Be In the Know!

It’s a fact: adult learners enjoy lively continuing education sessions.  But, coming up with ways to spice up your CNA inservice meetings can be challenging.  Here are six tips that may help:

1.  Every month, insert a crisp new $1.00 bill in a couple of the inservice handout packets.  If you conduct your inservices in a group setting, ask the lucky recipients to read part of the inservice out loud or to “volunteer” for the participatory activities.
2.  To promote participation during the inservice, pick a “secret word” or “secret phrase” prior to the inservice.  It should be a word or phrase that is likely to be said by a participant during the learning session.  Write it down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope.  When someone says the secret word or phrase, make a big fuss and give that person a prize.  You can even have two or three secret words prepared to keep the group alert and active throughout the entire inservice.
3.  During an inservice–especially one that’s on a serious topic–take a few minutes to get rid of stress.  Pass out some “stress-reducers” such as squeeze balls, bubble gum or rubber bands.  Make paper airplanes and race them.  Or inflate balloons and let them loose.
4.  Reward participation during inservice meetings.  using “Monopoly money”, give out a bill for each contribution to the topic at hand.  Allow your CNAs to redeem the play money for little prizes (candy, magazines, pretty pens, etc.) that “cost” a certain amount of play money each.
5.  Put a disposable tablecloth on the table during your inservices.  Let your nurse aides draw or write on it (before and after the inservice and during a two minute break in the middle of the meeting).
6.  To encourage group discussion or to make it easier to break into teams, copy each inservice onto two or more different colors of pastel paper.  Group the participants together based on the color of their inservice.  Or, ask for a member of each group to comment on a discussion question.

Using one or more of these simple strategies is bound to enliven your educational sessions and enhance learning…so, happy teaching!

It’s CNA Week and that’s a great time to think about how you can help your nursing assistants continue to learn on the job.  Here at In the Know, we’re all about lifelong learning.  And we know that the best learning experiences are often a bit “outside the box”.  So, here are some tips that might spur both critical thinking and learning among your direct care staff:

• Institute a “Learning Award” and present it to the nursing assistant who completes the most hours of continuing education in a specific time period (calendar quarter or year) or on a specific subject pertinent to your workplace (patient rights or workplace safety).

• Encourage and support skills that go beyond client care, such as money management, parenting, career planning, resume writing, etc.

• Have a different nursing assistant lead each inservice meeting with you.

• Consider developing a tuition reimbursement plan and/or a college scholarship program for the nursing assistants at your workplace.

• Ask a CNA or two to join you when a medical equipment representative comes in to demonstrate or promote a new product.  The CNAs may know best if the equipment in question will work at your facility.

• Encourage your nursing assistants to volunteer for committees at work–ethics, quality improvement, safety, etc.  Then, give them the time and support to attend the meetings.

• At home health or hospice client care meetings, ask your aides to present each of their clients.  Don’t let them sit there quietly when they probably have such valuable input to share.

• On your CNAs’ yearly performance evaluations, make sure that at least one of their goals has to do with learning.

• Build a library of books at your workplace on a variety of subjects:  health care, motivation, parenting, physical fitness, healthy eating, etc.  Allow your CNAs to “check out” the books.

• Encourage your CNAs to become computer literate (if they aren’t already).\

• Start each inservice or staff meeting by asking your CNAs to share one thing they have learned since the last meeting.

• Assess the learning needs of your nursing assistants quarterly…or at least annually.

• Teach your CNAs to speak up if they are assigned to a client with an unfamiliar diagnosis.

• Have your nursing assistants lead a book club for the residents in your facility or teach the residents one of their favorite hobbies.

Whew…as you can see, the possibilities are endless!  But the bottom line remains the same:  give your nursing assistants the opportunity to learn and grow and they will be happier, more productive employees.  And, you’ll have a team of top-notch CNAs!

Nurses and nursing assistants are all part of the same team and have the same goal: provide quality care to clients in need. So why is it that nurses and CNAs don’t always see eye to eye? Here’s what a few CNAs across the U.S. had to say recently:

Valnecia said: “I respect nurses for their education but they should realize that CNAs are their eyes and ears with the patients.  I feel the nurses at my job do not take me seriously—as if I don’t know what I am talking about.  We need to learn to work together as a team and not against each other.”

