Be In the Know!

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!

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