mind when you evaluate the cost of purchasing inservices from a provider. In addition, be sure to ask these key questions:

Is the price of each inservice for a “one time” use or can the inservice be used over and over, indefinitely?

If your workplace has multiple locations, can you get a discount if you order inservices for every location?

4. Assess the Company’s Customer Service & Satisfaction
You can tell a lot about an inservice provider from their customer service. Ideally, it should be easy to get in touch with the provider’s customer service representatives. They should be willing and able to answer all your questions and should readily provide you with references. (We recommend that you take time to contact a few references. They can give you the real scoop about the quality of the inservices, how the staff reacts to them and the level of customer service you can expect after you make your purchase.)

There are a number of other factors that influence how satisfied you’ll be with an inservice provider. Of course, you’ll want any inservices you purchase to pass muster with surveyors. Ask the provider how their inservices will help meet your survey requirements…and how a surveyor will know that your aides have completed a particular inservice.

Enhancing the quality of client care is a key goal of CNA inservice education. Look to see if the available inservices provide the knowledge necessary to meet the needs of your client population. To improve client satisfaction, you should also look for topics that boost the skills of your CNA’s.

When you purchase inservices from a quality provider, your aides should look forward to each inservice, rather than dreading it as something to get through. Check to see that the inservices are presented in an engaging manner and that they encourage participation and discussion. Insist on a free sample topic that you can try out with your nursing assistants…before you make a purchase.

Have you noticed a shortage of nursing assistants? The CDC estimates that by 2030, the U.S. will need at least 25% more CNA’s than are working today. By carefully selecting a quality inservice provider, you’ll be taking an important step toward building a satisfied and professional CNA staff.

Happy Teaching,
Linda Leekley