Guadalupe said: “Nurses and CNAs should have respect for one another; this would not only help the patients but create a better work environment.”

Heather said:  “I know we don’t have as much schooling as nurses but we’re not dumb and that’s how I feel that we’re treated sometimes.  And, some of my fellow CNAs are terrible, too.  They throw child-like tantrums when you ask them for some help.   I just wish everyone would work together as a team.“

Lori said:  “I love my job and will stick it out but when I’m doing a good job and don’t get any good feedback-just constant criticism instead-that is when the going gets tough. Just a little praise goes a long way.”

Do any of the above statements sound familiar? If so, here are some tips you can share that may help promote respect between the nurses and CNAs at your workplace:

Be kind to everyone on the nursing team. Remember that working with sick and/or aging people can be emotionally exhausting.  It can be very frustrating to work hard every day and see no improvement in your clients—or even see them getting worse.   Support your coworkers…and let them support you!

Put yourself in your co-workers’ shoes. Think about what it must be like to be them—what they may be going through and why they behave as they do.  When you try to understand other people, it’s easier to empathize with them.

Pull your own weight by fulfilling your assigned duties. But, remain flexible, too!  Your assignment may change from week to week, from day to day or even from hour to hour.  And, when someone asks you to help with a task that’s not one of your regular duties, try to avoid saying, “That’s not my job.”

Be passionate about your work. By showing others that you love your work, you become a shining example for others to follow.

Do the right thing. If you approach your work with honesty and integrity—and do your best at all times—you will respect yourself for a job well done.  And self-respect is so important!  Remember the old Spanish proverb, “If you want to be respected, you must first respect yourself.”

Keep on learning. Take every opportunity to learn new things.  Complete extra inservices and then apply what you learn during your daily work with clients.  The more you know, the more valuable you become to yourself, your co-workers and to your workplace.

For more about teamwork between nurses and CNAs, consider our inservice modules: The CNA/Nurse Relationship and Working with a Team.

Until next time!

Linda

Linda Leekley BS, RN

Here’s a true story that says a lot about the perception of quality in the United States:

IBM decided to have some of their computer parts manufactured in Japan. In the contract, IBM stated that they would accept three defective parts out of ten thousand.  When the parts were delivered from Japan, they arrived with a letter.   It said, “In Japan, we have a hard time understanding American business practices.  But, the three defective parts you ordered have been manufactured separately and are included with your regular order.  We hope this pleases you.”

So, how do the CNAs perceive quality at your workplace?  Here are some basics that you might want to cover with them at your next inservice meeting:

What Is Quality?

Quality is doing the right things to the right people at the right time…and doing things right the first time.

Quality saves money. Doing things right the first time requires less money than having to deal with the consequences of poor client care.

Quality means doing the right things right. When each employee strives for 100% quality, everyone benefits.

Quality focuses on the results of your client care—not just on getting the care done.

Quality is everyone’s responsibility.  (It’s possible to measure quality so that every health care worker understands what “good care” means.)

What Are the Benefits of QI?

Have you ever heard the saying, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”? So why bother trying to improve when the quality of care may already be good? Health care organizations that focus continuously on quality benefit in many ways:

• The clients receive the best possible care.
• The employees have a clean and safe workplace.
• Problems can be identified and solved before they become serious or widespread.
• Staff members from different departments work together to solve problems.
• The organization avoids wasting resources…including supplies, money and employee’s time.
• Surveys from the state or from JCAHO are less stressful because meeting (or exceeding) standards is a way of life for every employee.
• The workplace gains a positive image in the community.

And Remember…

In health care, quality can’t always be measured by how quickly clients get well. No matter how hard they try, health care workers are never in complete control over their clients’ health status.

For example, hospice employees care for people who are dying.  It would be unfair to measure the quality of hospice care based on how many clients get well and go home!  Instead, there need to be other measurements such as: Is spiritual counseling offered to every hospice client and his family?  How many clients at the hospice die free from pain?

The methods for measuring quality vary somewhat from one health care workplace to another.

Spending a lot of money on client care does not guarantee good quality.  Poor client care can be just as expensive—if not more so—as quality improvement programs.  Think about it.  It can cost up to $30 thousand to heal just one bed sore.  And, if a client falls and breaks a hip, it can cost up to $35 thousand! Preventing these problems would cost much, much less.

Changing the way things are done does not necessarily mean the old way was “wrong”. It could mean that a QI team at your workplace has come up with a better way to do something…or an easier way…or a quicker way…or a cheaper way. There’s always a reason for change. If you’re not sure what that reason is…ask!

Quality improvement is the responsibility of every employee. Even if a workplace has a special QI nurse or a large QI committee, all employees are still responsible for doing their part to improve quality of care.

Get Excited about Quality Improvement

Share the results of any quality improvement studies for your workplace with your nursing assistants.

Suggest that some of your CNAs volunteer for the QI committee at your workplace.

Remind all your CNAs that they are the experts at the tasks they perform every day. If they see ways to make their job—or their client care—better, it is their responsibility to share their ideas.

For more information about quality improvement, please check out our inservice, Understanding Quality Improvement.

Happy Teaching!

Linda

Maintaining a fully staffed team of CNAs can be a challenge.  Let’s say you’re short staffed and rushing to fill those job vacancies.  You take the time to advertise for CNAs, interview prospective employees and complete the entire hiring process.  You’re tempted to get those new CNAs on the schedule as soon as possible.  However, the best thing you can do to make sure that both time and money haven’t been wasted is to orient your new nursing assistants.

Nurse aides have the least amount of pre-employment training of any other clinical employee.  Your CNAs may come to you with only weeks of clinical schooling.  As a result, they require—and deserve—an extensive introduction to their jobs.

A thorough orientation has many benefits—for your workplace, your new employee and you.  These benefits include:

• Reduced anxiety. By providing new employees with specific guidelines, an orientation helps them know what is expected of them from day one.

• Increased job satisfaction. Orientation helps ensure that new employees are well-prepared to perform their assigned duties instead of feeling overwhelmed, stressed out and ready to leave!

• Time savings for supervisors and coworkers. A thorough orientation makes new employees self-sufficient sooner—so they don’t pull you and your other aides away from your own jobs to answer questions or provide constant assistance.

• An improved employee retention rate. Across the nation, turnover of nursing assistants costs healthcare organizations more than $4 billion every year!  However, studies have shown that organizations with a comprehensive orientation can expect to reduce their turnover rate by 50% within two years.

So, what should a CNA orientation program include?  Here are some suggestions that have been shown to get nursing assistants off to a good start:

• Working as a Nursing Assistant. Promote professionalism by providing your aides with the tools they need to be team players.  Review their job description with them, step by step, and discuss workplace policies on chain of command and delegation.

• Supporting Patient Rights. Emphasize the importance of patient rights, especially confidentiality—the cornerstone of the relationship between healthcare workers and their clients.  Help your CNAs understand advance directives and the signs and symptoms of abuse.

• Infection Control. Because nosocomial infections continue to be the most common cause of medical errors, new employees benefit from a review of handwashing protocol, standard precautions and drug-resistant infections.

• Client Care Tips. Nursing assistants, especially those who are “new grads”, can become overwhelmed quickly by the demands of client care.  If you arm them with practical tips that focus on personal care, nutrition and client safety, their on-the-job confidence will soar.

• Self Care. By spending orientation time on employee wellness, you’ll show your new aides that you care about them as people and recognize that they are your greatest resource.  If you ignore this crucial area, you run the risk of developing stressed-out, disgruntled CNAs within a matter of months.

• Providing Quality Care. By focusing on customer service, quality improvement and medical error prevention, you’ll instill a desire for excellence among your new CNAs.

• Writing It All Down. As every nurse knows, when it comes to client care, if you don’t write it down, you didn’t do it.  Devoting time to proper documentation (and/or oral reporting) is essential for every new employee.

Whew…that’s a lot of information.  Who has time to put together an orientation program like that?  The good news is that you don’t have to.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, check around for companies that offer an orientation course for nursing assistants.  For example, take a look at our comprehensive CNA Orientation Program:  Getting Off to a Good Start.  Not only does it provide your new CNAs with a top-notch orientation, it also gives them a whopping six hours of inservice credit!

Remember…by developing and retaining top-notch CNAs, you’ll recoup the money you spend on quality orientation materials in no time.

In August, I had routine surgery in one of the country’s best hospitals, (according to U.S. News and World Report) which just happens to be in the city where I live.  Naturally, I expected the upmost in quality care from the entire medical team, including the nurse aides. I had never had any surgery up to this point and had no idea what to expect.  Did the CNAs deliver top-notch care?

My first experience with a nursing assistant occurred when I was wheeled from the recovery area to my room.  CNA #1 (as I will call her) took my vital signs and made sure I was comfortable.  Unfortunately, she also complained about being tired and let me know she only had thirty minutes until quitting time.  She also mentioned she had the next day off and she could not wait. Not a great impression. Even in my groggy state, I thought she could use some training geared towards professionalism.

CNA #2 was my nurse aide through the night and very early morning.  She came into my room with a huge smile and a great attitude.  Not only did she take my vital signs, she also asked if I needed anything.  She even asked my husband if he was comfortable in his chair as he was staying the evening with me.  Since I was feeling a little better, I decided to ask her why she decided to become a CNA.  She said that she completely switched gears professionally, loved being a CNA and hoped to become a registered nurse one day. Her love for patient care was obvious by her enthusiasm and demeanor.

CNA #3 woke me up bright and early the next day to take my vital signs.  She seemed competent, but very rushed; professional, but a little cold.  She came across as someone who was having a bad day. Did she enjoy being a CNA?  I did not feel comfortable asking her. Our interaction together was the briefest among the ones I had with nursing assistants.

What was most evident to me during my hospital stay is that, along with the rest of the team, CNAs leave a lasting impression on a patient…and this impression can be good or bad.  It can also color how the patient feels about the healthcare organization as a whole.  My experience with CNA #2 was memorable because she seemed to really enjoy her job.  Even though we all look forward to quitting time, no one should express that sentiment to a client or patient, as CNA #1 did.  And, if CNA #3 was feeling hurried or having a bad day, I should not have picked up on it.

Think about your nurse aides. Are they a CNA #1, #2, #3, a combination of all three or completely different?  What do you do to make sure they give exceptional care (and top-notch customer service) to their clients every day, regardless of circumstances? How do you keep them excited about performing their job responsibilities?  We would love to hear from you!

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!

Did you hear about the study released by the UNC Institute on Aging?  It identified three programs being introduced to nursing homes in North Carolina in hopes of improving client care and reducing the number of sub-standard fines and sanctions placed against the state’s nursing homes.

The study was led by Thomas R. Konrad, PhD, a research professor of health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and a senior scientist at the Institute on Aging.  Here’s what he had to say:  “The study shows North Carolina’s unique partnerships between the state, the university and nursing homes are effectively leveraging federal funds to improve the lives of those who live in, as well as those who work in, nursing homes,”

Konrad’s study was conducted in North Carolina nursing homes between 2004 and 2007.  What’s interesting is that it was funded by civil monetary penalties – funds collected from nursing homes for deficiencies in care.  The goal was to improve client care by redistributing the penalty funds back into the same nursing homes in the form of three initiatives:

1. The Win a Step Up program focused on the nursing assistants by upgrading their knowledge and skills, increasing their job commitment and providing rewards and recognition for a job well done.
2. Quality Improvement Collaboratives, in which groups of nursing homes worked together with the statewide Quality Improvement Organization to improve specific quality care measures, such as reducing pressure sores, reducing resident falls or limiting the use of restraints.
3. Culture Change Initiatives was designed to assist nursing homes with changing their structures or routines to make their environments more “homelike.”  This initiative fell in line with goals that all nursing homes have recently made a priority.

The study found that the participating nursing saw a number of improvements, including:

• Facilities using the Win a Step Up saw a decrease in pressure sores among their residents, and experienced a drop in employee turnover when compared to the previous year.  As you know, having continuity with your staff will go a long way in making sure your facility runs at its full potential.
• Nursing homes participating in the Quality Improvement Collaboratives saw a significant reduction in incontinence and a decrease in the use of restraints.  Most significantly, resident falls were almost cut in half after the study.
• Facilities using the Culture Change Initiatives also saw a reduction in the use of restraints, as safer and more comfortable alternatives were taught and implemented.  In addition, resident satisfaction increased dramatically, especially relating to resident independence and quality of life.

At In the Know, we applaud the idea of putting penalty funds back into nursing homes-especially when the focus is to increase the knowledge base of nursing assistants.  As we always say, when people learn more, they achieve more!

Till next time,

Evan

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!